PD at Home - ATTENTION GRABBERS

"Shhhhhh!"  That doesn't work well with kids, so here are some attention grabbers that will engage children in a positive way.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK6EKSUJ6Wg 

Hint!  The best attention grabbers involve children's hands as well as their eyes and ears.  Keep doing the motions and chanting the words until the entire class is following along.

MORE?  Here's another video with a few more tricks to help children focus.

                                          

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xRVtrnnw-w&t=1s 

 

PD at Home - BRAIN HUGS

BRAIN HUGS are an easy strategy that you can use to wake up those little brains - and maybe your brain, too! Draw a line vertically down the middle of your body. That’s called the midline. Every time you cross over that line, you are activating both sides of the brain and building bridges between the hemispheres in the brain. In this video you'll learn some exercises for crossing the midline that are perfect for a brain break or between content areas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn__Ll7n2GY

Hint! Put a piece of masking tape or painter’s tape down their bodies so they can visually see how they cross the midline when they sing and exercise.

PD at Home - CHEERS

Give me a cheer! Why? Cheers are a positive way to activate the brain and put a smile on children's faces. I can be in a gym full of kids, and I can quickly get their attention with a cheer. The great thing about these cheers is that every child gets one - you don't have to be smart or wear cool clothes or be the fastest runner. 

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Would you like to download these cheer cards?   Introduce one each day and then put it in the box. When you need a cheer, just pull one out.

Click to download these cheer cards

PD at Home - HANDSHAKES

Children spend so much time in front of a screen that many of them have a difficult time actually connecting with others and looking them in the eyes. These handshakes are a great way to encourage children to interact with their teacher and friends. They also involve multiple senses that will activate the brain. 

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Hint! Choose one and do it every day for a week. After you’ve introduced several you can let a special helper choose the handshake for the day.

Butterfly – Hook right thumbs together. Extend the other four fingers to make the butterfly’s wings. Pretend to flutter the butterfly’s wings as you move your hands in a circular motion.

Squirrel – One friend extends her arm. The other friend quickly runs fingers from the wrist up to the shoulder. Switch places.

Thumb Kiss – Hold up thumbs and touch as you make a smacking sound.

Hamburger – Children bump fists and say, “Burger.” Open fists and wiggle fingers together as they say, “Fries.” Hands in the air and shake fists and hips as they say, “Shake.”

Farmer – The teacher crosses her fingers and points thumbs down to represent the cow’s utter. The child grabs the thumbs and pretends to milk the cow.

Cool Dude – Partners knuckle bump and then open their fist and slide it back as they say, “Pssshhh!”

Double Cross Handshake – Shake right hands and then reach across and shake left hands.

Lumberjack – Partners hold up right thumbs and grab them with the left hand. Partners then clasp right fingers and pretend to saw back and forth.

Builder – Shake hands and move them up and down vertically as you say, “Here’s a hammer.” Move hands horizontally back and forth as you say, “Here’s a saw.” Gently twist wrists as you say, “And here’s a screwdriver.”

Potato – Bump fists as you say, “Baked potato.” Bend index fingers and touch as you say, “Tader tot.” Open fingers and wiggle with your partner as you say, “And fries.”

Ghost – Extend arms and swish back in forth as you say, “Woooo!”

Buzz! Extend index finger and touch to your partner’s index finger as you make a buzzing sound.

Fisherman – Place right hand on each other’s right forearm and tap gently like a fish tail. Bend right arm back as if reeling in a fish as you say, “Good morning!”

Hand Hug – Hold up right palms and touch in the air. Bend thumbs around and gently squeeze.

Spiderman – Partners hold up four fingers and intertwine. Spiders have 8 legs and you have 8 wiggly fingers.

Biker – Children hold out fists and stick up thumbs. The teacher grabs the thumbs and pretends to turn them while making a “Brrrrmmmm” sound. “Now your brain is revved up and you’re ready to learn!”

Body Parts – Call out different body parts and challenge children to greet partners by gently touching elbows, knees, heads, ankles, toes, chins, etc.

Jellyfish – Bump fists and then open and close fingers as you pull them back like a jellyfish.

Bow Wow – Partners bow and then make “w’s” by sticking up three middle fingers. Open mouth and place “w’s” on either side to create the word “WOW!”

4-H Hello – Children can choose one of these “H’s.”
High Five (High five partner.)
Handshake (Shake hands.)
Hug (Hug each other.)
Hollywood kiss (Air kiss on left and right.)

*They can also choose a homerun, which is all four!

Hint! Cut a hand, numeral “5”, heart, and lips out of fun foam or felt. Place on the floor so the children can stand on the one they’d like.

PD at Home - GOOD MORNING SONGS

Several years ago I recorded some "mini" workshops in Texas for the Education Service Center 13. (O.K., to be honest, when you look at the videos you'll realize that I looked quite a big younger 10 years ago than I do now.)

Over the next week I'll post one of those videos each day. I hope that for those of you who can't afford the money or time to attend a conference this summer, this will fill you with ideas and encouragement to start the new school year.

I also hope that these videos will remind you that the best things in life are FREE! Children want and need what they've always wanted. They want to be loved, they want to play and have fun with their friends, and they want to feel confident and capable.

Let's get started today with some good morning songs that will energize children's brains and put a smile on their faces. When you sing, your brain emits endorphins, and endorphins make you happy. Choose one of these songs and use it every day for several weeks or months. It will become an "indicator" activity to let children know that it's time to settle down and get ready for a great day.

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When you go to an athletic event you will notice how everyone finds their seats and gets ready for the game when they hear the National Anthem.  In the same way, children will be ready to gather and get ready for the "games to begin" when they hear the good morning song.

HOW DO ANIMALS SAY GOOD MORNING!

Check out the new videos that Alex May just created.  Aren't his animal drawings fantastic?

https://bit.ly/drjAnimal

https://bit.ly/drjRise

SONGS EN ESPANOL

TODAY IS SUNDAY

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THE WEATHER SONG

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OPPOSITES

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FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS 

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COUCH POTATO POKEY

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COLOR FARM

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Cheers in Spanish

I’m so excited to share these cheer cards that Carla Ureno (El Paso ISD) created! It’s not easy to translate some of these things into Spanish, so Carla needs to KISS HER BRAIN! 

P.S. And thanks to Teacher Toni for updating the graphics. She made them the perfect size to put on a ring.

Click to download

¡Que las disfruten!

OLE OLE OLE

These songs are a meaningful bridge between English and Spanish-
and Spanish and English!

1. Hello Friend
2. Hola Amigo
3. Days of the Week
4. Dias de la Samana
5. Months of the Year
6. Meses del Ano
7. Weather
8. La Cancion del Tiempo
9. Today Is Sunday
10. Hoy Es Domingo
11. Opposites
12. Opuestas
13. Color Farm
14. Colores en la Granja
15. Alphabet in English
16. Alfabeto en Espanol
17. Five Little Monkeys
18. Cinco Monos Pequenos
19. Macarena Math
20. Matematicas de Macarena
21. The Rules Rap
22. Rap de Reglas
23. Tooty Ta
24. Tu Ti Ta
25. Couch Potato Pokey
26. La Sofa Papa Pokeyic
27. If You Are Happy
28. Si Usted Esta Feliz
29. My Mother Is a Baker
30. Mi Mama Es Panadera
31. Special Me
32. Yo Soy Especial
33. Good-Bye Friends
34. Adios Amigos