October 2003

RIDE THAT PONY

Children will have great fun doing "Ride that Pony" with a partner:

Ride, ride, ride that pony,                       (Face partner and begin clapping to the
Get up and ride that big, black pony.         beat. Bounce up and down as if riding
Ride, ride, ride that pony.                         on a pony.)
This is what they told me.

Front, front, front, my baby.                   (Clap hands in air with partner.)
Side, to side, to side, my baby.             (Bump hips on the side.)
Back, back, back, my baby,                    (Turn around and bump back sides.)
This is what they told me.                       (Find a new partner.)

Activities: Do this as a line dance. Children form two lines facing each other. Step down to get a new partner after touching back sides.

CHOP WOOD

Chop wood five or ten times and you'll get lots of blood going to the brain!
Have children put their arms in the air as if holding an ax.
Pretend to chop wood by bringing arms down and bending over as they say, "Aayah!"

EXERCISE

Oxygenate the brain with one of these exercises:

Windmills - Stretch right hand to left foot, stand, and then stretch left hand to right foot. Etc.

Jumping jacks - Jump and put feet out and put hands over head. Jump and put feet back together and hands by sides.

Bend and stretch - Bend over and touch toes. Stretch up high with hands in the air.

Waist bends - Right arm over head and bend left and stretch. Left arm over head and bend right and stretch.

Jog in place - March picking knees up high and swinging arms in front of body

Hop on right foot - Hop on left foot

Balance on right foot - Balance on left foot

Jump rope - Pretend to jump rope ~ cross arms in front ~ jump backwards

Skip, gallop, crawl, tiptoe, walk backwards, etc. around room

LETTER AEROBICS

Explain that some letters are tall. They start at the top dotted line.
Some letters start at the middle dotted line.
Some letters have a tail. They go below the line.

Sing the "Alphabet Song" stretching up in the air for tall letters, putting hands on waist for short letters, and touching the ground for letters with a tail.

For example: A- hands on waist B- hands in air G- touch ground

Use letter aerobics for spelling out words on the word wall, spelling words, or vocabulary words.

Hint! You can also clap in the air for tall letters, clap in front of you for short letters, and clap down near the floor for letters with a tail.

BASEBALL AND BASKETBALL

Have children stand and pretend to dribble a basketball.
Spell out words as you dribble, then shoot the ball in the hoop as you say the word.

For example: T (bounce), H (bounce), E (bounce) ~ "the" (throw the ball in the hoop)

Take a batter's position.
Pretend to take a swing as you say the letters; then hit a home run as you say the word.

For example: R (swing), E (swing), A (swing), D (swing) ~ "read" (swing around)

BRAIN BREAKS

More

Copyright 2003, Dr. Jean