It's Magic!
Spring has sprung! The daffodils are popping up, and the crocuses are in bloom. In Michigan, where I am a principal, springtime is a glorious season. It's magical to watch Michigan transform from season to season. We cheer for the Detroit Tigers, and we anticipate the NHL playoffs (Go Wings!) The grass begins to turn green, and the tress start to show their buds. The April showers wash away winter which seems to have lasted forever, and...we finally start going outside for recess.
Our students are some of the luckiest students in the world. We have a great hill on our playground where the kids get to go sledding on wintery days, and we have some of the best noon-aides in the world who take our kids outside for 20 minutes each day as long as the temperature and windchill are above 0 degrees. (FYI...0 degrees is still pretty chilly, but we're from "hearty stock" in Michigan!) Basically, our students get outside almost every day. The problem lies in those pesky, April showers!
We've had a week of cold, miserable rain which means inside recess. If you're not a teacher, you might not think inside recess is a big deal. The fact is, however, kids need to move. Kids need to run. Kids need to play. Kids need to go outside. While our teachers do a wonderful job at incorporating movement into their daily lessons, nothing can replace a good game of kickball or soccer, a jubilant romp of tag, some quality time on a swingset, or just the fresh air from being outside with friends.
Today was the first, real day you could actually feel springtime in the air. Kids were outside. Smiles were everywhere, and attitudes were completely different. Hope literally springs around from person to person like pixie dust. It's precious.
I want to publicly commend the Novi Woods staff for an idea that I believe is absolutely brilliant. Maybe you can incorporate this into your school? In an elementary school, a grade or a group of classes usually go to Specials (Art, Media Center, Music, and PE, in our case) at the same time each day. Instead of traveling immediately to one of the Specials classes, however, all of our groups head to the gym for Woods Workout. Our Specials teachers coordinate 10-15 minutes of exercise during Woods Workout. Students do calisthenics, yoga, Richard Simmon's "Sweating to the Oldies" or any number of movement activities. Woods Workout means that in addition to lunch recess, every student gets 10-15 minutes of dedicated movement time every day. Homeroom teachers overwhelmingly report Woods Workout makes a difference with students' ability to focus and learn. It's one thing to "complain" about inside recess or the cold weather, but it's another thing to actually do something about it. I'm grateful I work in a building where we work together to solve problems.
Now...if we could just do something about the mud? :)
Our students are some of the luckiest students in the world. We have a great hill on our playground where the kids get to go sledding on wintery days, and we have some of the best noon-aides in the world who take our kids outside for 20 minutes each day as long as the temperature and windchill are above 0 degrees. (FYI...0 degrees is still pretty chilly, but we're from "hearty stock" in Michigan!) Basically, our students get outside almost every day. The problem lies in those pesky, April showers!
We've had a week of cold, miserable rain which means inside recess. If you're not a teacher, you might not think inside recess is a big deal. The fact is, however, kids need to move. Kids need to run. Kids need to play. Kids need to go outside. While our teachers do a wonderful job at incorporating movement into their daily lessons, nothing can replace a good game of kickball or soccer, a jubilant romp of tag, some quality time on a swingset, or just the fresh air from being outside with friends.
Today was the first, real day you could actually feel springtime in the air. Kids were outside. Smiles were everywhere, and attitudes were completely different. Hope literally springs around from person to person like pixie dust. It's precious.
I want to publicly commend the Novi Woods staff for an idea that I believe is absolutely brilliant. Maybe you can incorporate this into your school? In an elementary school, a grade or a group of classes usually go to Specials (Art, Media Center, Music, and PE, in our case) at the same time each day. Instead of traveling immediately to one of the Specials classes, however, all of our groups head to the gym for Woods Workout. Our Specials teachers coordinate 10-15 minutes of exercise during Woods Workout. Students do calisthenics, yoga, Richard Simmon's "Sweating to the Oldies" or any number of movement activities. Woods Workout means that in addition to lunch recess, every student gets 10-15 minutes of dedicated movement time every day. Homeroom teachers overwhelmingly report Woods Workout makes a difference with students' ability to focus and learn. It's one thing to "complain" about inside recess or the cold weather, but it's another thing to actually do something about it. I'm grateful I work in a building where we work together to solve problems.
Now...if we could just do something about the mud? :)
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