Thursday, December 15, 2011

My E-Portfolio!

Hello everybody-
My Professional Portfolio is now on-line!
Check it out HERE

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Check out My Prezi!

My best moments as a mover :)
This is a presentation of how Kayaking has motivated me as a mover and has contributed to my development of self. Hope you enjoy!

Last day at St.Mary's Elementary


This past week was our last time working with the children at St.Mary's. We all designed Christmas-themed games and activities which created a happy an joyful experience for everyone that was there. First my group started downstairs in the cafeteria with the older kids. After they had their snack there were a few minutes until it was time to go back into the gymnasium. This was the perfect time to play a quick activity while the children were all sitting at the tables to keep them occupied. We played Heads Up 7-Up (which I remember loving as a kid in elementary school). It is very important to know of little games to play during extra time at the end of certain activities so that everyone can stay on track and the class is organized and structured. We went outside for a little while on the playground and played various tag games that really got the kids (and us!) running around like crazy.
Once we returned back into the gymnasium we played a fun games with the younger children pretending to "chop down the christmas tree" (which were cones) with foam balls. With the older kids, we played a variation of soccer but with a football and basketball hoops. It was a fun and easy variation that kept the game interesting and I was pleased to see all of the children participating and enjoying this game. We ended with the younger children singing and dancing as well as doing a Christmas chant about santa coming. Overall the time at St.Mary's has been a pleasure. I feel far more comfortable in front of my peers as well as the children. I have learned how to communicate with different groups of kids and better understand how to explain certain games to various age groups and how to check for understanding in a sufficient way so that I know everyone understands and is ready to play. I've learned how to get the kids excited about participating as well as specific ways to hold their attention and use variation for different levels. This has definitely helped me feel more confident and has influenced me to be more enthusiastic with the children. This experience has inspired me to become the best physical educator that I can be and has really shown me how I can impact the growth of motor development in growing children for their own improvement in so many ways.