P.E. Christmas Games

Today was the last time I'll see my students until after Christmas.  We played a  lot of Christmas Games, and 5th graders were also given about 10 minutes to practice and be tested on the P.E. Central Challenges.

Our 5th grade Agenda today was:
Warm-Up = Christmas Match Relay (A running activity)
Skills Practice = P.E. Central Challenges and Feed the Reindeer Relay (catching/throwing activity)
Game= Santa and Mrs. Claus Tag


Kindergarten Agenda:
Warm-Up = Yoga/Exercises
Skills Practice = Feed the Reindeer Relay (catching/throwing activity)
Game = Christmas Tag

Pictures of Feed the Reindeer Relay - Students worked in groups of three.  Each child had a turn to do each "job".  One child rode the sled (scooter) to collect reindeer food (balls).  They tossed the reindeer food to the person standing inside the hula hoop and that person had to catch the food and throw it into the reindeer's bucket.  The third child's job was to be the "catcher" and try to help get the food into the buckets.  We played Christmas music during the game and switched jobs every 3 minutes.

Tossing Reindeer food into the Reindeer's bucket. The catcher had the option to hold the bucket and try to catch it.

Tosser had to stay inside the hula hoop while throwing.

Kindergartener's playing Feed the Reindeer Relay.  This is a great activity to teach them about teamwork and cooperation!

Student on the "sled" collecting "reindeer food".

Catching and Throwing Games Continued

My 5th graders have continued to practice catching and throwing skills the past few weeks. I have given opportunities during each class period for them to complete the PE Central Challenge of catching 30 in a row with a partner. We have also practiced many catching "stunts" with partners such as a two ball toss, kneel and toss, toss under leg, behind back, etc.

Here is a list of some of the games we have played this month: (Click on some for directions or videos of the game).
Jail Ball
Hoop Guard
Catch Everything (Similar to Throw Everything, except toss and catch with partner)
Keep Away
Bean Bag Battle
Dr. Mario (aka. Medic)
Star Wars
Thanksgiving Match Game (Running Relay)

I also introduced the Balance Beam Challenge to 5th graders this week from the PE Central Challenge. With a partner, students have to pass each other twice while keeping their balance to pass the challenge.

Kindergarten classes have also been working on catching and throwing. They have played a few of the games above, plus a throwing game called "Oscar's Garbage Can" and Thanksgiving Tag.

Pictures of Kindergarteners playing the Thanksgiving Match Game (Running Relay):

Students ran to the opposite end of the gym to get a Thanksgiving card (with a picture of food on it...turkey, potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc) and then ran it back to their team's "plate" to make a match.








Kindergarteners playing "Oscar's Garbage Can"

Catching and Throwing Games

This month students will be focusing on catching and throwing skills. Below are details and videos of what we did this week.

5th Graders Agenda:
Warm-Up
Catching Practice - Individual Catching Stunts/Partner Toss and Catch
Catching Games - 1) Jail Ball 2) Hoop Guard

Kindergarten Agenda:
Warm-up: Yoga
Throwing Practice: Underhand and Overhand Throwing
Throwing Game: Star Wars


Catching Practice - Students practiced individually in their own space tossing to self and catching. We caught with two hands, one hand and then did some stunts such as Toss/Clap/Catch, Toss/Kneel/Catch/Toss/Stand/Catch, Toss/Spin Around/Catch, Toss under legs/Catch.


Partner Practice - working on the Throw and Catch Challenge from pecentral.org


Game: Jail Ball - Click here for directions on how to play Jail Ball.


Game: Hoop Guard - Partners try to toss the bean bag into the other's hula hoop for a point.



Video of Yoga Exercises:


Video of Star Wars Game:

Fun P.E. Games - Pin Kickball and Battleship

Oct. 24th = After two weeks of fitness testing, I decided to rewarded my 5th grade classes with a day of fun games! They played Pinball, Pin Kickball and Battleship. Below are some video clips!

