Portfolio showcase

I had the opportunity to go see some really cool and well done portfolios. It helped get a few ideas for my own portfolio. I hope they can look as well done as theirs were. However I feel a few of them were a little too flashy. It kind of seems to me that the portfolios would be a little more professional than flashy. However I also think that having all of that extra work put into a portfolio will show how much dedication you have for the work you can do, so being a tad flashy could not be a bad thing. 

So Long Saint Mary's

Merry Christmas to everybody at Saint Mary's! The holiday spirit was in the air and the numbers this week were stronger than ever. The children can feel christmas around the corner. Especially when one of our classmates brought a giant excersize ball and wrapped it in christmas wrapping! This week my group, The 3 Teachaneers, interacted with the Pre-K kids again. Another huge success. We did something pretty unique in my opinion. Joe brought in ginger bread cookies with frosting, spinkles and gum drops! It was a ton of fun seeing some kids put a whole bunch somewhere and none anywhere else. All of the different ways their minds thought was a really cool thing to see. I got to read the book again and had a great timte doing it. The kids helped me out  a lot as I read The Gingerbread Baby. I think The games we had in the gym were a lot of fun as well. One thing is for sure they were running around getting that gingerbread out! What a great experience I had coming to Saint Mary's. I cannot wait for my next opportunity at SUNY Cortland!

Turkeys for Saint Mary's

This week at Saint Mary's was my best week of all! I really got into reading a story to the pre-k students. They really helped me with sound effects and good ears. I think they enjoyed the book as much as I did and that ALWAYS makes me happy. The kids really listened to what you said and the women helping out in the arts and crafts room were a great help. I think the younger kids just want to have fun, no matter who it's with. They always had a smile on their face which means this week was a SUCCESS.

Spooky Saint Mary's

This week was AWESOME! We assessed the Saint Mary's after school program on throwing and catching. This was a lot of fun to watch because it gave me an idea of what smaller children should be focusing on when they are first learning this task. It was astonishing to see the many various levels the children were on. This week went really well because we were Special projects, this week we got lucky however, most of the time we got to play with the kids who were in the gym. To all you superheros that showed up, thanks again good luck saving the world!

Giving Thanks to St Marys

This week at St Marys went great, the kids seemed to have a lot of fun. I think a big part of our success was becasue we were prepared. Joe brought in paint so the kids could finger paint and they loved it! Then i read Thanksgiving with the Appletons to the kids and they enjoyed moving around a little and making turkey noises every once in awhile. Then we went into the gym and played a few different games. Sam had a great game the kids liked where you had to knock a ball off a cone and they were movin around a lot. Hopefully thanksgiving will give me energy for the next time at St. Mary's because those kids wont stop moving!

Prep Lab for Saint Mary's

This week we played some games to practice for next week at Saint Mary's, where our theme is Halloween! We are special projects this week and we need an activity song and dance to come up with. I think doing the monster mash is quite fitting and a fun song! In lab we played a few fun games, my favorite was when we had to knock down the bowling pins with the bean bags. Luckily I had this class yesterday, I needed to get my mind straight and this class helps me think about my goals in life, and it is also easy to have fun being surrounded by great people. I'm glad the prep lab went well this week and I believe the kids will enjoy the games we played in class.

Super Heroes at St Mary's!

This week at Saint Mary's a lot of the college students came dressed as Super Heroes! It was a lot of fun and the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves, I can't wait for next time when it's Halloween!

St. Mary's Does it Again

St Mary's was a great experience yet again this week. Our first game we played with the kids got off to a great start thanks to Sam and his obstacle course. The kids had to save all of the animals from the other side of the river. Really cool idea and the kids seemed to enjoy it a lot. I think our other 2 games could have been better, but that is why we go; to get better at teaching and learn more every week. Can't wait to see if my game next week goes better!

Excitement at St. Mary's Part 2
^^Above is a link to my lab from week 2.^^

Dodge for Dodgeball

There are many people who believe some games are dangerous and should not be played in a school setting. Many of these sports have a high rate of accidental injuries; like ice hockey, football and of course Dodgeball. Maybe  it's because I'm not a parent, or because I love the game, but I cannot see why people feel ANY game should not be played. Children need to know what they like and what they don't like. If they have a bad experience with a game, the child will not want to play it very often. It is on us as educators to find another source of recreation for the different needs of the students. On the other hand, who are we to take away a game that has been being played since my father went to middle school in1960. If there is a high demand of children that are dying to play dodgeball, let them play. Because physical education class is supposed to be fun and have a lot of activity in it. If one way to get students to participate and have fun is dodgeball, then I say play on!

Game for Lab 3

We decided our theme was going to be superheroes the next time we are at Saint Mary's. The game I have decided to play requires the kids to move around a lot. First they must move through the scary streets of gotham city where cones are set up as buildings. While they are either running through or doing some other movement, the buildings will be crashing down right in front of them. The children will need to build the cones back up as quickly as possible before the whole city crumbles! This game is simple and hopefully easy enough to direct so the children understand.

LAB 1

Last week in LAB.

Homework 1

The Fundamental Skill development in a child is a very important concept to understand. People often lack the ability to realize the importance of the process in motor development. For example, how does a child learn to keep his/her head up? The child tries and tries until eventually the muscles in his/her neck are strong enough to support the weight of the head. This is a more simple way of how fundamental skills work. This is important to physical education for a couple reasons. We as teachers need to understand that the environment that a child plays in, can be manipulated to mold that child's physical, possibly even social development. Basically what we can do is teach a child how to move, and how to perform physical activities, in small steps until they eventually learn how to do the entire skill as a whole. Of course it is important to test these movements, because every child is not the same, meaning they may take longer to acquire the same abilities. However if all of the fundamental movements are included when we teach, than each child has an advantage while they are growing up, because it may help them develop quicker and stronger.

http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/standards/PEPS.cfm  -- This is the official website for the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. When you click on position statements it explains how NASPE feels about education.  "This position statement provides an overview of the core values of the profession, including nuturing students' development, collaborating with others, showing dedication to personal growth and the profession as well as exhibiting personal and professional integrity." This excerpt shows how they feel about the importance of fundamental development.

Here is a child balancing on a mat, this is a manipulated environment to teach the child fundamental skills. The child is learning how balance on a "beam" that is larger, shorter and safer than a regular balance beam.

First Post

Just trying this thing out right now, can't wait for the semester to get rolling, good luck!