TURKEY WIGGLES

I don't know about you, but I've got the Turkey wiggles this week. (That means I'm ready to get the Thanksgiving party started!!!) Here are some ideas that might help your children move, learn, and release their Turkey wiggles!

Jump 

Jump as you read the words on the word wall, count to 100, and repeat other information.

*Children can also march or do other movements as they repeat skills.

Phonercise
Put your hands in the air and say the letter "A." Put your hands on your shoulders and make the /a/ sound. Touch your toes and say a word that starts with that sound. Continue going through the alphabet.

*Ask older children to say words that are nouns, verbs, or other parts of speech.

Stand Up
Simply asking the children to stand up gets blood going to the brain. They can stand up when they read, count, or review other information.

Air Writing
Ask children to make numerals, shapes, letters, or write words in the air with their "magic" finger.

Foot Writing
Use feet to write words, letters, answers to math facts, etc.

Pantomime
Have children stand and dramatize spelling words or vocabulary words.

Balancing Review
Have children stand. Can they balance on their right foot and count? Count by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, etc.

*Can they balance on their left foot and read word wall words?

*Can they balance on their right foot and extend their left leg as they say the days of the week, months of the year, seasons, and so forth?

*Can they balance on their left foot and extend their right leg and read big books and classroom print?

*Can they balance on their toes and read big books and other classroom print?

SMILE BREAK

Here's a simple little classroom management trick that might help your kids keep their "cool" with all the candy and partying today.

When children are wound up, help center them with a smile break. Tell them to look at the clock and smile for 30 seconds. (Use the timer on your phone or have them look at the clock until the big hand is on the 6.)

You can also ask them to hug themselves, sit and freeze, or do other motions for a specified amount of time.

Breath Through Your Nose
I love this idea to help children focus and clam down. Have them close their lips and breath through their noses. (Works like a charm because they can’t talk!)




Babble Break
A brain break that students will love is a “talking break.” Set a timer for one minute or whatever and tell students they can talk with a friend until the timer goes off. Once the time goes off there's no more talking!

Hint! You can focus the talking break by having children discuss a story you’ve read or talk about a topic you are studying.

WIGGLE WORMS

Have you ever been in front of your class and it truly looked like a can of WIGGLE WORMS?  Here's some tips to help them release wiggles so they can FOCUS!

Note!  Before doing these activities ask children to show you their “body space” by extending their arms slightly and twisting around. Remind them to stay in their body space as you do these activities.

Shake It Up
Hold up your right hand and shake five times as you count.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Hold up your left hand and shake five times as you count.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Hold up your right foot and shake five times as you count.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Hold up your left foot and shake five times as you count.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Count to four with each arm and leg…then three…two…one.
End by saying, “Oh yeah!” as you extend your arms and make the letter “Y.”

Adaptations: If children are wound-up do this with a whisper voice.

*Count to five in different languages.

*Do the vowel shake down where you say, “A, E, I, O, U,” and the “E, I, O, U,” and then “I, O, U,” and so forth.

Push the Wall
While children are waiting in the hall have them put their hands up against the wall and push it as hard as they can. Ask them to do push ups against the wall?

Babble Break
How about a three-minute "babble break" where children can talk to their friends? You could give them a topic to discuss that relates to a unit of study, let them tell jokes, or just chit chat.

Hanky Panky
Tell the students when you throw the handkerchief (or tissue) up in the air they can start doing a silly dance and make funny noises. When the hanky hits the ground they must freeze. Do this several times to get rid of wiggles.

WAVE!
To do the WAVE, ask children to look at you. Explain that when you point to them, they can stand up, wave their arms in the air, and then sit down. (This is often done at sports events.)

Hint! Do the wave several times. Do it forwards and then reverse and do it backwards.

Wiggle Worm Game

Make flash cards more fun by adding a few joke cards that say “wiggle worms.” When that card comes up, children stand and wiggle, wiggle!

RIDE THAT PONY

Here's a fun activity that children can do with a partner to use up some energy.

https://bit.ly/drJRidePony

The second version is longer and faster than the first.

https://bit.ly/drJRideFaster

Handout Link:  https://bit.ly/drJPonyBadges

MOTHER GOONY BIRD

Here are some silly songs that can release wiggles and put a smile on your face.

Click to view

Mother Goony Bird

Mother Goony Bird had 7 chicks. (Hold up 7 fingers.)
And 7 chicks had Mother Goony Bird.
And they couldn’t swim – NO! (Extend left hand and shake head.)
And they couldn’t fly – NO! (Extend right hand and shake head.)
All they did was go like this – right arm. (Flap right arm.)

Add left arm…right foot…left foot… (Add other movements.)
Nod your head…turn around, sit down!

Activities: Choose children to be the chicks and Mother Goony bird and act out the song.

Click to view

Wiggle Willy

I know a little boy. (Dance from side to side to the beat.)
His name is Wiggle Willy.
He is so very nice, but oh, he is so wiggly!
And so go his fingers and his fingers go like so
And his fingers are always soooooo… (Wiggle fingers.)
And so go his arms…(Wiggle arms and fingers.)
Legs…(Wiggle legs, arms, and fingers.)
Head…(Wiggle head, legs, arms, and fingers.)
Tongue…(Move tongue back and forth along with the other body parts.)
Wiggle Willy!

Activities: Why is Willy so wiggly? What makes you wiggly? What can you do about it?

Have the children brainstorm how they can get rid of wiggles on the bus, in the car, sitting in their seat at school, etc.