Oct. 31st = This week our school had a Halloween "Multi-age" day, so with those events going on the students did not have P.E. class. The Kindergarten class joined the activities in the gym during their P.E. time which included dances such as Monster Mash, Thriller, Chicken Dance, and "Who Let the Ghosts Out?".

Video of Battleship:


Battleship - This time I allowed two teams to join together as one fleet - a suggestion from one of my students! They enjoyed this version as well!


This video shows how teams have to begin most games we play - lined up with their team with a ball between their feet. Teams are rewarded points if they are able to get ready in 30 seconds or less (for each round). This ensures we don't waste any of our valuable P.E. minutes!


Playing Pin Kickball - kicking the balls to knock down the pins instead of rolling them like we do in the game "Pinball".

Indoor P.E. Activities - Dancing and Quiet Ball

This week the gym was being used for an assembly, and it was raining outside...so we had to have P.E. in the classrooms.  When situations like this occur, I like to do DANCES and "Quiet Ball" (aka. "Mum Ball").  Below are a few videos of my 5th graders doing the LIMBO!    I like to use Christy Lane's Party Dance Music CD for indoor dances.  She has a great variety of dances to teach elementary students. 

LIMBO - 1 = Pretty Easy Start....


LIMBO -2 = Getting harder!

LIMBO - 3 = How low can you go!??

P.E. Warm-Up, Flag Tag and Dead Ants Tag

Here was our agenda for last week:

1)  New Warm-Up Activity = Fitness Logs

2)  Flag Tag (click here for details of game)

3)  Dead Ants Tag (click here for details of game)

Videos:  Fitness Logs - In order to track progress and prepare for our fitness testing, my 5th graders are keeping a "Fitness Log" with a partner.  Each student is doing a series of ONE MINUTE tests in running, jumping rope, sit-ups and push-ups.  They record partners scores on their "fitness log" and will take these home when completed.

Flag Tag - Players had two flags (tube socks) hanging from their sides. The goal of the game is to keep your flags while others try to pull them off.



Dead Ants Tag - The tagger is called the RAID CAN and tries to run around and tag players (with the small noodle). If a player is tagged, they become a dead ant and must lay on their back with leg and arms extended. To become alive again, 4 alive ants must carry them to an ant hole.

Welcome Back to School! Icebreaker Games for P.E.

Welcome back to school everyone!  I am very happy to be teaching 5th grade and Kindergarten-A at Zinser this year!   This is my 7th year with the district.  This year I will be at Zinser on Mondays and ECC on Wednesdays.

Our first day of P.E. was great!  I already know most of the students because I taught their P.E. class when they were in 1st and 2nd grade.  It was awesome to discover they have continued to grow into wonderful, caring, and happy children.  This will be a great year for us in P.E.!

I hope you enjoy my P.E. blog.  I usually update it weekly so parents can view VIDEOS of what we are doing in class.  This blog is also for other P.E. teachers who are looking for lesson plan ideas.

This was our "Agenda" for today:
Welcome/Introductions
Discuss Expectations and Rewards
Choose squads and partners
Games:  "Grab It" and "Guard the Cookie Jar"


Videos of Grab It:  This is a game they played with their new partner.  The goal is to be the first person to grab the bean bag when I say the words "Grab It".  A point is earned for grabbing it first.  As you will see in the video, I sometimes trick them and say something other than Grab It.  If they touch the beanbag when I say a different word, a point is deducted.  This game got us all laughing!





Video of "Guard the Cookie Jar" - Similar to "Grab It", but with more movement! If a player is able to steal the cookie (the beanbag), then they become the new guard. The guards try to tag players before they steal their cookie.

Physical Education - Outdoor Games - Capture the Flag

For the last week of school, my classes went outside to play Capture the Flag.  We had so much fun!  I created a special certificate to send home with any students who were able to successfully capture a flag. 

