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Busy Bodies

Summary

The following are a variety of activities you can do with your class to help them enjoy physical activity.


Materials

Movement Bingo (Individual)

Silly Stretching Activity

On the Move

  • CD or tape player
  • Variety of music
  • Movement sticks

Hullabaloo

  • Hullabaloo game by Cranium

Little Sliders

  • Five nylon beanbags
  • Five foam balls

Frog Pond

  • Hula Hoops

Exercise Journal


Background for Teachers

Teachers do not need to be in optimum shape to teach students to enjoy and experiment with physical activity. Observe your students and assess what their physical limits may be before beginning any exercise activities. This will help you know what kind of adaptations will be necessary.


Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Develop physical skills and personal hygiene.


Instructional Procedures

Invitation to Learn

Give each student a sticky note and have him or her draw his or her favorite physical activity. Have them place it on the Physical Activity Graph.

Instructional Procedures

The following are a variety of activities you can do with your class to help them enjoy physical activity.

Movement Bingo (Individual)

  1. Pass out a Busy Body Bingo card to each student.
  2. Explain to the students that their goal is to get bingo by doing a variety of activities each day.
  3. Review each of the pictures on the bingo card to the students. Give an explanation if necessary
  4. Play the bingo game. If they have done that activity during the week then they can put a chip on the bingo space.
  5. Play this game on the last day of the week so that the students have the opportunity to mark off several activities on their card.
  6. Reward the students with extra recess or P.E. time.

Movement Bingo (Whole Class)

  1. Have an enlarged Busy Class Bingo Card posted in the classroom.
  2. Have the students place a bingo chip on an activity when they have done that activity.
  3. When the class has Bingo, reward them with extra recess time, a fun indoor game or any activity that promotes movement.
  4. This game can be played several times throughout the year. You can challenge the class to get "black out," where every square is covered, and then have an exercise party.

Silly Stretching Activity

  1. Post the Silly Stretch Poem somewhere so the students can see it.
  2. Teach the kids the actions that go with the poem using the Silly Stretch Picture cards.
  3. Have students take turns holding the action cards while the class recites the poem and does the actions.
  4. See poem and action cards at the end of this lesson.

On the Move

  1. Label the large, flat, red craft or Popsicle sticks with names of exercise skills such as run, walk, skip, gallop, hop, etc.
  2. Label the large, flat, blue craft or Popsicle sticks with names of exercise directions such as straight, backwards, zigzag, circle, sideways, curve, etc.
  3. Label the large, flat green craft or Popsicle sticks with different exercise levels such as high, medium and low.
  4. Label the large, flat, yellow craft or Popsicles sticks with different speeds such as fast, slow, medium.
  5. Put the sticks in a can and label it "On the Move."
  6. Choose one red, one blue, one green and one yellow craft or Popsicle stick. These choices will describe how the students will exercise.
  7. Turn on music and begin the exercise for three to five minutes.
  8. Repeat step six to try a new activity.

Hullabaloo

  1. This game needs to be played in an open space.
  2. Place the Hullabaloo game pads around the room leaving space for movement.
  3. Students stand on or next to a purple game pad.
  4. Push the red button on the game controller.
  5. Students follow the instructions and move to the appropriate game pad.
  6. Allow students to adapt their movement according to their ability.

Little Sliders

  1. This games needs to be played in an open space.
  2. Review locomotor movements with students, (walk, jog, jump, skip, hop, gallop, and slide).
  3. Choose five students to be "sliders".
  4. Give each "slider" a beanbag.
  5. Choose a locomotor movement for the students.
  6. All students begin moving around the room in the assigned movement.
  7. The "sliders" will move around the room and toss their beanbag so that it slides on the floor using an underhand movement.
  8. When the beanbag touches someone's foot then they become a "slider."
  9. Change the movement periodically.
  10. Allow the students to roll a foam ball if they have difficulty tossing the beanbag.

Frog Pond

  1. Set out enough "lily pads" (jump ropes or hula hoops) so that there will be a few children who do not have one.
  2. Have the students begin walking around the room.
  3. Call out the words "Ribbit Ribbit."
  4. Students need to safely find an open Lilly pad and stand on or in it.
  5. The students who did not find a lily pad group together and chant, "Little frog, little frog please hop off my Lilly pad." (Where the word hop is, in the chant, you can substitute other movement words.)
  6. The students on the lily pads begin moving around the room in the movement said in the chant.
  7. Repeat step three and continue the game.

Exercise Journal

  1. Have a student be the exercise coach of the day.
  2. The student will choose from the Busy Class Bingo Card an activity that the class will do for that day.
  3. The class will participate in the chosen activity for seven to 10 minutes.
  4. Students will draw and write in their My Exercise Journal about their activity for the day.


Extensions

  • Write a story about someone exercising.
  • Adapt the exercise according to special needs student. Students can move just their arms, legs, or heads.
  • Have the students create a poster of their favorite way to exercise.
  • Graph the class' favorite exercises.

Family Connections

  • Play Busy Body Bingo at home.
  • Plan an activity night with your family.


Assessment Plan

  • Assess the students to what degree they can perform the On the Move independently. If need be, re-teach the skill to the whole class or individual if necessary.
  • Perform activities in small groups.
  • Have students log in his or her exercise journal what they have done for exercise daily.


Bibliography

Research Basis

Galley, T., and Sherman, C., (2000). Exercise and Children's Health, The Physician and Sports Medicine Journal. Retrieved January 2007, 27, from http://www.uen.org

Often, an active childhood lays the groundwork for a lifetime of fitness. Participation in athletics improves overall physical fitness, coordination, self-discipline, and allows children to learn the importance of teamwork.

Kenefick, R. W., and DeCamp, A., and Gauthier, A., (2005). Promoting Physical Exercise and Activity in Children. University of New Hampshire (Cooperative Extension). Retrieved January, 26, 2007, from http://www.uen.org

Current recommendations suggest that children and adults should both strive for 60 minutes of physical activity every day, or most every day. One of the best ways to get your children physically active is to get involved yourself and be a role model. If your children see that you are having fun being active, then they are more likely to become active themselves.


Created: 06/28/2007
Updated: 02/01/2018
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