Thursday, March 4, 2010

Pretzel Day in the Auditorium

Our "Twisting like a Pretzel" lesson included explorations on how our bodies work. We explored how the shoulder and hip joints allow us to twist our arms and legs. Then we discovered that the twisting of our spine begins between our ears and ends at our tailbone.

The Kindergarden class explored the opposite of twisting (moving in straight ways) as well as the opposites of high and  low. We will be looking at numerous opposites in the coming weeks.

When we moved out into perfect spots around the room, each student showed an increased awareness of the space around them as they molded into their shapes.  The students are now clearly aware of when they are dancing in one spot and when they are moving through space.

Pretzeling in pairs brought up many issues of teamwork. We reviewed our third rule: "Safety of the Heart." This rule is about making sure no one's feelings are hurt during class (we have to be nice to our partners!) We also incorporated safety of the body, which means that each pair needed to work with gentleness and physical control. The students found numerous ways of twisting together with their hands held.

The First-grade class has begun to put together a sequence of four events. Our traveling events were walk, twist, freeze, and freestyle. We repeated this by substituting walking with sliding and then skipping.

Things to do at home:
   -   Have your child show you a twisted pretzel shape and use a pipe-cleaner or ribbon to re-create their shape. Then switch roles so while you do a pretzel shape, your child will re-create it using the pipe-cleaner or ribbon.
  -   Try creating pretzel shapes low to the ground as well as high up on your feet

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