GREAT DEBATE

Merry Christmas St.Mary's!

This was our last lab at St.Mary's and probably the most fun! This week it was Christmas theme so everyone was in holiday spirit wearing red and green. This week i had the Cafeteria group which were the 3rd to 4th grade students. They were tons of fun to work with. We started off by playing a game that Professor Yang brought and we literally could've played this game all day because they were so engaged in it. It got a little out of hands at times so i had to reassure them that everyone has to be polite and share in order to have fun or we can't play it at all. After the game we went upstairs in the gymnasium to play some of the games they wanted to play. They instantly grabbed basketballs and started shooting at random, so i thought to myself that we should just all get together and play one big game of something. It took a while to get things situated because there were only a select few who wanted to do certain things. So what i did was have me and my lab partner and assistant start playing our own game and then the kids saw all the fun we had and wanted to join in. Overall it was a good day at St.Mary's and a excellent semester there as well!

Helping out at St.Mary's!

The day before the St. Mary's Christmas Bazaar some classmates and I helped to set up the gymnasium. We helped move around tables and chairs and help set some games up. There were a few kids there that were also lending a hand which was good to see. We are very greatful for the experience at St. Mary's, and since I was unable to attend the Bazaar itself I figured this was the least I could do. We all worked together and had fun doing so, by the time we left the gym was all set up and i was exhausted, but there was no doubt in my mind that the kids were going to have a blast!

Audacity tutorial

Gobble gobble dribble dribble!

This was a very exciting week at St. Mary's because it was leaning towards Thanksgiving break so that was our theme. It was very fun because everyone was getting into the holiday spirit. Nate and I were in the Special project group so we didn't get a chance to work with the kids that much. For our project we had to put together posters of all of the collages we made for St.Mary's and post them up where everyone can see them. I liked doing this because i saw what everyone had to offer in their collages and extremely appreciated the collages that had me in them doing stuff because that showed me that other people observed and liked what i was doing with the kids. Later on during lab when we got finished we went in the gym to see what everyone was doing and it put a smile on my face to see kids that i worked with previously came up to me and asked me to play with them. The majority of the kids were from the the 1-4 grade who came up to me. I had to tell them to wait until next week so we can play again and they didn't want to hear that. At the end i had to do a dance and a cheer. The song was the chicken dance but i just changed it to the turkey dance for the task that was provided. First i made sure they all knew what the chicken dance was and if they can do all the moves first then i transitioned over to doing the whole dance and walking around the circle with them. After that was over we brought it in and made them say HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! overall it was a fun lab and now i can't wait for the Christmas lab!

st marys

THANKS ST MARY'S!!

Trick or Throw

This week our theme at St.Marys was Halloween! Many people dressed up using their creative minds and had some really great costumes. I decided to dress up as a baseball player. I thought that it was a good idea since we were introducing the throwing unit. I had a couple holes in my pants which I quickly joked around and said iI was a zombie baseball player and the kids really liked that. I had the middle schoolers for my lab and they were quite the handful. We started outside and they were playing kickball. I learned fast that you can't talk to them as if you were talking to a kid at a younger level. I remember when I was in middle school and to be honest I was a little mouthy myself. When we got inside there wasn't that many kids so we had to do the best with what we had. As soon as we got inside they all started doing their own thing and not really paying attention so I ended up using a technique saying that If they played my game first they can get back to what they were doing. I based my game on an actual sport (baseball) and made them do various forms of throwing with different balls. They enjoyed that because they were at the age of knowing how to do the tasks at hand and wanted to throw the balls even harder and further which made me happy because I could extend the game as much as I wanted. Without Professor Yang there I think the Grad Assistants did a wonderful job and we'll be excellent teachers soon. Now it's time to get ready for the next lab!

 THANK YOU ST. MARY'S!

I'm not the one wearing HOCKEY PADSSSS!

What an amazing day at St.Marys! I cannot tell you how excited i was for this lab. For starters I was looking so forward to dressing up. I had an old batman t-shirt and a black sheet that I cut and made into a cape. The kids were SO into it! All of the kids were shouting at me and wanted to talk to me, it made me very calm and relaxed and i felt that i didn't even have to say anything twice because they were so excited at what i had to bring to the table. I was required to bring a book and read to them, I wasn't sure i was going to be able to read it to them because they were outside and were playing, but to my surprise they asked me to read it to them. The book i had was a little complicated so i tried my best to keep their interest by cutting some pages short and emphasized more on the pictures and explained as best i could of what was going on. As Physical Educators, we are taught to teach through the physical so after the book i made a cross over to playing a game and having them use there memory of the book to play the game. It kept them very occupied throughout the remainder of the time we were outside and they loved every minute of it. I can't wait for our next lab to have more fun!

