The Bike Rodeo...

The Bike Rodeo was a big hit once again! There were scooters, bikes, cars and even a lawn mower, believe it or not! That's right Cody brought his very own mower! But shortly after Cody arrived a school he had a change of heart, and really wanted to ride his own bike at the rodeo. So, Cody's mom was kind enough to go home to get it! Go Cody!

Alex brought his scooter to the 2013 TBSCC 2nd Bike Rodeo! He was like a "rock star " on his scooter! He rode around the course like a champ! Pushing his foot onto the pavement, weaving in and out and all about! Go Alex!

Yoga with Nancy

We all got to learn a few yoga poses with our very own Nancy today.  The children got to be different animals--downward dog, cat, cow and mouse.  They also got to do tree pose right next to our classroom tree.  Although some of the poses were challenging, the children did stick with it and were quite successful.

Learning Life and School Skills through Games

Curriculum Night was all fun and games for the Tel Aviv parents!  Parents were invited to play and experience  gross motor games that their children play at school.  We played "Switch" and "Popcorn" with Mr. Parachute, enjoyed a game of "Balloon-o" , played Mr. Fox and last but not least, enjoyed "Squirrel in the Tree". 

During the games the parents were asked to notice the skills they are relying on to successfully play the game.
(e.g. motor, eye-hand coordination, spatial awareness, cooperation, self-regulation, following directions, focus, specific muscle groups)

After the game:- Parents turned to their neighbor and together, answer the following questions:

1.What is an essential skill children can develop when playing this game?

2. How do you think this skill will help your child in kindergarten and elementary school?
3.  How have you used this skill in your personal or professional life in just the last week? I think parents would agree that the skills the children are learning through games are central life skills that we use each and everyday at work, home in the car etc. In addition the games are bonding for both teachers and peers. Just look at the photos, their faces, the body language, says it all!

Stretching and Dancing with Nancy

First Nancy walked us through a  fun and challenging stretching routine.  Then we rolled, hopped, galloped, twirled, leaped and danced all around the big Community Room!

Moving and grooving with Nancy just gets better and better!

Slip sliding away

After a busy morning of challah braiding, baking, decorating challah bags, feeding and burping babies, building block roads and celebrating Shabbat, the Keshet crew was ready to get moving.  With the playground full of cold puddles, we decided to make our way to the Community Room.  

This was the first time the Keshet class explored our assortment of indoor gross motor equipment.  As you can see, they thoroughly enjoyed the two slides and the large rolling foam tube.  

Ben even caught some air!  

Number Yoga

One

 The children in Kohavim have continued to explore yoga!  This week, Ryan and Molly stretched their bodies into numbers. Before they started, they removed their shoes and took their spots on the mats. They each took five deep breaths and decided to do "Number Yoga!" Scroll down to see the yoga poses for numbers 1-5. You might want try some yoga poses at home with your children!

Two

Three

Four

Five

Hoola Hooping on the Playground!

This week we have seen a new interest in Hoola Hooping on the playground. Yesterday Aviva took the one Hoola Hoop on the playground and started to Hoola. She went up to Lily, Hannah, and Eliza and said, “ Look what I can do!” The girls watched with wonder. Today Hannah, Molly and Eliza ran and asked Lori for some Hoola Hoops. The girls LOVED them. They were trying many different ways to spin in the Hoola Hoops and enjoyed walked through the hoop itself. They were having so much fun some of the boys came by and joined them. Just for the record, Dyan is a mighty fine Hoola Hooper. Hoola hooping was a great way to work on coordination and to work on children’s persistence as they try hoolaing again, and again.

Climbing, climbing, and more climbing!

The children are really feeling successful climbing the jungle gym on the playground. The photos say it all!

Gross Motor Development

By the age of two, most children have all the physical abilities needed for motor development. Higher-level motor skills are simply a refinement and combination of these basic abilities. Some children have a greater degree of natural coordination and motor skill than do others. For example, Olympic athletes have innate motor talent combined with the discipline to practice and refine their skills. Even though your child may not be on the track to highly skilled or competitive sports, all children benefit from opportunities to practice physical skills and have fun with motor play. The following strategies are geared toward children between the ages of two and five years.

