Hall of Shame Games

When thinking of Dodgeball in schools, immediately I wonder. The number one concern in any classroom is the students safety, and that comes into question when thinking about introducing the game of Dodgeball. I would agree with schools who ban the original way of playing Dodgeball. This form is violent and selective. No student wants to feel targeted, or be injured. However, I do agree with playing modified forms of DodgeBall.

I played a version of Dodgeball in Adventure Activities last semester which was school appropriate. We used soft foam balls which don't hurt like the original playground/kickball balls. Another modification was having to bounce the ball before it hit an opponent. I think changing just these two things makes this much more school friendly, but even more can be done. In keeping in mind that we always want children actively participating in physical activity, we need a way for children to get back into the game after being tagged out. A few ideas: they may come back after a teammate catches a ball thrown at him, back in if they get a ball that's out of the playing field, do some sort of exercise such as lunges, sit ups, or push ups to get back in.

Implementing these modifications reduces injuries, increases confidence, and physical activity.

Thoughts on giving children lacrosse/hockey sticks

I was given my first lacrosse stick when I was two. My dad gave me and my sister one, she was four. The story he tells me is that when he gave us our sticks to go outside, my sister was picking up the ball with her back turned to me, and I ran up to her and smacked her in the back with my stick. Turns out I ended up being a pretty good defender but probobly wasnt ready for a stick at the age of 2.

In a school setting with a lot of kids, long handled equiptment shouldn't be used. There is not enough supervision for children and they don't have the mental and physical control to use such equiptment. The first fundamental step would be throwing a ball correctly just in your hand. Throwing and catching should be almost perfected before moving on to a lacorsse stick.

First Day at St. Marys

I really enjoyed my first day at St. Mary's and am very excited to go back again! Being around kids is so refreshing. Getting involved in games with them and exploring their imagination is amazing. They have so much energy even at the end of the day. I experienced a game on the playground with a group of children who were "lava fish" with special powers.I was lucky enough to be given some powers from each of them to be able to swim in the "lava" and survive on land. I had a lot of fun even in an unstructured situation. There was no lesson plan, no equipment, and no dictating- just children with imaginations, willingness to be active, and an environment (playground) suitable for them.

This really encouraged me to stick with the PE program. Sometimes I wonder if it is right for me, but being in the setting and with children and finding myself thinking of things to do with them and enjoying my time enforced that this is where I belong. I'm looking forward to next week!

To view the lab write up from lab one click here.

Reaction to Chapter 1

When it comes to textbooks, Im usually not a fan. Most are written by people who are brilliant, but cannot express their words in a way that is easy for students to pick up the material they are describing. In Gallahue and Donnelly's Developmental Physical Education for all Children the material is broken down into sections and punctuated by a number of pictures and diagrams. That is the best way that I learn is using a short spurt of reading, and then understanding what I just read with an illustration or diagram.

Within the relm of motor development, there are way more concepts that make up motor development than I thought. There is Preceptual Motor learning-- divided into the spatial and themporal world.

After reviewing the chapter, Im motivated to inspire kids to have a healthy lifestyle. I'm excited to change the childrens way of thinking about physical activity and make it a fun and desirable part of their lives.

Club Lax Tryouts

Today was the first day of try outs for girls club lax. We played in the chilly weather out on Davis field. As an officer I watch the girls play and take down their numbers to see their skills in a number of drills. This year is going to be really hard to make cuts. We have a lot of really good girls and people who are very enthusiastic about playing. I am looking forwad to having a talented team and making it as far as this club has ever gone. Nationals is always so close, but somehow we slip up and don't make it. I'm very excited to see where this team goes!