Check out the pictures below! Videos will be posted soon.

P.E. Jail Ball (Throwing/Catching Game), Pull-Ups, Flex Arm Hang, and Hula Hoop Competition

This week we did a variety of activities!  My Thursday classes had to stay inside because of the rainy weather.  They played "Jewel Thieves" and "Jail Ball", and also had the opportunity to do the pull-up test for the Presidential Fitness test.  Jewel Thieves is a tag game from pecentral.com.  Jail ball is a throwing/catching game I got from a friend.  For directions to Jail ball click here.

Last week some of my classes did a "hula hoop competition".  I gave special Hula Hoop King and Queen certificates to the boys and girls who were able to hula hoop the longest period of time!  For teachers who would like to purchase my printable certificates, click here.

Here is a picture of our 5th grade Hula Hoop King and Queen!  Our Queen was able to hula hoop for more than 13 minutes!  She only stopped because our class period was over.  Wow!

My Friday classes went outside to play Jail Ball, Tag, and attempted pull-ups and the flexed arm hang on the monkey bars.  Videos are below!





Pull-Ups


Flexed Arm Hang


Pictures of my awesome 5th graders doing the flexed arm hang.

 We called this one the "relaxed hang" and hung with arms straight and chin under the bar.

P.E. Mile Run Certificates / Hula Hoop Certificates

This week  my students completed the 1/2 mile run and 1 mile run for our Presidential Fitness Tests.  This year I designed some certificates to send home with students for their accomplishment.  They have a space to write their name and their time.   I also have used certificates this year for our "Minute Running Clubs".  The certificates really motivated students to do their best and meet our goals for running!

Some of my classes also had the opportunity to do a "Hula Hoop Competition"  in P.E. this week.  I made special "King" and "Queen" certificates for the boys and girls who were able to hula hoop the longest period of time.   I was amazed to watch two of my 5th grade girls hula hoop for over 11 minutes!   The top "queen" kept going until we ran out of time (more than 15 minutes).  They had so much fun!  They were asking me if they could borrow my stopwatch and hula hoops for recess! 

If you would like to view samples of my certificates, and/or purchase them, please click on the links below.  Each certificate comes with an explanation of how I use them in my classes.  Note:  The certificates look really cool printed on colored paper.


Mile Running Club Certificates - ($2 for 3 documents)
Minute Running Club Certificates ($3 for 4 documents)
Hula Hoop King and Queen Certificate ($2 for 4 documents)

P.E. Easter Throwing Game - Jellybean Wars

Jellybean Wars

The week before Easter, I wanted to come up with a game involving pretend jellybeans.  In the past we've played a throwing game called "Star Wars", so I thought we'd do something similar called "Jellybean Wars".  The kids loved it!  I played this with 2nd-5th graders and they all had a lot of fun!

Equipment Needed:
Tons of small foam balls,yarn balls, or other small soft balls (25-50)
4 Large, clean garbage cans, or other containers that are similar size
6 smaller containers (I used buckets)
Music (optional)


Description of Activity:
Players practice the overhand and underhand throw by throwing pretend "jellybeans" into "Easter baskets".


Set-Up:
Divide class into 2 teams.  Each teams has to stay on their side of the gym.  The half court line divides the teams.  Place tons of foam balls around the playing area.  Place 2 garbage barrels on each side of the gym.  Place 3 (or more) smaller containers/buckets on each side of the playing area.  Make sure the barrels/buckets are placed in a variety of distances from the half court line so that players can throw balls far or close, depending on skill level.

