Month: November 2022

Pre-K Updates

The Pre-K has had the opportunity to have free exploration of a view kinds of materials including rubber bouncy balls (think kickballs), softer “gator skin” foam balls, and more recently, handheld nets and mini hula hoops. Once kids have a chance to explore the material, making up their own games and trying out different ways of using them, they share with their classmates what they have tried out. In subsequent classes, Oli gives them a task to go along with the material, such as you must bounce or kick this ball with a partner, or you must roll the ball and hit the wall or a pin. This helps students develop different skills and get used to working in different configurations (alone, in pairs, or groups). Some more structured games we have tried out include Follow the Leader, Duck, Duck, Goose and Freeze Tag.

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We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

George Bernard Shaw

K/1 Updates

There have been a lot of highlights for the K/1 group in the past couple months include playing the “Mirror Game” in which students mirror the movements of the game leader. It starts with Oli leading and then a few kids get a turn to lead the group. Eventually we played where every student had a partner, taking turns who would lead and who would mirror. Some group activities we’ve been excited to learn include Zombie Tag, Dead Ant Tag, and Fireball (rolling a foam ball at kids’ feet and them having to dodge out of the way). We were also excited to start our station work in which kids rotate through 5 stations around the gym. It all starts out with going over the rules of station work, then getting a colorful wristband that helps you to know which station to start with and the other kids in your group. The stations so far have included: target practice (like darts but with velcro balls), handheld nets where you try to catch a foam shuttlecock in you net, jumping bags, handball/soccer, and mini hula hoops with balancing wands.

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2/3 and 4/5 Updates

The 2/3s have one foot in the K/1 world because they still participate in station work (see above for descriptions of current stations) and one foot in 4/5 world because they also learn sports skills. The 2/3s and 4/5s have been working on skills necessary to play Handball. This has included learning and practicing various types of passing: two-handed, one-handed, bounce pass, jump pass. Learning how to defend against a pass and well as how to get around defenders without fouling. We’ve done various games like Monkey in the Middle and 10 Pass to develop these skills further and now we are geared up to try out our first official Handball matches in the coming days. As usual, our conversations center around teamwork, game strategy, and sportsmanship. Some other fun activities we have been able to enjoy in the past couple months include Zombie Tag, Burning Ball, Teamwork Relay Races, Cross the River (a distance jumping game), and Silent Ball.