Let's Get Physical!

This trimester, we changed our warm up to fun fitness stations to help us better prepare for our fitness testing.  Students rotate from station to station doing a different exercise everyday.  Stations last for only 30 seconds and focus on flexibility, upper body, mid body, and lower body.  Our goal is to get physical everyday so that we can improve our fitness scores.

2nd Grade Students at Flexibility Station

2nd Grade students working on balance at Mid Body Station

2nd Grade students doing push ups at the Upper Body Station

Overhand Throwing

This week we started Overhand Throwing.  When we throw we focus on keeping the ball by our ear by making a muscle with our arm, pointing at our target, and stepping with our opposite foot.  Our body says "Point, Step, and Fire!"  which the students love to shout as they throw. The following are a list of activities we did the past week to help us throw hard and with accuracy.

Throwing Maps
During this activity, students worked alone or with a partner and used a map as their guide around the gym.  The color of the circles told the student what wall to throw at, the height of the circle told students where on the wall to throw, and the number in the circle told the student how many times to throw.  When students completed the map with their partner, they exchanged with me for a new one.  This is a great activity to review levels and also have students start to control where they throw the ball.

Throwing for Numbers
During this next activity, I taped many paper plates on my walls at different heights.  Each plate had a number 1-12.  Students practiced overhand throwing and hitting the plates in order from 1-12 or backwards from 12-1.  Younger students started at a closer distance while older students had the option of challenging themselves from further away.

Throwing for 100
Students received a 100's board and were told they had the remainder of class to throw and reach 100.  Each student took a ball and tried to throw and hit a number 1-12.  The student then recorded it on their sheet by coloring that many squares on their hundred board.  Students had fun choosing different colors and numbers to make their sheet unique.

Oscar's Garbage Can
During this activity, I set up mats to make a giant circle for a garbage can.  We talked about Oscar the Grouch and how he is grumpy because he lives in a garbage can that people keep throwing their trash into.  For the game, I put 3-5 students inside the garbage can to be Oscars.  The remainder of the students stay on the outside and try to throw and get as many pieces of trash (balls) as they can into the garbage can.  In the meantime, the Oscars inside are trying to throw any trash that comes in their can back out.  When the music stops, we count how many pieces of trash we were able to get inside. 

Variation of Oscar's Garbage Can
To integrate math concepts, I have students write an addition problem or subtraction problem on a piece of paper and then make a snowball.  We play Oscar's Garbage Can like usual, but when the music stops each student grabs a snowball and opens it up.  The student solves the math problem on their piece of paper and then throws it at the answer on the wall.  This is a great way to get student's minds and bodies working at the same time! 

Reindeer Games

Before our holiday break, students participated in Reindeer Games in Physical Education.  It includes four holiday themed stations where students get to train like a reindeer to get ready for Santa's big night.

Gift Toss

Students "tick tock" their arm and try to toss as many bean bags as they can into the holiday gift bag their partner is holding.  This is a great teamwork activity. For a challenge, tossers had the option of taking a few steps backward to increase the distance.

Rooftop Balance

Students balanced like reindeer on all fours and tried to walk across a balance beam.  This task is harder than it looks!  After completing this skill, students were able to walk across in different ways including on tippy toes, backwards, and with their eyes closed.

Cloud Leap and Tree Gallop

Students practiced leaping from cloud to cloud before galloping between the trees.  Many students like to see how fast they can go and also how far they can leap from each cloud.

Sleigh Pull

Safety is number one at this fun station!  Students have a partner sit on a scooter and hold both handles of a jump rope.  Then their partner steps inside the jump rope loop and holds it around their waist.  Walking only, students pull their partner from one end of the gym to the other.  It is the reindeer's job to keep their partner safe including not falling off or bumping into any other sleighs.