Rules:
1) Players are to pick up balls (aka. jellybeans) and try to throw them into the buckets/containers (aka. Easter baskets).
2)  Players must not cross the half court line.
3)  Aim for buckets that are on the other team's side (don't throw jellybeans into the Easter baskets on your side of the gym).
4)  Player may not stand and block the Easter baskets.  Players may catch jellybeans or attempt to stop them from landing in the Easter baskets, but they may not stand and guard a basket.   (We had a 5 second rule....no standing for more than 5 seconds.)
5)  Players begin game on their team's end line.  When teacher starts music, they may begin playing.  
6)  Optional - After a period of time (2-5 minutes), the teacher may stop the game to count how many jellybeans each team got in their Easter baskets.    Baskets placed farther from the half court line could be worth more points (because these are more challenging).

Penalty for Breaking a Rule - Player had to do 10 Bunny Hops on the sideline, OR you could tell them to do bunny hops for a period of time (watch the clock and when it changes they can come back into the game).  

Videos of Jellybean Wars - 5th Grade


3rd Grade

P.E. Easter Jellybean Tag

This game is very similar to Easter Egg Tag.

Equipment Needed:
2 rubber rings (or small pieces of foam pool noodles) for tagging players
2 Bunny ears (optional)

Description of Activity:
In this game, we pretend that the players are jellybeans and the taggers are Easter bunnies.   Bunnies could wear bunny ears as an option.

The end lines are safe.  Begin game with players lined up on the end line and 2 taggers in the middle circle.   Tell each player what color of jelly bean they are going to be (or have players choose what color they want to be).  Limit colors to 3-4 (example: purple, yellow, pink, black).  When taggers call a color, those players (aka. jellybeans) run across to the other safe line.   You could also have boys be one color and girls be another color.  If taggers call "Jellybeans" then ALL players run. 

If they make it without being tagged they are safe and wait for their color to be called again.  If they are tagged, the player sits down on the floor and curls up small like a jelly bean.  They may stand up and run to the end line when another player helps them by touching their back.

Choose new taggers every 2-3 minutes.  

Notes:

1)  For a more aerobic game, eliminate the end lines being "safe".  Play is continuous.  Players move in the area while taggers chase them.  Tagged players sit like a jellybean and others can help them by touching their back.  

2)  Whenever we play tag with the end line being safe, I give a "penalty" to any player who runs too fast across the line and crashes into the end wall.    I have heard stories of kids breaking their wrists due to running into the wall and putting their hands up to stop themselves.  The penalty exercise I use is ABC push-ups.  This really helps keep kids safe because they remember to stop at the line!

Click here to view my "Easter Egg Hunt" game!

P.E. Easter Egg Tag

There are so many different ways to play Easter Tag.  Here is how we played Easter Egg Tag this week in P.E. class.

Equipment Needed:
Plastic Easter Egg for every student (3-4 different colors)
2 rubber rings (or small pieces of foam pool noodles) for tagging players

Description of Activity:
In this tag game, the end lines are safe.  Begin game with players lined up on the end line and 2 taggers in the middle circle.  Each player holds a plastic Easter egg in their hand at all times.  The taggers will call a color and any player holding that color of Easter egg has to run to the opposite end line.    If they make it without being tagged they are safe and wait for their color to be called again.  If they are tagged, the player sits down and holds up arms making the shape of an Easter Egg (holding their plastic egg up at the top).  They may stand up and run to the end line when another player helps them by touching their back.

Choose new taggers every 2-3 minutes.  

Notes:

1)  For a more aerobic game, eliminate the end lines being "safe".  Play is continuous.  Players move in the area while taggers chase them.  Tagged players sit like an egg and others can help them by touching their back.  

2)  If you do not have plastic Easter eggs, student can pretend they have one and just remember what color they are.  (I used purple, pink, blue and green). 

3)  Whenever we play tag with the end line being safe, I give a "penalty" to any player who runs too fast across the line and crashes into the end wall.    I have heard stories of kids breaking their wrists due to running into the wall and putting their hands up to stop themselves.  The penalty exercise I use is ABC push-ups.  This really helps keep kids safe because they remember to stop at the line! 

4)  I also give a penalty exercise for any student who DROPS their Easter egg.  This rule keeps students from throwing their eggs up in the air and potentially dropping/breaking them.

