Warm-Up Poster

Continuing from my previous post... here's my 2nd resource I finished over Winter Break.  I've been using this resource since the beginning of the year to help create a predictable warm-up structure for my students in the gym.  I wanted to have a way to quickly warm-up and stretch with a few exercises as well... and be EASY for students to follow.  Therefore I needed a poster with pictures!   I looked online for resources already available, and there wasn't much out there.  I'm noticing that happens A LOT with resources for the gym. 

There's just NOT much out there.  And if there is, the font and pictures aren't what I'm looking for in my gym.  Just like in the classroom... that means I have to MAKE SOMETHING MYSELF! 

Mission accepted. Ha ha! 

First off I started by drawing out the different stretches and exercises so I could have a realistic picture for students to use when following along.  Of course I stretch and exercise along side them, but sometimes I monitor effort by walking around and this allows students to still have a visual to follow along.  It also helps my students to see what's expected and minimizes the number of questions about what we're doing. 

So, what's the resource? 

PE Warm-UP Poster with Stretches & Exercise Cards

This resource includes pieces to create your own warm-up poster.  I like to use large chart paper on my easel that sits at the front of my gym.  I arrange the pieces and switch them out as often as I need to. I love how simple the pieces are to use.  I've also included some ready-to-print posters in case you need to just get started with something! 

Realistic pictures help students to see what the stretch and exercise looks like.  Personally I don't like all the cartoon-like clip-art choices that are out there. But that's just me.  I figure they see enough 'cartoon-ish' characters in their books and on TV, so in the gym I'd like it to be realistic.  Plus it'll help when we need to talk about topics like the skeletal or muscular systems.  I plan to use these pictures to help make connections.  (Of course I haven't worked on those resources yet, but they're to come!)

As of now, these are the stretches & exercises included for the warm-up poster:

I'm hoping to add more as I continue to see what we need, and of course I'll update the resource as I do!  But for now, that's it!  I hope you find it as useful as I have and enjoyable for your students.  

I love to see their excitement when I switch out an exercise to something new.  Who knew Tricep Dips could be so much fun?  That's one of the most recent ones I switched after coming back from our Winter Break.  Students were so excited to get into the crab position and learn this exercise.  Of course I squeezed in a little information about our tricep muscle which they were EVEN MORE excited about when I had them feel their own arm, bicep first.  They were so amazed to feel their own muscle moving as they made a fist and did a bicep curl!  They're such little sponges!  Soaking up ALL this learning about their body. I LOVE IT!  

It's moments like these that I know I'm in the right spot!  I enjoyed teaching in the classroom... but this is like 100 times more enjoyable for me!  Getting to demonstrate exercises and share my love of movement with students makes my heart happy.  It's like getting paid to play!  Ha  ha!  

I'm going to wrap it up here, and hope you find success with this warm-up poster resource in your own gym!   It helps to cut down on behaviors and gives students an opportunity for independence.  Did I mention it's SUPER HELPFUL when you have a guest teacher as well?  Easy to follow along or use student leaders to go through the already learned process of warm-ups! 

Let's continue to ignite that spark for movement and enjoying being able to move!  

Don't forget to check it out here:

 Warm-up Poster with Stretches & Exercise Cards

As always, continue to Find Your Balance friends!

Shelby

Roll & Exercise Activity

Thanks to our recent Winter Break I had some extra time to work on finalizing 2 new resources for TpT!  I've been using them in the gym since the beginning of the school year, but I finally finished putting them together to post on TpT.

So what are they?

Glad you asked...

First up, Roll & Exercise Activity! 

Click Here for link to resource:  Roll & Exercise Activity

This is such a SIMPLE way to get my students moving, and having some fun too! Who knew doing simple exercises could be so engaging?

I use this activity a couple ways.  It can be an easy relay activity using just a few pieces of equipment, or it works great at a station too! Start by creating the Roll & Exercise poster using the TpT resource posted above.

Relay Race Instructions:

Equipment:  Roll & Exercise Poster, cones, hula hoops, & dice

Instructions:  Arrange cones on one end of the gym to create the starting line for your relay teams.  On the opposite end of the gym place a hula hoop with one dice inside.  Hang the Roll & Exercise poster on this end so everyone can see.  I like to color coordinate the cones and hula hoops to help students see the different teams. 

Playing the activity:  One at a time students run down to the hula hoop and roll the dice.  Use the Roll & Exercise poster to see which exercise to complete.  Students complete a certain amount of the exercise they rolled.  For example, in the poster above #4 is Jumping Jacks.  If I rolled a #4 then I would complete five Jumping Jacks before running back to my team and the next student takes a turn.  Continue playing until you call time.  

