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The P.E. teacher that every child needs

Posted by Julie Hussey on November 20, 2012
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  • Parent Perspective
  • Playful Learning
  • education
  • group play
  • guest blog
  • physical activity
  • physical education

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spacer When asked about his school day recently, my nine-year-old son was faster than usual to share. “We have a new PE teacher and class is more fun than last year.”  My seven-year-old piped in, “We play games like capture the flag and ultimate soccer.” Nodding my head between bites of grilled chicken, I knew I wanted to meet this physical education teacher who was generating such enthusiasm at our dinner table. 

Lindsay Frank—or Ms. Lindsay, as her students call her—believes in the value of play, and this sets her apart.  Rather than focusing on drills, as she was taught by her education professors, she wants her students to take advantage of their natural desire for fun. 

Her inspiration comes from a 6th grade PE teacher who made PE so wonderful that Ms. Lindsay could not imagine a better calling.

The Nike-initiated report Designed to Move: Framework for Action convinced Ms. Lindsay she was heading in the right direction. For generations, physical activity and childhood were considered to be as connected as yin and yang or milk and cookies, but as Designed to Move’s research shows, “physical activity is systematically designed, innovated, and engineered out of daily life.” Elevators replace stairs, motorized scooters replace bikes, and “here’s the iPad” replaces “go outside.” 

Ms. Lindsay’s PE students recognize that she is unusual, and national trends toward organized sports and repetitive drills support their perspective. Outside of school, kids are enrolling in traditional team sports at younger ages, but as KaBOOM! CEO Darell Hammond points out:

This trend isn’t necessarily setting the stage for an active lifestyle later on in life -- 70 percent of kids give up sports entirely by age 13. When asked by Michigan State University researchers why they quit sports, kids almost universally said, "It's not fun anymore."

With almost half of her students under the age of 10, Ms. Lindsay is working with them at a time when they are shaping their future preferences and motivations. By making the activities in her class accessible to all students, appropriate for their ages, and, most importantly, fun, she helps them develop positive attitudes toward physical activity, which teaching them essential life skills, such as confidence, cooperation, and creativity.   

And the way I see it, these skills are far more important than throwing a perfect pitch.

 

Here are two of Lindsay Frank’s favorite games:

spacer Everyone is "it":
Upon a starting signal, students are encourage to try and tag
as many fellow players as they can. Tagged players must kneel on the ground,  remember who tagged them, and stay until they are freed when the person who tagged them is tagged. Fun comes when students tag each other at the same time and must play rock-paper-scissors. The loser has to kneel and the winner gets to stay in.

 

spacer Ultimate Soccer:
Players are divided into two teams. There are no boundaries, no goalies, and no positions. Players must work together to score on soccer goals. Anyone can defend the goal, but they cannot use their hands unless they are in the goal. If a goal is scored, the person who retrieves the ball from the goal may throw it out or kick it to continue the game. Because there are no rules about where players should be on the field, players get to find out by themselves if they prefer to kick the ball on or try to defend the goals. It is a continuous play game with little lag time so players are constantly moving.

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Playgrounds made from junk

Posted by Kerala Taylor on November 15, 2012
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  • Cool Playgrounds
  • environment
  • green
  • playground design
  • recycle

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Plastic bottles, car parts, shipping containers, steel drums, and tires. No, we're not describing a junkyard -- we're describing a potential playground. Recycled playground structures combine ingenuity, whimsy, and thrift to create spaces that are friendly to our kids and our planet alike.

From Brazil to Norway to Uganda, these playgrounds are true gems, even if they're made from junk:

  • spacer This playground in Stavanger, Norway is made of recycled materials from oil rigs. Photo via Abstract Noun.
  • spacer This section of Stavanger, Norway's oil rig playground makes use of old plastic buoys. Photo via Abstract Noun.
  • spacer Helsinki-based sculptor Miina Äkkijyrkkä specializes in building giant cows out of old car parts. Photo via Artrick Playground.
  • spacer The Wikado Playground in Rotterdam, Netherlands is made from old wind turbine blades. Photo via The Coolist.
  • spacer The possibilities for incorporating old tires into playground structures are almost endless. Photos via RelaxShacks.com.
  • spacer OK, this playground isn't real, but if Dutch artist AnneMarie van Splunter gets her way, it might be someday. Photo via Grist.
  • spacer Lions Park playground in Alabama is made from 2,000 recycled steel drums. Photo via Inhabitat.
  • spacer Ugandan Artist Ruganzu Bruno Tusingwire is refashioning water bottles into play structures. Photo via Clutch.
  • spacer Skinners Playground in Melbourne, Australia makes use of old shipping containers. Photo by Inhabitat.
  • spacer In Niamey, Niger, a Spanish collective called Basurama fashioned this playground out of pallets, tires, garbage bags, and plastic drums. Photo by Basurama via Treehugger.
  • spacer This recycled cardboard labyrinth by Brazilian architect Carlos Teixeira made its first appearance at the 29th International Biennial in Sau Paulo. Photo via Inhabitat (cc).

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Need a place to hide? Here are 13 handsome homemade forts.

Posted by Kerala Taylor on November 5, 2012
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  • Cool Playgrounds
  • cardboard box
  • fort
  • loose parts
  • popup playground
  • slideshow
  • winter

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As the cold sets in, most of us will feel an urge to find a cozy retreat. Small spaces beckon to us, spaces where we can huddle up with loved ones and perhaps enjoy a steaming cup of hot cocoa or tea.

Children have mastered the art of building small spaces, often out of scraps and other loose parts. Let's look to them for inspiration -- because who says forts are for 'kids only?'

Have your kids made a great homemade fort? We'd love to share it -- please post a photo to our Facebook page. 

  • spacer Photographer Ken Mayer says, "My brother, sister, myself, and our friends built this ultimately 3-story monstrosity from scrap we found along the I-66 right-of-way." Photo by Ken Mayer.
  • spacer "My son and his friends constructed [this] out of scrap wood a couple of years ago... I was so impressed... I was also jealous," says Jeff. Photo via Upstream of Consciousness.
  • spacer Says the photographer, "Few things are as captivating as an honest-to-goodness homemade fort!" Photo via Take Joy... Take Peace.
  • spacer Homemade forts don't have to be elaborate. Cardboard boxes or some blankets and scrap wood will do. Left photo by Brian Mooney (cc). Right photo via A Delightful Glow.
  • spacer Old blankets, sheets, shower curtains, or scrap cloth always add a cozy finishing touch. Left photo via Let the Children Play. Right photo via Child Central Station.
  • spacer Too cold outside? Indoor forts are always an option when the elements aren't cooperating. Photo by ZRecs (cc).
  • spacer Says the photographer, "Fort Awesome was erected in Harvard Yard in the Winter of 2004. It is one of Harvard's greatest engineering achievements." Photo by David Mooney (cc).
  • spacer Snow provides endless, and potentially elaborate, fort-building possibilities! Photo by Emily Carlin (cc).
  • spacer Here's another "snow brick" fort -- and a great place to hide from errant snowballs. Photo by paula (cc).
  • spacer Sticks and stones can break my bones... or they can be used to build an amazing natural fort! Photo by Jason Wilson (cc).
  • spacer Sometimes the best view is from the inside looking out. Photo by John M. Cropper (cc).

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