Click here for More Easter Games!

P.E. Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Egg Hunt

I am looking forward to this year's Easter egg hunt!  Last year I bought TONS of plastic Easter eggs on sale to use for P.E. class.  I set up an Easter egg hunt for all of my students the week before Easter.   It is ideal to play outside, but I also did this in the gym and it worked out fine.  The kids loved this game and had lots of fun!

Equipment Needed:
Lots of plastic Easter eggs (I used a couple hundred)
Cones - all sizes (I used all I had, about 30)
Domes (optional - these are just for hiding eggs under)
Easter baskets (4-10)
Gym mats (if inside)
Cardboard boxes (if you need to create more hiding spots for eggs)

Description:
There are many ways to do this hunt.  The most standard way is put the students in 4 groups/teams.  Treat it like a relay race.  Students take turns running out into the field to find TWO Easter eggs.  I did not allow them to take more than TWO.  Players run back to their team (who is standing in line) and put their two eggs into their team's Easter basket.  Hunt continues until no one can find any more eggs.  Groups may count to see how many eggs they have.  After the hunt, I have students hide the eggs for the next class!

Options: 
1)  If you would like to play this again, after hiding eggs tell the students each team has to find a specific color.  Example:  Team 1 = blue eggs, Team 2 = pink eggs, Team 3 = yellow eggs, Team 4 = green eggs.  Any left over colors can be freebies for any team.  Example = Purple eggs are for any team to collect!

2)  Another option is to make more teams so students have more turns to run (groups of 2 or 3).  Or, if you have 4 teams, you could allow TWO players from each team to hunt together.

Set-Up:
This hunt does take some prep work!  But, it is worth it when you see how much the children enjoy it.  First, mark a line or use a cone to show where each team lines up for the relay.  Last year I painted huge numbers in the grass so each team knew where to stand.  You could also put a cone there and tape a piece of paper to the cone with the number written on it.  Give each team an Easter basket to collect their eggs.

Scatter cones, domes, cardboard boxes, Easter baskets, etc. out in the playing area.  Put a few up close, some in the middle, and many far out!  Make it a challenge!  Hide the plastic eggs under cones and other items.  If inside the gym, you can stand mats up vertically and use them as walls to hide baskets, etc.  When playing outside I also scattered some unhidden eggs just in the grass.

Videos will be posted when we play this before Easter!

P.E. Bowling Game - Pinball

Pinball

If you're looking for a great team game which involves bowling skills, try this one out! I've
played with Preschool (4 year olds) through 5th grade. It is loved by all ages and is easily adaptable for skill levels.

Click PINBALL for a printable version of this game.



Here's what we did during recess (5th grade). This is one of my first students to learn how to jump double dutch! AWESOME!

P.E. Class: Basketball Passing, Shooting and Dribbling

Basketball Passing, Shooting and Dribbling

This week we worked on basketball dribbling, passing and shooting.  I had so much fun playing sideline basketball with 5th graders today!  It's very exciting when we finally put all the skills together to play an organized game.

We also began an exciting "Minute Running Club" program as our warm-up activity.  This involves giving students timed jogging tests and rewarding those who are able to jog without stopping to walk.  Rewards include signing their name on the poster in the gym, and taking home a mini-certificate of completion. 

Here is a list of activities we did the past two weeks:
Minute Running Clubs
Sit-Up and Push-Up Practice Tests
Dribbling with Dinosaurs (game from pecentral.org)
Basketball Passing Relay
Space Invaders (Passing game from pecentral.org)
Hot Shot Shooting Game
Sideline Basketball (5th grade only)

Video of 3rd graders playing "Dribbling with Dinosaurs".  The dinosaurs have on the yellow shirts.  They have to stay in their "dinosaur cave" and try to tag players who come into the cave.  Other players pretend to be paleontologists who have to dribble through the cave to get a fossil(bean bag).  If a player is tagged, they dribble on their knees on a poly spot (spots have numbers on them which determines how many times they have to dribble on their knees).

