We Need to Move

It's Friday and we don't have access to the gym

but we can use the multi-purpose room.

 

It's important that we have an active break everyday so we

take advantage of the multi-purpose room

even when we have a big crowd.

We sing songs like Tony Chestnut and do some yoga moves.

We use scarves to help sing If You're Happy and You Know It

which always leads us to Sleeping Bunnies.

The scarves are great for playing with the poem

Popcorn Kernels

and "I Have a Rocket".

We also enjoyed a new to us book called

"Old MacDonald Has a Truck".

It introduces lots of big machines like bulldozers and steam rollers

which prompted us to make movements as we read/sang.

And finally at the end all the children lay down to take a breath.

I walk around with my tickle stick.

After they are tickled they stand up and put their mat away then

head back to our classroom

Big Buddies Five Little Pumpkins

During our last big buddy visit we focused on the poem

Five Little Pumpkins.

A few of our big buddies acted out the poem for a very attentive audience.

Then each pair received a little baggie with 5 pumpkins, a gate and the words to the poem.

 

They counted the pumpkins and retold the poem together.

This big buddy is trying to make a connection with his little buddy who

is a bit hesitant when she meets someone new.

But his silliness drew her in and she copied him by covering mom's eyes

with the pumpkins.

The children then played with equipment that had been set up around the gym.

I noticed that this was a time that many of the grown ups felt comfortable

to step back and let their child connect with the big buddy alone.

This provided lots of opportunity for the buddies to learn more about each other

and what they can do.

Here is an another example of a big buddy gaining their little buddies attention and interest.

She patiently waited, with her hands out to catch, while the little buddy took his

time to throw the ball.

We finished with two of our regular songs.

Ring around the rosie, a pocketful of posies,

husha, husha we all fall down.

Fishes in the ocean, fishes in the sea

We all jump up when we count to three.

And Icky Sticky Bubble Gum.

I see delight and trust being expressed in these pictures.

Thank you to Ms Smith for taking these wonderful photos.

The Paper Airplane

                 

One our families love making airplanes and I consider them an expert at making paper planes.  They’ve made lots of different planes at school.  So today they helped us understand the plans on the back of this book.
                         
After reading The Paper Airplane, which is about a boy who pretends that his paper airplane is flying with the birds, we made our own planes and flew them in the gym.
   
          
                
           The gym gave us lots of space to fly them again and again.

A Tooty Ta

We’ve learned a new song this year, “A Tooty Ta”.  It’s a silly song that includes echoing and dance.  Today we did the song together in gym.  There were 40 children present plus their parent, grandparent or caregiver.

It goes like this….

 
Chorus:
A tooty ta, a tooty ta, a tooty ta, ta!
Verses: Repeat after me
(start with the first action then continue to add an action and the song continues to get longer.  The chorus separates each verse.)
Thumbs Up!
Elbows back!
Feet apart!
Bottoms up!
Tongue out!
Eyes closed!
Turn Around!

Halloween Gym Fun

Many, many families came in to play today but I managed to take a few pictures. 
        Here are some Hallowe’en activities I set up in the gym.
              
               Witch hats on pylons to use as ring toss targets.

 
        I brought in an old jack o’lantern candy bucket to use as a
                           target for a bean bag toss.

          
                               Paper bats on clothespins
                   to transfer from one bucket to another.

  Hope you had a safe and happy Hallowe’en.