Building Gross Motor Skills

• Begin to eliminate the stroller, except for long distances.
• A family walk, before or after dinner, benefits everyone.
• Make use of backyards, community playgrounds, and nature's playgrounds.
• Plan for physical playtime at least twice a day.
• By age three, all children should have a tricycle or other riding toy with pedals.
• Play ball.
• Encourage your child to engage in challenging motor play. Provide a balance between active physical play and sedentary play.
• Consider lessons or organize physical play
• Join a team

Today Teddy Post expressed an interest in climbing the structure, seen here in the photos below. He seeked me out and asked, "Lauri will you help me climb over here?" I asked him if he had ever climbed this before. He said "No." There are three levels to climb and Teddy independently climbed onto the first level. Then I coached him on how to climb up to level two. I asked him if he would like to climb up one more level. I told him I would guide him to the top. He looked at me in the eyes, and cautiously shook his head up and down. I reassured him I would be there all the way. Following my lead, he adjusted his hands and feet accordingly and reached the top! I can't tell you how pleased he was with himself! Way to go Teddy!

Fence Climbing!

Fence Climbing? My first thought was that is not safe! Then I said to myself, maybe they need to be challenged and this is why the are climbing the fence. So, I went over to the fence and told Lucas and Noah you can only climb the fence if a teacher is "spotting" you. I then proceeded to coach them as to how to climb up/down the fence safely. If you climb to the top keep your chin and face away from the fence. Going over the fence is not a choice. They spent about twenty minutes climbing up and down the fence. They were very tired at the end of their fence climbing session i can tell you that! Climbing up and down a fence for twenty minutes is physically challenging/exhausting. Try it, I did not last long!

Indoor Exercise!

Playing in the Community Room on a cold winter day really hit the spot for the Haifa and Tel Aviv All Stars! Mia makes this look easy, as she walks down the slide slowly putting one foot in front of the other gripping the matted slide with her toes/feet. This exercise is really challenging the muscles in her feet and legs!

Yoga

Just as it does for adults, yoga helps young children improve flexibility and balance.  It stretches and tones their muscles, making them stronger.  It is a true pleasure to watch the Rainbow class during one of their yoga sessions.  Nancy is a yoga fan and shares her love of the exercise with her young students.  Focused on matching their bodies to hers, the children enjoy the physical challenge, and the whimsical animal positions.

Parachute Fun!

Everyone loves playing with the parachute! Some of our favorite games to play are...Popping the popcorn, Ring around the Rosy, Switch, Say a silly word, Cat and Mouse, Hide and Seek and last but not least, Tickle the Alligator! One of our favorite things to do is, go under the parachute. On Tuesday we played, Tickle the Alligator. As you can see by the expression on their faces a good time was had by all!

Snap, Crackle, Pop?

Lizzie, Jacob, Eli and Tina joined the All Stars for some afternoon fun! We made Rice Krispies Treats, and Tina taught the children how to roll out and then braid the play dough. Some of us took a walk down to Simon Hall to get some well needed exercise (running, galloping, hopping, swimming and more galloping).

World Cup 2014 Preview!

World Cup 2014 preview here at TBSCC! Here are photos of their practice. Eric and Sam P. organized a game of soccer with a few friends. Their foot skills were amazing; they kicked, passed and scored!

After the game, Eric was confident as I heard him say, "Boy, Lauri I'm good at soccer!" My reply was, "I know. Yes you are Eric!"

Gross-motor fun!

Eric decided he wanted to climb up the slide no matter how long it took him! He was very determined and persistent! Eric sat at the bottom of the slide as he pondered what his next move would be. Finally, he made it up the slide! With a lot of hard work and a little coaching/support from his teacher, he pulled and pulled with his hands, arms and whole body! Problem solved!!!!

Gross-motor play is a naturally occurring event in the lives of children and a common part of the curriculum in early childhood programs. You may remember your own childhood experiences and the anticipation of outdoor activities. Did you know then that you were participating in scientific explorations? Probably not. However, explorations in the gross-motor areas provide many opportunities for children to apply scientific principles and construct relationships about the physical properties of objects and results of actions on objects. They encounter problems to solve and use elements of the scientific process to find solutions. Children spend extended periods of time trying out solutions as they vary actions, objects, distance, and weight, for example. These explorations help lay a foundation for a more abstract understanding of physics in the future.

Fall Fun!

Today we asked the children if they wanted to play with their friend "Clay" inside or outside. Can you guess what the majority of the children wanted to do? You are right...outside we went with "Clay"! As you can see in the images below the children played with "Clay" in many different ways (they exchanged hugs and played with balls, etc...).

Not everyone played with "Clay " today. Some children decided to rake the leaves, make big piles and jump in them! I don't know what was more fun- the raking or the jumping? A day in the life of the All Stars Lunch Bunchers!

Haifa and Tel Aviv Exercise Together!

The rain did not stop the All Star group from getting some exercise! We played with bean bags, hula hoops, rolled out on a padded tube reaching out our arms and using them to support our full body weight and balanced on a long balance beam. Time flies when you are having fun!