Lab 6

Today was easter, so our group had bunny ears and eggs to go along with the game we had the kids do.  Our group worked down in the cafeteria and we played a game where the kids had to open up an egg and complete the task that was writtin down on a piece of paper inside the egg.  Some of the tasks were running, hopping, skipping and leaping.  The kids really seemed to enjoy it, especially because of the easter music.

Lab 5

Today i watched the kids kick the soccer balls and also dribble basketballs.  A lot of the kids had hard times controlling both the kicking and the dribbling.  The kids who could keep control knew to use their fingertips to dribble and knew to follor through when kicking the ball.  My group was working with the pre-k kids and read the a story book and drew pictures with them.  

Lab 4

In lab 4 we had to evaluate the kids on throwing and catching.  Our game was called popcorn where the kids had to throw the ball over a standing up mat and the kids on the other side had to catch those balls.  Some of the kids had a good idea the movements on how to throw with good rotation of the arm and they knew to step with one foot and put their weight on the front foot but it was stil very elementary.  The catching was ok, the kids who could catch the ball consistatnly knew to extend their arms to catch the ball, and also knew to bend their elbows and only catch with their hands not with their chest.

Lab 3

For our third lab, the theme was super heroes. During my groups activity, many of the kids were not leaping, jumping or sliding to their individual activity that they had to do.  The kids I worked with would more or less run when they had to leap or slide, but when they had to jump they would do it maybe two or three times and then get bored or tired with it and start to run.  Some of the kids I worked with, when they jumped, would jump with two feet but land on one foot right before the other.  Also many of them did not swing their arms in order to jump farther.  When they leaped they more or less ran over the lily pads, and when they slid not many of them were getting low and actually sliding.

Lab day 2

Today we learned what games we were going to play with the kids at St. Mary's with just our lab class, no kids.  What helped me out a lot was actually teaching the activity in front of my peers as if they were little kids.  It allowed me to get more comfortable with the activity I was explaining and allowed me to be familiar with it when I will actually be explaining it.  Today's lab taught me to be myself, teach like myself and be comfortable with the way i teach and who I am.

Lab day 1

The first day of lab at St. Mary's was pretty crazy.  Kids were all over the place and it was very hard to get and keep their attention.  My group was with the first and second graders.  We played tag in many different versions in the gym, i even spent time with some of the kids who did not want to participate in the class activities.  During the cafeteria time many of the kids were actually very good at the games they played.  One girl I was playing checkers with knew how to play with every correct rule, a lot younger than I ever learned.  All in all i thought for the first lab it was very successfull.  I learned a lot of the kids names, got to interact with them and learned what they liked, didnt like and what they were capable of.

Dodgeball in Physical Education class

Dodgeball, an activity that has been argued upon for quite some time now in the school systems.   Yes, dodgeball does have its negatives to the game with the human targets but it also has a ton of positives if the game can be played the right way.  Dodgeball is a game of agility, awareness, teamwork and althleticism.  In dodgeball you need to be aware of your surroundings at all times, who's around you, where the balls are and who is throwing the balls from the opponents side. It helps you work on your throwing and catching as well as your footwork on how to dodge a ball.  It teaches kids to always be on their toes during an activity and is a great workout for kids in highschool, which many kids in highschool need a good workout. Also dodgeball teaches kids teamwork, maybe helping a teammate catch a ball, or teach a teammate how to throw the ball more effectively to get someone out.  If the school feels that dodgeball is a risky activity, then there is plenty of variations of the game.  You can use a bowling pin as a target for the students to knock down to win the game, while also keeping the human targets.  This takes away the motivation to hit the human target and puts the motivation into hitting the bowling pin. Also make sure that there is always a chance for the students who are out to get back into the game.  This makes the game more enjoyable for every student and allows the game to last longer.  Dodgeball I think is a great game for students in physical education class because it works on many of the things needed in order to get a daily dose of physical activity.