November Blog_2020

November Blue's Blog 2020

#bluesblog

November 1, 2020 - pdf version

 

 

Hi everyone!  Our fall weather is in full swing in North Carolina, leaves cover the ground and there is a chill in the air.   Everyone is busy with school and other activities, we all start to plan and prepare for the upcoming holidays.  With everyone’s hectic schedule, how can we include more physical activity into our lives and the lives of children that we serve?

 

My clubhouse friends and I came up with a few tips to keep kids active during the day at school:

  1. Incorporate physical activity into curriculum concept in the classroom and during virtual classes
    • Math - collecting sticks, sorting shells or rocks, etc.
    • Science - talk about heart rate as the class is active at different intensity levels
    • Letters - moving bodies to create shapes, numbers, and letters
  2. Create a school garden (or home garden), raised beds or plant seeds in cups
    • Having a school/home garden will encourage the kids to gain a better understanding of where our food comes from
    • School/home gardens also allow the opportunity for physical activities like carrying, raking, pulling, etc.
  3. Include music and movement activities throughout your day
    • Calming music to transition the kids from an activity to a slower activity (include yoga and stretching)
    • Music and movement during morning time or circle time to allow children to dance and move freely
  4. Incorporate movement within centers
    • Include materials within in centers where kids can explore movements, sports, activity, etc.
    • Develop a center dedicated to movement using equipment and resources (cards, books, activity ball/dice, etc.)
  5. Read active stories
    • Include active play, sports, transportation, and animal related books in your classroom library
    • Allow children to move when you read stories that allow for physical activity

 

We love #5, especially since November is National Picture Book Month.   Thanks to our friends at Be Active Kids, we don’t have to look very far to find books or songs that will help us to move more.   Check out the Be Active Kids books and their Literacy in Motion and Music that Moves handout. You can also find books that inspire outdoor play with our friends at the Natural Learning Initiative and other stories that kids moving with Nemours.  Finally, check out the Be Active Kids books about the healthy adventures of Blue and his friends.

 

My clubhouse friends and I have a lot of other ideas and resources that will help the children in your life build strong minds and bodies like us! Visit our website at www.beactivekids.org to stay connected to the latest resources.

 

 

 

Blue the Caring Cub

Testimonials

  • Preservice Teachers Learn to Use Be Active Kids in Limited Spaces

    I really enjoyed our class meeting. It was interesting to discover that you can do just about anything with children in the classroom where there may not be much space to encourage them to be active.  A change that I will make in my own life is to be more active, as well as my daughter. I will share this information with my friends that have children such as yoga animals, or Simon Says.

    Cathy Sesta, Parent & Child Care Provider
  • Early Childhood Physical Activity Institute

    Thank you for inviting me to be part of this year’s Institute. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the experience. You’re doing amazing work and I hope I’ll be able to continue contributing to it a bunch in the future.

    Rae Pica, www.movingandlearning.com
  • Plenty of Resources That I Can Use and Share

    This class was informative, and I look forward to being physically active with young children. On Friday, I volunteered at a Parents Night Out through my daughter's school. When I got there the kids were watching a movie. I got them up to play Simon Says and Red Light Green Light, however, after that I was stuck on what to do. I wish I had the knowledge I gained from this class, to have made it more exciting.

    I enjoyed your Land and Lake Activity.

    Venessa Wright, Parent & Child Care Provider
  • Be Active Kids Trainers Rock!

    I loved the training.  I would have loved it more if I had the other teachers from my center there also.  I am really looking forward to taking my kit to work and sharing it with my staff.  I liked Brittney, she reminded me of myself as far as being very active and motivated.  When I am at work with my little ones we stay busy all day.  I feel like singing my instructions and dancing my actions helps them to focus better on what I need for them to do.  Britney was great and I learned a lot from her. I am always trying to find new little ways to get the kids moving.

    Tiffany Daniel, Sandhill Community College
  • ECPAI

    The Early Childhood Physical Activity Institute was just wonderful!  Thank you again for including me in such an important effort to create and sustain leaders in EC physical activity. I would love to return to NC anytime that you think I can help. I enjoyed meeting the folks who work with you and hearing about all of the great things that are planned. 

    Linda Carson, Choosy Kids
  • Be Active Kids has Much to Offer

    Congratulations to you and everyone who has been promoting PA for young
    children in NC. You have much to be proud of here. Be Active Kids is an excellent source of ideas for promoting active play in unstructured settings. The Be Active Kids website also has resources on promoting unstructured active play. I encourage folks to review these resources. 

    Diane Craft, SUNY Cortland & Active Play Books