P.E. Basketball Dribbling Lesson and Poly Spot Relay Race

This week students continued with our "March Madness" Basketball unit. Our focus today was dribbling games and we also had a few minutes at the end of class to shoot hoops.

This week's agenda was:

1) Warm-Up Exercises
2) Poly Spot Relay Race
3) Dribbling Treasure Hunt
4) Dribbling "Knockout" game (sorry, no videos of this, will get one next week!)

Video of Poly Spot Relay:


Dribbling Treasure Hunt
3rd Graders


5th Graders

P.E. Basketball, Volleyball and Relay Races

March Madness is here at Zinser!  This month our focus is basketball skills.   Last month (February) 5th grade students finished up our volleyball unit and my 2nd-3rd graders finished the brief tumbling unit and the jump rope test.

Our agenda from last week was:
 (2nd-3rd Graders)
1)  Warm Up Exercises
2)  The Puzzle Relay
3)  Basketball - Dribbling Practice
4)  Basketball - Dribbling Games - Poly Spot Dribbling, Card Sharks, and Dribbling Tag

(5th Graders)
1) Warm-Ups
2) The Puzzle Relay
3)  Volleyball - practiced underhand serve and played "Newcomb"

See below for videos of last week's activities!

Puzzle Relay - Players took turns sprinting to the basket, took out one puzzle piece, and ran back to put together the puzzle.


2nd Graders playing "Card Sharks" dribbling game. Students had to dribble around the area and peek under the poly spots. Playing cards were hidden under some spots. The card they found determined the number of dribbles they had to perform and if they dribble standing up or on their knees.


3rd Grade "Card Sharks"


2nd graders playing "Dribbling Tag". If a player is tagged with the blue ring, they have to dribble on their knees and wait for the "helper" to touch them with the yellow noodle.


5th Graders playing "Newcomb" (just like volleyball except for they catch and throw the ball over the net instead of bumping, setting, spiking).

Jump Rope for Heart Movie

This year our school raised over $3,000 for the American Heart Association through our Jump Rope for Heart event!  Thank you so much for your generosity this year!

Below you will find links to my 2-part movie featuring 1st-5th grade students jumping rope with single ropes, long ropes and Chinese ropes.  I put together this movie for our Jump Rope for Heart event.  Unfortunately, they were not able to show this movie at our assembly because of technical difficulties.  However, I was able to show the movie to many of my students during P.E. class, and it will also be shown to the whole school at a future assembly.

I am so impressed with what my students accomplished with jump ropes this year!  I hope you are too! 

NOTE:  The movie currently does not have the best quality picture.....I am working on figuring out how to save it in a different format...sorry!

Jump Rope Movie - PART 1


JUMP ROPE MOVIE - PART 2

Grand Valley State University Camps

Summer Sports Camps

Attention parents:

Here are a couple of opportunities for your children to participate in sports camps at GVSU:

1) Summer Boys Basketball Camps (Shooting Camp, Ball Handling Camp, Exposure Camp and Day Camp). Contact = Phone 616.331.2159 OR Email mcgeete@gvsu.edu

2) GVSU Lakers All Sports Camp (June 27-30th)
Contact: email Coach Baltes at baltesj@gvsu.edu
More info: http://www.grandvalleystateallsportscamp.com
Register online at: http://register.myonlinecamp.com/camp.cfm?sport=18&id=14174

Last day of our Jump Rope Unit

This week was the last of our jump rope unit. I'm really impressed with what my students learned this month! Check out all the videos of the month featuring single ropes, long ropes, and Chinese Ropes!