GREAT activity to increase muscular strength and endurance too!  Kids think they're just playing a fun game, while you know they're getting great exercise as well.  WIN, WIN! 

It's also a quick and easy activity to use when you're short on time or need a lesson last minute for a guest teacher!  As teachers, there's going to be days when we need an activity that we know is simple and easy to use at a moment's notice, so this is PERFECT for that!  

Here's another way I use this Roll & Exercise activity.

Roll & Exercise Stations 

Equipment:  Roll & Exercise Poster (large or small), dice, & a cone (if using the Small Roll & Exercise Poster in a clear sleeve)

Instructions:  Set up various stations in your gym, with one area for Roll & Exercise.  Hang the Large Roll & Exercise poster somewhere in this area or use the Small Roll & Exercise Poster(s) included in this resource that can easily hang on a small cone.  Set out some dice next to the cone.  That's it!

Playing the activity:  Run stations as you do in your gym, when students arrive at the Roll & Exercise station they simply take turns rolling the dice and completing the exercise.  Decide on a certain number of reps for students to complete.  Continue rolling the dice and completing exercises until it's time to rotate to the next station.  **I like to add step boxes at this station to give them a little break between each Roll & Exercise.  Students complete 10 step box steps before rolling the dice again.  Talk about getting your steps in during class!

Super simple right?  My students have a blast with such an easy, minimal equipment needed or teaching beforehand.  Stations always work great with a guest teacher too!  

These are the different exercises included in this resource:

Simple exercises that can be modified if needed to meet your students' needs!  Here's what one of the ready-to-print Small Roll & Exercise posters includes:

Are you ready to include this resource in your gym?  Check it out and let me know how it works! 

Click here:

Roll & Exercise Activity

Need a resource to help structure your warm-ups in the gym?  That's up next!  Check out my next post on creating a fun and predictable warm-up that will help get your students get ready for any activity you have planned.  This warm-up works a bit on their cardio, flexibility, muscular strength, AND muscular endurance!  All components of fitness at once. WIN, WIN! 

Find your balance,

Shelby

Winter Break

I made it!  

Well, to winter break that is, but a much needed break. 

It's these small little breaks that always help me get through each school year.  It's going VERY well, don't get me wrong, but having something to look forward to makes it that much sweeter.

The holidays always bring with them a sense of happiness and craziness all rolled up in one.  The Christmas music, decorations, and snow glistening all around. And then of course, everyone in a panic to be out and buying ALL THE THINGS last minute!  

SO GLAD we're past the 'gift buying' stage. I don't miss that. 

Can you say, minimalism?  

Anyway, I'm enjoying being able to have some extra time to relax and dive back into some of my hobbies that get pushed aside once the school year starts.  I mean, 2 months since I last wrote a post, and even longer since I created a resource for TpT!  I have been able to keep up with my knitting though!  

I finished a blanket for a friend. 

Hard to tell in the picture, but it's a soft pink blush color:

It's the Horseshoe Cable pattern my mom taught me!  It's the first blanket I was determined to learn and I'm finally to the point where I'm not making mistakes while knitting!  I'm already almost done with another one too.  It's easier to sit and knit while we watch a show or binge watch a docu-series, than to work on my computer. 

I've found knitting to be very therapeutic for me, especially when my brain is spinning and I feel like I HAVE TO be doing SOMETHING.  It's hard for me to sit still. To do nothing.  And it's very rewarding in the end because I have a blanket to show for it!  

Although, at this point I think Ty is getting a little irritated with ALL the blankets we have now! Ha ha!  Good thing Mishka loves them! 

Moving on...

During this break I've also planned a quick getaway for us to Banff!! 

You've seen the pictures right?

Small little quaint town.

Gorgeous mountains all around.

Pristine blue lakes...

Shall I go on?

Fingers crossed it's not too cold and snowy, but I'm hopeful that'll be worth it if it is!  We don't usually travel by car on our 'trips', so it'll be an interesting 7ish hours of driving to get there.  It'll be fine.  

We'll be there for New Year's Eve which will be something different too.  In our old age (Haha- I know, Ty has a couple months until he joins the 40 club), but we usually just stay in and have to muster up the strength to even stay awake until midnight for the countdown!  

I know, lame.

So I thought I'd change it up this year.

I've planned a few hikes to fill the time, and hopefully distract Ty from the cold... and there's a gondola ride up to the top of Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station that has a pretty cool look out.  Fingers crossed it's a clear day, you look down upon Banff and out across all the surrounding mountains.  I'm excited.  It'll be something different, and I LOVE being outdoors and seeing new places. Even if every picture will have us bundled up and only our eyes poking through the layers.  

So yeah, that'll be fun. Hopefully! 

