People Do Play in the Snow!

My last post was about parents NOT letting their children play outside in the winter because they were afraid the children would fall and get hurt. Well, I must say I had the most pleasant surprise the other day when my husband and I were out for a walk along the shore of a local lake.

A Mom, A Dad, A Boy, & A Dog









As we parked our car we noticed what appeared to be two adults, a child, and a dog out on the ice with a wind surfing kite and snowboard. We could hear the adult encouraging the child to get the kite into the wind so he could be pulled on the snowboard. I thought “that is pretty cool” and we continued on our walk.

When we returned from our walk, they were still out on the ice, I thought to myself “what a great way to get some exercise and spend time as a family”.  We stopped to watch the snow surfing.

The dog came to shore to greet us, it seemed like a friendly dog, so I decided to wander out and check out this unusual sight. I met a mom, dad, and son (I'd already met the dog), we chatted for a few minutes. The parents shared that they often get outside to play during the winter and that they use the winter as a time for their son (a 5^th grader) to practice his Kite surfing skills. The parents shared that their son was very active and that he also played basketball.

Seeing this family out enjoying the winter weather has given me some hope that there are other families out there who get outside in the winter and play together --Thank you.

Go PLAY in the SNOW!

Hey wait a minute! What happened to February? I was shorted at least two days!

It has been an incredibly busy month and one of the snowiest in a long time. I think this school year may have seen a record number of snow days. The only other year I remember having had this many snow days was 1982, my senior year in high school-six weeks straight of Mondays off.

I read recently that 1 in 4 parents will not allow their children to play outside in the winter because they are afraid that their child(ren) will fall and get hurt. I was also told this same thing by several students when I suggested that they play outside more to build stronger bodies and build their aerobic capacity. With all of this snow we have gotten-that is a lot of children staying indoors! I have also read that children who spend a lot of time indoors especially in the winter, have a higher incidence of illness.  If children are ill they spend less time in school and learning potential suffers.

If these statements are true we are doing a great disservice to our children.

Go out and PLAY in the SNOW!

New Years Resolutions

I thought I’d give New Years Resolutions a few days to take hold (or not). If/when you find you are having trouble sticking to 2013 Resolutions consider the wording of your goal. If you have included the word “try”, leave it out. MRI imaging reveals that the brain does not recognize the word “try”. Instead use wording that includes “I am”, “I have”, “I do”…  Action words--those are what light up the brain and Action is what you want to happen. So, when you find your Resolution wavering revisit the wording. 

PS (You may have noticed, “I tried” to post in November/December and “I am” posting in January) ;)

Happy New Year!

Hopscotch--It’s just a Game…or is it?

Last summer I read an article called ‘Why Hopscotch Matters’ posted on http://movingsmartblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/why-hopscotch-matters.html, which I linked to from @movingsmart. This post did a fantastic job of breaking down why playing hopscotch is good for children. What first caught my attention was how this game helps midline development. In other words by hopping on one foot a child develops more concrete connections between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, which in turn have a positive impact on learning, creativity, and social development. The rest of the article convinced me that this ‘game’ should be brought back to our school.

Last weekend, my husband and I painted two hopscotch courts on the playground for the students to use during recess and this week students are learning how to play hopscotch.  I wasn’t sure how well this ‘new’ game would be received especially by the boys, but so far everyone has been captivated.

As I supervise students practicing the hops and jumps, and watch the personal interactions between students, it’s as if I am watching the “wheels” turn as they preplan motor movements for themselves and anticipate what the other students are doing while completing the course.  One student reached the number 5 and the other children who were waiting their turn began clapping and congratulating that student for doing well. High fives all around!

The looks of concentration and even frustration turned to smiles of accomplishment and confidence as each student began to master the different skills necessary to be successful.  

Teaching Kids to Be Healthy

The following link will take you to 'Action for Healthy Kids' http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/ . There are many great articles, event listing for our State, and ways to get involved. There is also a link to Face Book so you can keep up to date with what's new with 'Action for Healthy Kids'

Taking Away Struggle Takes Away From Victory

About a year ago I purchased a kayak, one large enough and sturdy enough to use on larger lakes and rivers.  I have become accustom to its handling on the water and feel very comfortable and safe in the changeable weather conditions. I have not (as of yet) filled the kayak with excessive amounts of water nor tipped out in any depth of water.  With the weather and water being so warm of late I decided that it might be a good time to practice remounting the kayak from deep water. 

This past week, my husband and I were out on a nearby lake that had a sandbar about 200 yards off shore.  This sandbar also happened to be the gathering spot for other motorized boats and swimmers (people we knew). So, we decided to paddle out to visit with some of our friends.  We tied our kayaks off on one of the other boats and swam and visited.  When it was time to leave and since we were already in the water we decided to practice getting in our kayaks from the water (neck deep water-over our heads).

We told our friends we were going to do this and no (thank you) we didn’t want help.  As our friends watched our attempts to get in the kayaks from the water I could see their discomfort grow.  After the first couple of failed attempts they asked “do you want us to hold them for you?” I replied “no, that this was part of practicing getting back in”.  They continued to watch and I watched them.  Their discomfort with our failed attempts was growing with each attempt.  They began to offer suggestions and again offered to hold the kayaks for us. 

On several occasions I was so close to getting in and at the last moment I would over adjust and go over the top and into the water again.  I was actually having fun with this practice and was OK with my errors.  I was tweaking my technique and knew that I would get back in some how.  My husband was the first to get back in his kayak and I followed shortly after.  We got a standing ovation from our friends in the boat and it felt really good to be successful and to have their support.

As we paddled away I thought about how we as parents do this with our children.  We want them to be successful and not to have to struggle or experience possible embarrassment. What we need to remember is that the practice can be fun and if it is fun they will continue to practice until they get it right or at least to a level of performance that they are comfortable with.  If we take away the struggle, we also take away their victory. 

It would have been so easy to give in just to alleviate their discomfort of not being able to help.

Integrative Movement Camp - Summer 2012

Integrative Movement Camp - Summer 2012

Could your child benefit from:

*  Physical Activity?
*  Academic Readiness in Reading, Writing, Math, Test Taking?
*  Focused Attention?
*  Self-Challenge?
*  Developing positive relationships with peers?
*  A love for learning new things?
*  Self-Responsibility?
*  Organizational Skills?

Your child will be introduced to simple, effective ways to help them move forward in reaching their full potential by improving the sensory foundation for learning in hands-on, research-based activities

For Students going into 2nd - 5th grades

Register your child for 1, 2, or 3 two-week sessions to be held at Douglas Elementary School
269 Randolph St. Douglas, MI 49406

____Session 1     July        10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19
____Session 2     July        23, 24, 25, 30, 31, Aug. 1
____Session 3     August    7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16

Time:        9:00 am - 11:00 am           Cost:     $120.00 / per 2 week session

If you would like a registration form or have questions? please contact
MaryAnn Short mobbi.ma@gmail.com