In a shameless attempt to try and increase traffic to this fledgling blog, the first student who says the name, “John Wockenfuss” to me in person will earn their class a sticker.
October in Review
Beware of the Mummy Tagger!!
4th grader saves Casper!
Witch hunt!
Happy Halloween!!
We had a very busy and eventful October in PE! I know I covered most of it with the other more recent posts on this blog, but here’s a little more info on some of the skills that were highlighted during the past few weeks.
For starters, we worked on our throwing and catching throughout the grade levels. As a core physical life skill we spent time visually tracking objects like the one of our Lemurs is demonstrating below. A simple toss and catch at this age with added challenge components (e.g- spin around three times and catch it) reinforces body awareness along with that tracking skill.
(Below)Throwing activities like Asteroid and Battleship reinforced throwing for accuracy
In addition, the 5th grade started the Presidential Fitness Testing
What’s coming up in November…
Thanks to our recent grant we will be breaking in our new Pedometers in grades 2-5. These will be worn during PE class and the students will begin a cross country challenge as we collectively try and walk the equivalence of walking from Quest to San Diego (over 4 Million steps!!)
New Equipment Has Arrived!
Above (starting at 6 O’clock and moving clockwise) Pedometer class pack, pinnies, mesh bags, pool noodles, poly-spots, hula hoops, dodge-balls, beanbags, jump-ropes with juggling scarves, indoor soccer ball and vortex football in the middle Still to come, more dodgeballs, Chinese jump-ropes .
Thanks to the recent $1,000 grant, the PE office was beginning to look like an Amazon Storefront. This weekend, I was able to come in and start the inventory process. I am excited to be implementing these new pieces into our PE program!
Remember your Sneakers, Tennis Shoes, Gym Shoes, Trainers, etc.
We no longer carry extra PE shoes. Please make sure your child has them on days they have PE.
Thanks!
Getting Caught Up…
Recently unearthed from the attic of the PE equipment closet, our OmniKin Ball was dusted off and integrated into our unit on throwing and catching. “George” was a small group of 4th Graders that was unexpectedly chosen to team-catch a Kin ball before it hit the ground. Worth noting that “John”, “Paul”, and even “Ringo” were also successful!
Second Graders discover the gentleness of this giant.
Kickoff to Kin Ball Soccer!
Using mostly core muscles and upper body strength in a soccer game is usually hard to accomplish but in this classic PE staple the 5th graders were motivated and engaged throughout.
UPDATE: Second Kin Ball Discovered!!! (and it’s even bigger!)
Two unidentifiable third graders race around the gym with both of the recently discovered OmniKin Balls during PE class. They have been given the nicknames, “Rainbow” and “Sunny” by a Kindergarten student.
Quest PE secures grant!!!
We were very excited to learn recently that our grant proposal for new PE equipment was awarded with a $1,000 grant!! The grant is given by the Northeastern District of the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education Recreation and Health and “can be used to enhance a PE program in a variety of ways.” Our proposal centered around upgrading the lower school PE equipment .
Among the many new pieces currently en route to Quest include: Class-wide pedometers, new hula hoops, soft jump ropes, safe dodgeballs, pinnies, juggling scarves, beanbags and many other new fun things to upgrade our program!
August-September in Review
The first few weeks in physical education usually has an interesting mix of activities, especially when you are breaking in a new PE teacher. There are introductions and names to learn. We take time to establish and reinforce classroom procedures and learn routines. As a result, September can feel a bit mechanical at times. Despite the process, we were able to get our feet wet by playing many fast-moving activities, team-building games, and soccer skills.
Specifically, the early elementary students explored their personal space by playing chase games named “Spiders and Flies” and the always popular, “TP Tag” while re-introducing themselves to the parachute and scooter boards. Meanwhile, the upper “el” captured the flag, played 4-team corner soccer and survived “Survivor”.
