Fitness stations are a simple way to add movement to the day. Fitness stations are perfect for physical education but can also be incorporated into math centers, literacy center, or workshop set ups. This can add the much needed movement component to the day. The research is out there that kids need to move! Fitness […]
Fitness Stations – How and Why Read More »
Is there really anything more action packed than superheros? They jump, run, kick, and spin. The list could go on and on when it comes to superheros. With all the action superheros provide, they are perfect for incorporating gross motor into the day. The superhero hop is the perfect way to do this!
Superhero Gross Motor Game – Superhero Hop Read More »
Who doesn’t love a circus theme? The circus theme makes it easy to incorporate gross motor and fine motor skills. What kid doesn’t love the idea of a circus or carnival? Implementing circus themed activities for kids into your gross motor or fine motor activities doesn’t have to be hard. Check out all of
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It’s finally the time of the year when we can really get out of the house. People are out and about back on the trails and visiting state parks. Even though I’m from Minnesota, I’m not much of a winter person. I don’t love the cold, but I love being outside. As soon as the
Pink Oatmeal is excited to have Darice Cunniff posting today on the importance of free play in our classrooms. Darice has been an elementary teacher for over 35 years with the majority of her time spent in the Kindergarten classroom and how she has seen it change over her time in the classroom. As a
What Happened To Free Play? Read More »
I love Spring! Living in Minnesota, the winters are long, and nothing is better than seeing that white stuff disappear! I don’t even mind the muddy mess or puddles that come with the melting snow. It’s actually a lot of fun. I’ve been letting my son go crazy playing in them. It’s resulted in several
Spring Gross Motor Game – Puddle Jumping Read More »
Hooray! March has finally arrived. March brings hope that Spring is upon us, especially here in Minnesota. March means basketball tournaments, shamrock shakes, and St. Patrick’s Day. March also means that we are playing fun gross motor games with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. The clover hop is a great way to get kids up and
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I recently read an article, Letting Kids Move Isn’t A Break From Learning, It is Learning. In this article the author discusses how important movement is in the learning process and gives great ideas on how to incorporate movement into learning, not just as a brain break. Now don’t get me wrong, brain breaks are an essential
Kinesthetic Learning – 20+ Ideas Read More »
As part of my job I get to travel between schools. I love this part of my job…most of the time. The only issue with this is, I don’t always have my own space. This is especially true when I am working with kids that aren’t a part of a center based program. I usually
School-Based Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Resources Read More »
I’m excited to have teamed up with a fellow educator and share with her readers all about posture in the classroom. You can read all about it at Minds In Bloom! photo credit: Marind is waiting for les tambours de la pluie via photopin cc with added cropping and text
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Are you looking for a different way to incorporate physical activity into the classroom? Maybe you need a different spin on brain breaks? Maybe you are looking for some carryover from therapies to the classroom with a fitness emphasis? I started to implement marathons (miles, 5k’s, 10k’s) as a motivation to move during the day.
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I remember my mom making playing card holders for her Kindergarten classroom years ago! I even made a playing card holder for a motor development project back in college. This particular playing card holder still stands as my favorite in spite of all of the great ideas that can now be found on Pinterest. Card holders
DIY Playing Card Holder Read More »
An exciting milestone in our little ones lives is learning to climb the stairs. This milestone typically takes place around 21-24 months. At this age, children are still using a step together pattern (one foot on each step) and a railing. By 30-36 months, kids should start to alternate steps using the railing. At approximately 3
Stair Climbing Made Fun Read More »
Social media is where it’s at! Like it or not, social media’s not showing any signs of going away. I’m personally a big fan of social media. It’s a great resource for staying up-to-date with not only friends, but for keeping up on what is going on in your profession. As therapists, a quick search
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I love brain breaks. I don’t love when I hear others saying that their students earned a brain break. Students shouldn’t earn brain breaks. Hearing that kids didn’t earn a brain break just seems backwards to me. In fact, that may be the time they needed it the most. Brain breaks are something that students need, and should not be
Why We Need Brain Breaks and Why They Shouldn’t Be Earned Read More »
We truly don’t need any more flashing or loud toys at our house. I don’t know how many times I’ve walk by our toy basket and had some random toy go off. I believe that some of the best options for playrooms or gifts for little ones are missed since they aren’t always on the shelves
I’m always looking for ways to motivate my students that I work with in school. There are many different ways to try to encourage kids to walk, but for some of them I needed to be a bit more creative. The kids are working hard and motivation is key! I came across a post about Jingle
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I remember entering the world of school-based physical therapy and looking at books at Barnes and Noble to help prepare me. I also remember ordering equipment magazines to be sent to my house to familiarize myself with different equipment options. That was 8 years ago. Things have changed so much in those 8 years. There
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Who doesn’t love a day on the farm? I know that my son goes crazy over anything related to the farm. Tractors, animals, and the country! In my quest to come up with fun ways to incorporate the farm into motor and sensory play I came across some really great ideas. I can’t wait to
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As a physical therapist that works in the school systems I always try my best to make my therapy sessions educational. I love the idea of combining movement with learning. What I do, obviously depends on each individual student and their specific needs and goals in the educational setting. In the classroom, I work with
Combining Movement and Learning Read More »