December is Here

With much anticipation from our JMB students, our Gymnastics Unit will start after Thanksgiving break. We will be working on a variety of skills, such as: balancing, traveling, transferring weight (i.e. cartwheels, hand stands), stretching, jumping and landing. Through this unit there will be a few safety concerns. We ask that students wear appropriate clothing for PE days. Clothes should be loose fitting so that it is easy for students to move around. We also ask that each student wear clean socks in order to protect their feet and our equipment.

Thank you for the wonderful participation at the beginning of the year with bringing in photos!! Please remember that we will be collecting any photographs you would like to share of our JMB students being physically active outside of school all year long. As our students participate in sports at the recreation department, dance lessons, playing outside or at home we would like to celebrate their active lifestyle by posting their pictures up outside of the gym. Being physically active increases our chances to live a healthy and long life! Let’s CELEBRATE with pictures!
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cupid shuffle

today was our first day learning the cupid shuffle. all third, fourth and fifth graders will learn the new dance by the end of this week!
this dance is about a year old and became popular down in Louisiana. quickly, its popularity has spread through the nation.

the steps are easy:
right, 2, 3, 4 (side steps to the right)
left, 2, 3, 4 (sides steps to the left)
kick, 2, 3, 4 (starting with the right and alternating)
walk, 2, 3, 4 (walk in place and do a 1/4 turn to the left)

with the help of your parents: check out this link and watch the cupid shuffle music video -- it will be the video on the right of the page -- and the first video to play (after the commercial).

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&fg=rss&vid=f7a4566c-a6a0-4e40-acda-5571948f9ab1&from=msnmusic

if the link doesn't work google "cupid shuffle video"

FOOD GUIDE PYRAMID

Play this fun health game:
click the link, scroll down, click on the astronaut/MyPyramid Blast Off
www.mypyramid.gov

soccer fun

Since we are finishing up our soccer unit, I thought I would post a fun soccer game that you could try at home. All you need is friends and/or family and a soccer ball or kick ball.

SOCCER BULL

This game is played with the same strategy used in "keep away." Soccer Bull develops the skills of passing, trapping, and stealing.

how to play: Players stand in a circular formation with one player (the "bull") in the middle of the circle. Designate one of the circle players to start with a soccer ball.
On a starting signal, the players pass the soccer ball back and forth with the "bull" attempts to touch or intercept one of the passes. If successful, the bull switches immediately with the player who last touched the ball, and the game continues.
Players cannot pass to the player on either side. The objective is to last the game without becoming a bull. To encourage accurate passing, require a player to become a bull if he makes an errant pass that exits the circle.

game taken from The Physical Educator's Big Book of Sport Lead-Up Games pg 172

THE BLOG

WOW! I am SO excited that I got this blog up and now I just have to get it running! I am planning on using the blog to inform JMB's students and their parents about what we are doing in PE. I am going to add exercises and games that would be fun for familys to play at home. Look for pictures of PE activities, too!! Please periodically check my blog for updates! Thanks!