TURKEY WIGGLES

I don't know about you, but I've got the Turkey wiggles this week. (That means I'm ready to get the Thanksgiving party started!!!) Here are some ideas that might help your children move, learn, and release their Turkey wiggles!

Jump

Jump as you read the words on the word wall, count to 100, and repeat other information.

*Children can also march or do other movements as they repeat skills.


Phonercise
Put your hands in the air and say the letter "A." Put your hands on your shoulders and make the /a/ sound. Touch your toes and say a word that starts with that sound. Continue going through the alphabet.

*Ask older children to say words that are nouns, verbs, or other parts of speech.


Stand Up
Simply asking the children to stand up gets blood going to the brain. They can stand up when they read, count, or review other information.


Air Writing
Ask children to make numerals, shapes, letters, or write words in the air with their "magic" finger.

Foot Writing
Use feet to write words, letters, answers to math facts, etc.

Pantomime
Have children stand and dramatize spelling words or vocabulary words.


Balancing Review
Have children stand. Can they balance on their right foot and count? Count by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, etc.

*Can they balance on their left foot and read word wall words?

*Can they balance on their right foot and extend their left leg as they say the days of the week, months of the year, seasons, and so forth?

*Can they balance on their left foot and extend their right leg and read big books and classroom print?

*Can they balance on their toes and read big books and other classroom print?

CHAIR CAN CAN AND MY BONNIE BOUNCE

You can move and release wiggles in a confined space with these two songs.

Chair Can Can

Directions: Have children sit in their seat, bounce their feet to the beat, and make the following movements.

Bend right knee and then kick. (Right leg up and kick out.)
Bend left knee and kick. (Left leg up and kick out.)
Cross kick right and then cross kick left. (Kick feet in opposite directions.)
Rainbow arms from left to right. (Swish arms in a big arch.)
Bounce your feet up and down as you rainbow your arms.
Right heel up. (Put up right heel.)
Left heel up. (Put up left heel.)
Open and close arms like an elevator door. (Open arms out and together.)
Hands on the sides of your chair and lift and sit. (Lift body.)
Lift, hold, hold, sit. (Lift, hold for several seconds, and sit.)
Kick right leg out straight and the left leg out straight. (Kick straight leg.)
Wave arms high in the air. (Arms up and move back and forth.)
Take a bow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIOSRvmYp94


My Bonnie Bounce (Tune: “My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean”)
We’re going to sing a song you all know called “My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean” except every time we come to a word that starts with the /b/ sound we are going to stand up or sit down.
My Bonnie (Stand up.)
Lies over the ocean.
My Bonnie (Sit down.)
Lies over the sea.
My Bonnie (Stand up.)
Lies over the ocean.
Oh, bring (Sit down.)
Back (Stand up.)
My Bonnie (Sit down.)
To me.
Bring (Stand up.)
Back (Sit down.)
Bring (Stand up.)
Back (Sit down.)
Oh, bring (Stand up.)
Back (Sit down.)
My Bonnie (Stand up.)
To me, to me.
Bring (Sit down.)
Back (Stand up.)
Bring (Sit down.)
Back (Stand up.)
Oh, bring (Sit down.)
Back (Stand up.)
My Bonnie to me. (Sit down.)

A little faster…
Super fast…

Warning! One teacher said her kids loved it so much they kept begging to do it over and over. She said she could hardly walk up the stairs when she got home!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ONWTT-JFu8

ALL IS CALM?

Does it seem like the closer you get to the holidays, the more the noise escalates in your classroom? Here are a few tips teachers have shared that they use in their classrooms. 

QUIET Man (Candace Reed)
Make "quiet man" with your fingers by sticking up pinky and pointer and touching thumb, ring man, and tall man. When the teacher holds up "quiet man" the children respond by making "quiet man" and focusing on the teacher.

Magic Triangle (Cathy Crady)
Remind children that they all have a magic triangle in their pocket. (Place pointers and thumbs next to each other to form a triangle.) When the children need to calm down ask them to take out their magic triangle and hold it in front of their mouth. Tell them to take a deep breath in through their nose, and then slowly blow through the triangle.

Body Check
Explain that it's important to listen with your eyes, ears, and bodies.

*Teacher: Are your eyes looking at me?
Children: Check!
Teacher: Are your ears ready to listen?
Children: Check!
Teacher: Are your bodies sitting quietly?
Children: Check!
Teacher: Are you ready to learn?
Children: Check!

Breathe through Your Nose
Tell children to slowly breath in and out their noses. It’s surprising how this will calm them – and they won’t be able to talk!

Self Control (Becky Gilsdorf)
Use this visual cue to help children who are out of control.
Cross hands over your chest. (Self)
Slide both hands down the sides of your body. (Control)
As the child repeats the movements silently it will calm them down.

Popcorn Cheer (Kristen Reed)
The popcorn cheer is the perfect way to release wiggles before they explode. The teacher says, “Assume the position,” as all the children squat down on the floor. The teacher points quickly to each student and she/he jumps up and yells “POP” and then squats back down. After pointing to every child the teacher says, “EVERYBODY!” and they all jump up and say, “POP!”

Wiggles
With a wiggle wiggle here
And a wiggle wiggle there
I wiggle my fingers around in the air.
I wiggle my shoulders up and down
I wiggle my nose and smile like a clown.
I wiggle my legs both left and right
I wiggle my thumbs with all my might.
With a wiggle wiggle here
And a wiggle wiggle there
Then I wiggle right down
And sit in my chair!

* I love to learn new things.  I recently met Jo Proffitt and she taught me this great wiggle break.  Thank you, Jo!