Please make sure that your student(s) have a coat, hat, gloves, boots and sneakers each PE and Brain Gym day. We will spend as much time outside as possible during these times.

*No boots will be allowed in the gym. Please send sneakers in backpacks to change into at PE or Brain Gym time. 

Welcome Back!

I hope you all had a wonderful winter break. I am so excited with the amount of snow we got. We will start a two week winter games unit on Monday, January 5th. We will be going outside for both fitness and brain gym classes. The games we will learn are, fox and geese, broom ball, dogsled pull, hopscotch in the snow, snowman tag and ultimate frisbee.

It will be important that your child have their coat, gloves, hat and boots. Safety is always first in fitness. Below you will find some winter sport safety tips from Gold Medal Schools.

Dressing Up for Outdoor Activities Exercising through the winter is still very important to a healthy lifestyle. Dressing appropriately for outdoor activities is very important to both your health and safety. Here are a few tips to follow for you to enjoy your outdoor activities throughout the winter.
When it comes to your clothes, use layers. This will give you the opportunity to remove layers as you warm up through your outdoor workout/activities. Make sure that your shoes fit you well and are not tight. This will allow blood to flow into your toes. Also, make sure they have good traction. Wear a hat. You lose most of your heat through your head. Cover your extremities (fingers, ears, nose). This prevents frost nip. If you are working out during the morning or evening hours when it is hard to see, wear reflective or bright colored clothes. Be aware of your surroundings as you workout. This includes side walks and streets. Don’t forget the water. You can still get dehydrated in the winter.
Outdoor/Indoor Physical Activities It is hard for all of us to get our wiggles out in the winter but here are some great ways to incorporate physical activity indoors and outdoors with your family. Indoor Activities:
Hold a dance contest: Have each family member pick a favorite tune to jam to. Or take turns inventing new dances! Play parachute games: Use a flat bed sheet as a parachute, and get your hearts pumping by shaking the sheet vigorously. Throw some rolled socks into the center and watch them pop like popcorn. Create indoor badminton: Make rackets from bent hangers covered with old nylon stockings. See how long you can volley shower puffs, cotton balls, rolled socks, or all three together! Stage a play: Get the whole family to act out your child’s favorite story. Let your child be the director. Build a fort: Use dining room chairs, blankets, boxes, and whatever else your children can think of. Make it an all-weekend project and let the kids remodel repeatedly.
Outdoor Activities
Snow Pile: Each family member or team has five minutes to build the highest snow pile. Once this is done your family can build a play igloo. Take the snow shovel and carve out the inside. Children revel in doing this same exercise repeatedly, and snuggling inside the igloo once it is complete. Several igloos together can create a village, a castle, a fort or some other house-like structure. Watching igloos melt in warmer spells can also be fun. (Remember that adult supervision is very important, as melting snow can collapse). Spoon Balls: Give each family member or team a spoon and a snowball. One at a time, each member puts the snowball on the spoon and runs around a marker. If the snowball drops they need to start over. Fill it up: Each family member or team will see how fast they can fill their bucket with snow. You can make this harder by allowing them to use only one hand, just their feet, or not being able to move from a certain area. Consider adopting a new winter sport: Ice skating, sledding, cross-country skiing or hockey might do the trick in supplying a focus to keep warm while playing in the cold. And, remember that a brisk walk, or playing outside for 20 minutes in the snow, even in sub-zero weather can be stimulating, too.
Keep your New Year’s Resolutions As we welcome in the New Year many of us are picking the same resolutions we picked in 2008. Maybe you are trying to fit in fitness, drop a few pounds, or give up an unhealthy habit. What ever you choose, here are some tips to help you keep your New Year’s Resolution.
Be Realistic: don’t pick something that you could never do. Talk about it: tell others and ask for their support. Reward Yourself: when you reach your goal treat yourself to a book you’ve always wanted to read or a night at the movies. Don’t beat yourself up: take each day one at a time. Stick to it: it takes 21 days to create a habit and 6 months for it to become part of your personality. Have fun: pick resolutions that you will have fun doing.