More of a challenge then walking on a plank blindfolded!

This was our first lab that we had to do, BY OURSELF! I would say nervously excited would be an understatement. The theme was Pirate week so the activities we had to construct were based on that. My group was in the gym and we had to perform first. It was quite a challenge because they had just got out of school and not many of them has had the chance to really let loose so you have to grasp their attention fast or else you can say goodbye to all of your plans. Along with saying that, you have to want to be there and pretty much act as enthusiastic as the kids are. Let's face it, if you're boring nine times out of ten so are they. So i tried my best at getting down to there level and asking them questions of interest about the theme. Once i got their attention i knew i had to make my pitch fast and get things going. Our goal of the lab was to see how the kids move doing different motor skills such as hoping, galloping and running. One of the things that was running through my mind was of how to make things like this last for a whole class and not to bore the kids for even a second. Once that was over i debriefed with the kids and ended my lab with a joke to end on a good note.

There's no Shame in this Game

One of my all time favorite things to do play in gym class, DODGE BALL!!!. Man i could not wait for a rainy day or when the teachers decided to pick that activity for the day. I know that in High School i was always labeled one of the "jocks" just because i loved to do physical activities but many kids did not, which is not okay. I left after a period of dodge ball drenched in sweat and exhausted while other kids it seemed as if they didn't even change.  That's the main problem today is that kids are not being physically active. During Dodge Ball you have what we like to call the wall flowers who just stay all the way in the back and talk amongst each other and don't bother to get involved. Schools around the country have banned dodge ball from their school's for reasons such as this and many more. Another reason is that kids are getting hurt and are doing things such as breaking their arms and legs, I've never seen this actually happen before but i have heard very unfortunate stories. There are ways i feel that we can modify the game of dodge ball where we can limit the amount of kids getting hurt and increase the amount of energy kids exert during the duration of the game. I think some things we can do different to prevent harm is to first enforce the rules of no head shots because this easily can prevent someone from breaking their nose or other features. Change the size and make of the balls being used, in my high school we used balls where even a major league pitcher could be throwing it and it still wouldn't do major damage. We could also change the throwing distances so kids aren't so close to each other. As far as having kids participate i feel you could establish a punishment to the kids who are on the back wall. For example give them a few warnings that if they don't start participating then they will have to leave the class and go to a transition room for insubordination. Another thing you could do is give them an incentive such as saying if you get ten people out today you'll earn participation points or something to that extent. There are many things kids can benefit by playing dodge ball and not just the physical part. Kids actually use their brain during this game to make strategies and trying different things to get other people out. It can also be a social environment where you can work together and use the teamwork aspect. Dodge ball is an amazing game and there is no dodging that!

First day with the little ones!

My first day at St.Marys was quite the experience i must say. I have had previous experience working with kids but never inside of a school based environment. The kids were so vibrant and full of energy. I know since they have been couped up inside a class room all day they are just biting at the chance to let loose. Inside the gym the kids were doing various things from playing house, fishing, soccer, and basketball. Outside the kids were playing mostly tag and that by itself can wear you out because at the end of the day i was exhausted. I can't wait for day two where we will actually be in charge!

Kids not quite able to swing it!

Kids are getting involved with sports at a very early age. As kids begin to play these sports, some parents feel that it is physically okay to give their kids sports equipment that might be to early for them to handle and could be very detrimental to their health. The topic we are talking about is giving kids lacrosse sticks to play with. Kids that are at the developmental age i feel once they get the practice they can do such a sport, but i feel it could possibly be too early. I say that because the kid might be able to lift the stick up and swing it around fine, but i feel that at that age they aren't physically developed in their shoulders to do such a vigorous activity. Besides it could be harmful because the natural way your arms are suppose to move is the underhand motion, so once you start moving it in various backward directions (including being at this age) could put a kid in extreme risk of future problems to their body. So Parents, just stick to having a nice little game of catch for now!

What a Rush! 1st Day at St.Mary's

What a rush working with kids today at St.Mary's. 

First day

The first day of class was pretty exciting. We met our Professor and he showed us around a very complex building. As far as the class goes I think I'm going to like the way it's being taught. It's not the traditional way of teaching (by the books). It's very hands on and you actually are put in environments where it is bases on things we will actually be doing in the future. I am looking forward to what lies ahead!