Week of October 12, 2015: Y5-2

Bean Bags!!  Young Fives, Kindergarten, first, and second grades worked with bean bags this week.  Similar to our hula hoop lessons, activities focus on movement and space awareness, eye-hand coordination/tracking, and having fun.  We call our beanbags "Beanie".  Activities included many of the following prompts:  

• How many different parts of your body can you balance Beanie?  (Head, forehead, shoulder, fingers, elbow, tummy, back, knee, foot...)
• Stand with Beanie balanced on your head - lower to knees, and then sitting, trying not to let Beanie fall off, without touching it with hands.  
• Take Beanie for a walk on your arm/shoulder/head/back of your hand.  
• Put Beanie on your spot.  stand in front, behind, to the side, on the other side.  Jump forward/backward over Beanie.  Jump side to side over Beanie.  Hop on one foot around Beanie.  
• Build a bridge over Beanie.  Four parts, three parts.  
• Statue:  Move around the room to the music.  When the music stops, put your foot on the closest Beanie and make a statue.  (Gallop, skip, hop on one foot, jump on two feet, sideways slide-step).  
• Beanbag Freeze:  Balance Beanie on your head.  Walk around the playing area without touching Beanie, being careful to not let it slide off.  If Beanie falls, you're frozen.  Others still balancing their Beanie can carefully bend down to pick up your Beanie and hand it to you.  Say Thank you! when someone helps you, and be a helper to others!  
• Beanbag Signals:  My voice signals different activities with Beanie.  
• "Toss and walk":  Toss beanie up and catch, while walking around the playing area.  Gallop, skip, sideways slide-step can also be substituted for walk.  
• "Freeze!"  Let Beanie fall to the floor and make a statue on it. 
• "Leap!"  Leave your Beanie, leaping over as many other Beanies as you can. 
• "Jump!"  Jump side to side over your Beanie. 
• "Hop!"  Hop in a circle around your Beanie. 
• "Bridge!"  Make a bridge over your Beanie. 
• Toss and catching tasks: 
• Toss and catch, using your favorite hand, catching with two hands. 
• Use your other hand, catch with two hands. 
• Toss with one hand, catch with the same hand.  Other hand. 
• Toss with one hand, catch with the other hand.  ("Rainbow tossing")
• Toss Beanie up, clap once, then catch it.  Can you clap twice before catching Beanie? 
• Can you toss Beanie, touch your shoulders, then catch it? 

Activities adapted from Landy and Landy, Ready to Use PE Activities for Grades K-2, 1992.