Health and Physical Education Classes

Health

This year at Sabold we have combined Health and Physical Education. At the beginning or end of Phys. Ed. classes we have mini Health lessons. Sometimes we have longer lessons with our Fourth Grade. We often talk about current health issues such as the H1N1 flu and how to help prevent it. We discuss the importance of using hand sanitizer and keeping our hands away from our faces. These practices will help prevent other illnesses such as colds also.  The good news is that H1N1 seems to be subsiding but we have to be prepared for a possible second wave coming later this year.

We also discuss the dangers of alcohol, drug and cigarette use with our Third and Fourth Graders. Our Fourth Graders make posters during “Red Ribbon Week” with the theme “Drug Free Begins with Me”. The posters depict positive activities that students do now or in the future.   Emphasis is also placed on how to deal with peer pressure in the future.

Another topic we discuss is nutrition. We talk about making healthy choices, eating in moderation and exercising. It’s explained that for those who want to lose body fat, they need to eat a little less at each meal and never go on an extremely low calorie diet. Students are surprised to learn that those who skip breakfast not only suffer performance problems in school, they also may gain body fat because of how it slows down your  metabolism and you tend to make up for the lost calories later.

Safety is another topic we cover. Because serious childhood diseases are rare, accidents are the greatest risk to our children. The importance of wearing safety belts, and sitting in the back seat are discussed. The use of “big kid” booster seats is also emphasized. Children should be a booster until 80 pounds or usually 57 inches tall. Bicycle helmets are also discussed. There are over 1000 fatal bicycle accidents annually in this country. In over 90% of those fatalities, riders were not wearing helmets. We also have the Springfield Fire Dept. come out each year and talk about fire prevention and safety.

Fitness is anther health topic that easily integrates into our Phys. Ed. classes. We discus respiration and heart rate and what it means to have good aerobic, (cardiovascular) fitness. We also use pedometers in class, which count our steps. If students were to use their own pedometers throughout the day they should set a goal of 10,000 steps, which would be a little less than five miles for a child taking normal strides.

Mental and emotional health is also covered. We talk about ways to relieve stress through general fitness, stretching and activities like yoga and meditation. The importance of fitness to help with depression is also emphasized. Studies have shown that exercise works just as well as medication for depressed patients for the short term and better than medication in the long term.

Physical Education Classes

My basic philosophy for P.E. is to help all students feel successful while participating in physical activities to the best of their ability. My goal is to create a positive experience related to fitness and skill development in the hopes that students will continue to be active and enjoy fitness for a lifetime. Other goals are appropriate socialization, cooperation, teamwork and sportsmanship.

We start each year going over playground safety and teaching cooperative games that students may play on their own at recess. I also teach or reinforce catching, kicking, throwing and locomotor skills such as hopping, skipping, jumping, galloping etc. Within the first few weeks we work on highly cooperative activities such as the parachute. One of their favorites is an activity where students on scooters hold onto the parachute while others pull and spin the parachute at high speed.

Throughout the year we play many games including tag type, ball skill, agility, low organized, high organized, Newcomb net games, soccer type, basketball type, hockey type, baseball type, scooter, dodgeball, and team handball. Other activities would include tumbling/gymnastics, climbing wall, dance, Frisbee golf, problem-solving and adventure based activities.

When possible we integrate literacy and math into P.E. curriculum. We have games where student can earn points for their team if they can spell words from random letters found written on foam balls. Students also learn new words such as “precipice” which can found on the rock climbing wall. And students write about their experiences participating in activities such as our “Indiana Jones” obstacle course.

Physical Education Highlights

There are some activities that students never seem to be able to get enough of and always ask for. Number 1 on the list would have to be our “Indiana Jones obstacle course”. Twice a year including our Spring Fair where former students come back to participate, we have our “Indy” adventure. It’s an obstacle course which includes the sound track and clips from the movie on a big screen, a giant swinging boulder, wall climb, swinging rope bridge, cliff climb, cliff jump, river of lava ring swing, anaconda river rope swing, great white shark balance beam bridge, and springboard into a volcano all watched over and directed by “Indy” himself wearing his distinctive fedora and leather jacket. We also turn the lights down and the music up. They love it!

Next on our list would have to be our “24 Hours at LaMans” driving course. In teams of 5, students push a folded rectangular floor mat with scooter placed under it around a course that includes a tunnel. Students rotate to different positions around the “car” with each one getting one lap sitting on top as the driver. If the students pass their driving test and are under control with no one crashing, they earn the right to drive in the dark using a large flashlight as a headlight. Next we use 2 very large folded crash mats with scooters underneath and multiple students on top. These are our buses which can also earn the right to be driven in the dark.

 Another favorite is the “Lion King Game”. The class is divided into 3 teams with each team having one turn as a predator (lion, hyena, crocodile, or cheetah) and two turns as the prey animal which are the wildebeest. The wildebeest run around with fag football “tails” which the predators who are in predetermine locations, attempt to pull off. Once a tail is removed the wildebeest then pick-up a new tail and continue the game until asked to rotate to a new position. This is all done while playing the sound track to the “Lion King” movie.

Also popular with our Third and Fourth Grade students is “Crazy Newcomb”. Using two beach balls at one time, students either volley or catch and throw the balls over a volley ball net. The only out-of-bounds is the end line and under the net. Every time a ball hits the ground on a team’s side the other team is awarded a point.

Problem solving activities are also a “hit”. An example is “Mission Impossible”. There are two teams starting at either end of the gym. The goal is to get the entire team across the gym without touching the floor. Students may walk on mats and poly spots and use ropes and scooters. Certain mats may be used, but once used can not be used by the other team. This activity requires a tremendous amount of cooperation and problem solving skills. It can become very competitive. Students learn that the loudest and strongest leaders don’t always have the best ideas. And the quiet students can learn to be assertive when presenting their idea.

They don’t all admit it but student love our dance party classes. Dances include: The twist, Chicken, Electric Slide, Cotton eye Joe and Macarena to name a few.

Health Fair and Super Sabold Field Day

As part of our physical education program we also have a Health and Fitness Fair. All students participate in stations which include dance, yoga, karate, healthy snacks, jump rope and an inflatable rock wall/slide and fitness walk. Last year a generous donation from the Taylor Foundation paid for all of our Health Fair cost.

Super Sabold Field Day is a day long event. Students play a number of teacher lead games and activities for half of the day and races and crazy relays the other half. Many of the games are some of their favorites from the P.E. class and some are new.

Intramural Activities

We also offer before and after school activities for Third and Fourth Graders. In the fall we have In-line skating for both the Third and Fourth Grades which includes a field trip to the Marple Sports Arena. We also offer soccer for Fourth Grade which is before school.

In winter we offer Gymnastics/tumbling for the Fourth Grade. We usually have more than 80% of the Fourth Grade involved. Gymnastic has two shows, one at night for the parents and one during the school day for the students.