Switching gears from winter break, I've been working on some  TpT resources since the school year started.  Resources that I'm using in the gym myself, and constantly changing or making better.  I'm so grateful for being back at ONE school and getting to use my resources across multiple grade levels! 

Here's a little bit of what I've been using and working on.

This year we're doing our Fitness Testing a little different than in the past.  Usually you measure the kids in 4 different areas and they receive a score, or a grade depending on their result.  Well this year, we'll do those same measurements, but instead of getting a score for their result, the focus will be on the growth they achieve over the year.  More of a goal-setting focus and being able to monitor and analyze their own growth.  

So. Much. Better!

I mean that's what we do as adults right?  We set goals and work towards achieving them, or changing things if they're not working out.

And that's what I'm HOPING to teach them in PE, how to lead a healthy lifestyle that is LIFELONG, and not just while they're in school.

You know I love goal-setting!  That's like the epitome of me!  

As soon as I heard this was where Fitness Testing was going, I knew I wanted to start creating a resource that would not only keep track of these measurements, but be organized and efficient at the same time! 

These are the pictures I shared with my colleagues so they could use the resources as well:

I started by making a folder for EVERY student at school.  

Yes, I know, that was like some 300ish folders. 

Check out this reel I created as a joke:

Funny Reel Creating the Folders

It was quite a bit of work at first, 

multiple trips to Costco for ink cartridges, 

but now that it's done they work perfectly! 

Each grade level is color coded to help keep them organized too!

 

I use these enlarged recording sheets while we're completing our 

Fitness Measurements so it's easier for the kids to follow along. 

I also organized EACH class into their own crate 

(good 'ol IKEA magazine holders I had from teaching in the classroom.  

Much better use than in boxes in my basement!)

With cute labels of course! 

After they complete their Fitness Measurements the intermediate 

students will then need to choose an area  they're going to improve.  

They will write a SMART goal using this organizer sheet. 

I use my old easel from the classroom to hang the enlarged 

recording sheets and set out all the materials.  

It was a pretty efficient system and I'm happy with how it turned out! 

We finished our first round of Fitness Measurements before winter break, 

so after we get back it'll be time for the intermediate students 

to identify their area for improvement and write their SMART goal! 

Check out the resource here:

SMART Goals - Fitness Testing - Components of Fitness - Bulletin Board

And don't forget, 

that bulletin board that I posted in my previous post, 

is included in this resource too:

I'll continue to adjust and make changes as I use this resource myself, but I'm very proud with how it's working so far!  I hope it works for others too! 

Okay, what else?

Well, when I knew I needed to make a resource for our Fitness Testing I knew I'd need some posters to help introduce and constantly review the Components of Fitness (COF) that we'd be testing! 

I created some posters and a bulletin board (see previous post) for that too!

When I looked online they had some resources already, but nothing that really caught my attention.  A lot of resources use clipart that is mixed up between real images and cartoon-ish people.  Nothing wrong with them, I just envisioned something different for my gym.  I also wanted to use the cute fonts that would match the other posters in the space. 

Here's what I created:

I created these little 'characters' for each component of fitness.  

I use them throughout the gym when I label stations or activities 

that we're doing so they make the connection between 

what we're learning and which COF they're working on.

I also created posters with a short definition that I refer to 

ALL THE TIME 

hoping it'll sink in eventually!

Did you notice the little 'characters' are the same ones as on the 

Fitness Measurement recording sheets in the other resource?  

Yeah, I know. Super dorky.

It's the little things that make me happy. 

I love how it's all connected and as I make more 

resources I want them all to be cohesive. 

Check out the resource here: 

Components of Fitness - Health Related - Posters & Bulletin Board

Those have been 2 BIG resources that I've created this year now that I'm at ONE building and can have cohesive lessons across grade levels.  Did I mention how LUCKY I feel to be back at my 'home' school?  Okay, sorry, I just have to pinch myself sometimes because it doesn't seem real how it's all happened.  

Everything happens for a reason.

I'm such a believer of that.  Even though I sometimes don't appreciate it in the moment, I try to trust it's part of the process, and it's only after the fact, when reflecting upon a situation do I realize the weight of the moment. 

Wow, if you're still reading to this point, I'm sorry it's SO LONG!

Making up for lost time?

Maybe a good new year's resolution: 

Post more frequently so they don't have to be SO long each time!

I'm not usually one to create new year's resolutions.  I'm constantly working on and setting goals for myself.  I don't need a new year to remind me to do so!  Ha ha!  But maybe what I can do is create a reminder on my calendar to write a post. At least once a month.  I can increase if it's going well.  

So for today, I'll wrap it up.  Who knows, maybe I'll even get back on during this winter break and surprise myself with another post?!

Thanks for following along this far!

As always, remember to FIND YOUR BALANCE friends,

Shelby