Go Lily and Noah!

Lily and Noah did it!  They went down the "fire pole all by themselves!  Lily watched Noah walk through a few "practice runs" until he was able to go down the pole independently (with a teacher spotting and encouraging him).  When I asked Lily if she wanted to try it Noah chimed in with,  "Lily I can show you how to do it!"   Watch me Lily, "Hand, hand,hug your belly button to the pole, and down you go!"

Going down the "fire pole" works our upper body and core muscles!  It's not an easy task ...Try it sometime! 

Having a ball

Dancing Nancy shared her bouncy balls with us and we gave them a workout. Or did they give us a workout?  Whether we were sitting on a ball, balancing on a ball, or rolling our bodies over a ball, we all enjoyed ourselves. We even rolled on our backs over the ball.  It's really tricky to roll a ball around your back!  The muscles in our arms, legs, and bellies all worked hard to keep us moving this morning.  The core strength gained in some of these balance activities helps the children to be able to sit up straight during circle time.  We can't wait to see Dancing Nancy again!

Building Balance and Core strength

An impromptu yoga session broke out in the library this morning.  A group of children worked at being "trees".  They tried to keep their balance while they slid one foot along the length of the opposite leg to take the yoga "tree pose".   When they needed a break from "tree", the kids enjoyed the sensation of being upside down when they took "downward facing dog" pose.  The bookcase was a help when their trees were wobbly.  The children tried making trees on both sides of their bodies.  Sometimes balance is more difficult on one side than the other.  They stretched their "branches" and felt them sway in the wind. 

When someone refers to the core, they mean the muscles deep within the abdominals and back which attach to the spine or pelvis.  These muscles are where movement originates and are the source of our stability.  They support the children as they sit up in circle, sit at the table for snack, run, jump, and climb.  It takes balance and core strength to do yoga - and the Keshet children had fun today while developing both!

Promoting Fine Motor Development

A few weeks ago OT Shana Krell from Gateways, stop by to take a look at our classroom and made some great suggestions as to how we can use our classroom space to encourage and promote fine motor development. Shana helped us see the space in our classroom differently. Preschoolers should be upright, either sitting or standing, with their arms and hands working against gravity while they work on the vertical. Shana gave us many ideas and activities to do with the children, but one of my favorites is using push pins to display art work or create games on the cork space in the classroom. She also suggested we use the ledge at the bottom of our window to draw, write and create. Vertical work surfaces such as easels, cork/peg boards or walls will strengthen the muscles in young children's hands and will promote wrist development.

Belly Swinging?

Who wants to swing on your belly?