This week's agenda was:

1) Warm-Up: Jump and Jog
2) Jump Rope (Choice Time on single, long, or Chinese Ropes)
3) Games: "Guard the Cookie Jar" and "Tails"

Note: If you would like details on my Jump Rope Unit (Using Single Ropes, Long Ropes and Chinese Ropes) please click the link: Jump Rope Unit. 
For posters to hang in your gym, click the link:  Jump Rope Posters
For a print out of long rope rhymes - click here.

Videos from this week:

5th graders-Jumper is twirling a single rope while jumping with the long rope too!


5th graders - jumping in and out in groups of three.


Partner Trick AND Long rope trick.

Physical Education - Chinese Jump Ropes and Long Rope Rhymes

This week's agenda was:

1.  Warm-Up = Jump and Jog
2.  Jump Rope Activities = Long Ropes (learning rhymes) and Chinese Ropes
3.  Poison Ball (For a video of this game, click HERE)

Two of my classes this week were the lucky ones.....we had two special visitors from the high school!  These two Kenowa Hills seniors came to demonstrate some jump rope skills and also spend time jumping with the students.  We had a lot of fun!  Below are some videos of our special guests.

Wow - check this out!


Criss Cross and Doubles


2nd graders demonstrating the rhyme "Bubble Gum"


2nd graders demonstrating the rhyme "Teddy Bear"


Chinese Jump Rope Videos

5th graders doing the criss cross


Jumping the "Name Game": Spell your name while doing straddle jumps, then end it with In-On-Out.


Jumping the pattern "American's" (4 straddles, In-On-Out)


5th graders playing our "Elimination Game" (jumping in, jumping out without getting caught in the rope).


3rd grader practicing frog jumps with long rope.

Jump Rope Unit - Partner Tricks and Long Ropes

This week's agenda:

Warm-Up (new) - Jump and Jog
Jump Rope Activities - Partner Tricks and Long Ropes
Dr. Mario (modified Dodgeball Game)

Click for more jump rope videos.
Click for Jump Rope Teaching Ideas

Video of "Jump and Jog" warm-up.  I play the music for about 1 1/2 minutes, then students switch from jogging to jumping or jumping to jogging.


5th graders practicing partner tricks:


More partner tricks:


Long Rope Jumping:



2nd graders:

P.E. Jump Rope Unit - Single Rope Tricks (with videos)

January - Jump Rope Activities

This month's focus is a variety of Jump Rope activities. Students will be learning about jumping with single ropes, long ropes, and Chinese jump ropes. The bulk of our 55 minute P.E. class will consist of jump rope activities, but I will also be saving about 15-20 minutes at the end of class for a variety of other fun games.

Our agenda this week was:

1. Warm-Up
2. Single Rope Activities: Basic Jumping (single bounce, double bounce, jogging step). Jump Rope Tricks: Side Swings, Hopping on one foot, Criss Cross, Backwards jumping, Backwards Criss Cross. Note: If you're looking for a good resource, Rene Bibaud's Fundamentals DVD is an awesome teaching tool!
3. Dr. Mario (this is a modified version of dodgeball).

Note: If you would like details on my Jump Rope Unit (Using Single Ropes, Long Ropes and Chinese Ropes) please click the link: Jump Rope Unit. 
For posters to hang in your gym, click the link:  Jump Rope Posters


3rd Graders practicing Side Swings:



5th graders practicing one handed side swings:



After learning side swings they practiced making a pattern (example: 4 side swings, 4 jumps).


5th graders doing a side swing pattern:



Criss Cross and some Backwards Criss Cross:





5th grader doing a combination of tricks! Backwards criss cross on one foot with her eyes closed.




Hopping on one foot:


Playing Dr. Mario: This game is a modified version of dodgeball. Players must ROLL the ball (not throw it) and the "doctor's" (the players on the scooters) can help players who are "out" by touching them. We pretend the balls are "germs" and the players are wearing protective gloves, so they can only touch the ball with their hands. If it touches any other part of their body they are "infected/sick" and have to sit down and wait for the doctor to "give them medicine" (touch them).