Heart Health for Kids

February is "Heart Health Month" and it's important to teach our kids about proper nutrition and exercise. Helping kids learn at a young age to be accountable for their exercise and nutrition planning will encourage them to be healthy throughout the life span. Children should learn to eat a wide variety of healthy foods and be exposed to a lot of different physical activities. The goal is to play hard for 60 minutes a day. Make this a family affair! Everyone can benefit from healthy eating and exercise.

 

Here is an activity from MPM School Supplies to help get your child thinking about health choices:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/320951910916607135/ 

 

Here is a great way to track exercises for the week! (Found on Pinterest) You could adjust to Therapy goals too to make the child more accountable for themselves.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/16958936075419480/

 

No matter what you do...just keep moving!

~Movement Matters! Whitney Carter PT, DPT

The Olympic Games- Part 2

I hope that you are having as much fun watching the Olympics as I am! I love figuring out ways to use the games in my therapy sessions and with teachers! One of my all time favorite events is the bobsled competition. My family watched "Cool Runnings" to get in the spirit before the games started and now it is the only competition that my children are dying to see!

I found this great activity on Pinterest for a PE based game. I have also used laundry baskets and large cardboard boxes as the sled. This activity incorporates postural control, teamwork, heavy work, balance, and motor planning.

http://www.ssww.com/blog/pe-ideas-for-the-winter-athletic-games/

 

Equipment:

• Scooters
• Scooter connectors
• Cones

In this activity, students get in pairs and sit on two scooters that are attached together (or a two person scooter). If you have scooter connectors these work great to hook the scooters together. You can also use duct tape as an alternative. Students will maneuver around cones through the “track”. They can take turns being in front and back. Scooters are always a hit no matter how you use them. For the 4-Man Bobsled event, I had some scooters taped into groups of 4.

Have fun with this activity! It can be used in PE or as an indoor recess game!

- Movement Matters~ Whitney Carter PT, DPT

The Olympic Games- Part 1

The Olympics are coming and this is a great time to try out some of the games and sports associated with this exciting event! One event that would be fun to use in the classroom is a ring toss inspired by the symbol of the Olympic Games. I found this Olympic Ring Toss on Pinterest!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/196680708711914799/



What you will need:
1. A large piece of cardboard
2. 5 toilet paper tubes (each one colored for an Olympic ring- see picture below)
3. 5 paper plates with the middle cut out (each one colored for an Olympic ring- see picture below)
* Adhere the toilet paper tubes to the cardboard using a hot glue gun and you are ready to toss!

 There are a couple of variations of this game:

1. Have a student pull a piece of torn construction paper from a cup to see what ring to toss and then try to match and toss on the same colored toilet paper tube.

2. Assign students to teams to work together to see how quickly they can get each ring on the correct tube- can have students jump, run, crab walk, walk while balancing the plate on their head.

3. This could also be turned into a math game by graphing how many rings they get over a period of time (example: graph how many colors landed correctly over 5 trials).

The possibilities for other games to play with this ring toss are endless! Flex your creativity muscles and enjoy an Olympic Sized Activity with your students!!!!!!

~Movement Matters- Whitney Carter PT, DPT