Superheros to the gymnasium

It was our final day of lab at St. Mary's school.  It is bitter sweet for me.  I am happy to spend more time with my family, but I will surely miss the kids there.  The weather was nice so we went outside instead of down to the cafeteria.  I was glad to be outside.  There was one boy bouncing a ball off the wall.  I asked if he wanted to play a game my dad used to play with me called, "always be ready."  It started out with a few playing and grew quickly.  It turned into hot-potato, because we had so many playing it.  We had to get the ball moving around.  As we were playing in our superman and ghost busters outfits we saw a large group of kids that were really excited about Mario and Luigi. We played with the parachute when we went back in the school.  A lot of the kids were really tired by that time, but we still had a few die-hards willing to play with us.  The kids really enjoyed the costumes.  I think that superheros was a great way to finish the class.  Hopefully we will all  be superheros or rock-stars, or what ever will make the kids want to move when we are out in the world teaching.

Dr. Harlow's Rhesus Monkeys

This video with the monkeys is critical to motor development.  It shows how the monkeys like human are drawn to the soft mother rather than the wire monkey.  The only reason the baby monkey went to the wire monkey was for nourishment.  As soon as the monkeys finished eating they would return to the soft mother.  This had a devastating affect on the monkeys socially, they were not able to interact later in life.  They were scared and confused.  This is just one more reason to love your children.

To Infinity and Beyond

It was a toy story week.  It was a bit different this week.  We were out side and there weren't a lot of kids this week.  We assessed dribbling and kicking.  I don't know if I am just more comfortable with assessments or these were just easier skill to assess.  This week we looked at MM who with a little help dribbling completed all the criteria.  Kicking was a little more difficult to assess with being on the blacktop.  The ball moved fast and MM did a lot of dribbling at first.  The college kids helped by passing the ball to MM making it easier to assess the kicking skill.  Edwin and Jillian had a great activity for the pre-k group.  The stick a part on Mr. Potatohead was so popular, even the older kids joined in.  Once again the props were a hit.

Thank You Easter Bunny!!

It was an Easter theme this week.  We observed throwing and catching activities this week.  The boy that we observed picked up the ball with his right hand first. and threw it.  Then he picked a ball up with his left hand and threw it. He threw with both hands pretty well but, his right hand was the more dominant one.  Neither the boy nor the girl we observed this week rotated their hip and shoulders, or transfer weight by stepping with the opposite foot.  Both could perform all the criteria for  catching.   This week was a lot of fun.  The kids really enjoyed all the bunny ears and the props.  It really makes you feel good when the kids really enjoy the activities that were planned for the lab.

Dinosaurs, Trains and Fun

Jen did a great obstacle course tonight!  She put a lot of work into it.  I wish I had more artistic talent.  I think that is an area that I need to work on.  The kids liked the game that she designed for them.  The activity captivated the kids.  Blaze was scheduled to make an appearance tonight, but couldn't make it and the kids didn't really seam to mind.  I played with a jump rope group tonight, and it brought back some fond memories.  I hope that the kids of St. Mary's have the same fond memories that I have.

Motor Development Prezi

The Prezi is an exciting tool. Its learning curve is just as steep as all over technologies. Once you get going, it work surprisingly well. It doesn't matter how big each of your frames are, they will re-size and adjust as the presentation is run live. Images are embedded though uploading the file to your Prezi.

Check out my first Prezi: Motor Development