From "Animal Action" to "Tony Chestnut" - Energize Your Students' Learning by Suzanne Blakely MSEd

FROM “ANIMAL

ACTION”

TO “TONY CHESTNUT”-

NYCAEYC Annual Conference 2014

SUZANNE BLAKELY, MSEd

Energize your students’ learning!

hello!

https://energizeyourstudentslearning.wikispaces.c

om/

https://energizeyourstudentslearning.wikispaces.com/




Free Energizing Music

Check out my Energizers playlist on Spotify!

Benefits

Strategies

Experience

Share

Goals For You!

Rules of Engagement

• Risk-taking encouraged

• Respect other’s risk-taking!

• Take something away with you

• Share your own knowledge

B R A I N B R E A K

What’s the Big Deal Anyway?

• Support physical development

• Improve memory

• Capture children’s interest

• Celebrate creativity and individuality

• Build community

• Relieve stress

In summary…

because they are DEVELOPMENTALLY

APPROPRIATE!

…why are energizers so important?

The Biggest Deal: Brains Need

Breaks

Physical activity…

• Increases oxygen flow to brain

• Stimulates neurological pathways

• Promotes bilateral hemisphere coordination in the

brain

• Releases noradrenaline

brain breaks improve concentration

Adult Brains Need Breaks Too!

B R A I N B R E A K

Types of Energizers: Guided

the lyrics tell you what to do Examples include::

• Animal Action I and II – Greg and Steve, Cha Cha Slide, Head and

Shoulders, Baby, Walking, Walking, Razzama Tazzama I and II, Rowing Song – Ron

Brown, Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi, Going On a Bear Hunt, The Hokey Pokey – Ray Anthony, If

You’re Happy and You Know It, Wheels On the Bus, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Pros:

- Don’t need much of an intro or time to learn

- Structured

- kids have less room to diverge and be “off task”

- Kids tend to feel comfortable participating – feels less “threatening” if everyone is doing the

same thing

- If you have a recording, a guided energizer can theoretically “run itself” – don’t need an adult to

lead it, allowing you to prep for next activity while kids follow cd

- Often repetitive and/or build on

Cons:

- Less room for creativity

B R A I N B R E A K

Rowing Song – Ron Brown

found on teacherideafactory.blogspot.com

http://teacherideafactory.blogspot.com/



Types of Energizers:

Choreographedstandard choreography exists,

but leader needs to know the directions and needs to teach itExamples include: Go Bananas, Hi, My Name is Joe (Button Factory), Tony Chestnut – The Learning

Station, Going Over the Sea, Aroostasha, Shark Attack, Icky sticky bubble gum, Let Me See Your

Boogaloo, Singing in the Rain, Cotton Eye Joe – Rednex, Macarena – Los Del Rio, Electric Boogie (Slide) –

Marcia Griffiths, Chicken Dance – David & Gila’s Band, Cupid Shuffle – Cupid

Pros:

• All of the same pros as guided energizers –

- Structured

- kids have less room to diverge and be “off task”

- Kids tend to feel comfortable participating – feels less “threatening” if everyone is doing the same

thing

- Often repetitive and/or build on

Cons:

• Leader needs to know/remember the directions!

• Need to teach it to the kids

• Need a leader to model it (at least until they know it) - Once kids know them, they can lead them!

• Some choreography can be difficult for young children (ex: cotton eye joe)

• makes it less fun if a child doesn’t feel successful

• If this happens, can always adapt/make up your own choreography

• Alternate between choreography and sections of free dance

• Less room for creativity

B R A I N B R E A K

Types of Energizers: Open-

Endedup to the participants to choose how to dance

Examples include: The Freeze – Greg and Steve, I Like To Move It – will.i.am or Crazy Frog (dance

circle), Jump In the Line – Harry Belafonte, 1, 2, 3, 4, Celebration – Kool and the Gang, Y.M.C.A. –

Village People, Who Let the Dogs Out – Baha Men

Pros:

• Sparks creativity

• Everyone can be successful

• no one “right way” to do it, so no way to “fail”

• Celebrates individual skills and talents (i.e. kid who breakdances!)

Cons:

• Some kids can be more shy with open-ended dances – may feel more risky to have to “do your

own thing”

• Can make it easier for kids by suggesting categories of movement (ex: now dance only with

your arms! Now dance with only your head!)

• Easier for these energizers to get out of hand and children to make poor choices

• Most successful when teacher provides boundaries and clear management

B R A I N B R E A K

Types of Energizers: Yoga

Pros:

• Calming

• Develops balance, coordination, physical strength

Cons:

• Requires space

• Some kids have difficulty mimicking poses

• Some kids struggle to “take it seriously” and embrace the quiet

Yoga Products

B R A I N B R E A K

Types of Energizers: Me Moves

Me Moves

Pros:

• Calming yet physically stimulating

• Develops many skills:

• Lots of physical development (crossing the midline, coordination, muscles)

• Memory

• Visual tracking

• Spatial awareness

• Rhythm

• 3 categories of activities (joy, calm, focus) with varying degrees of difficulty

• Wonderful music

• Video celebrates diversity - features an intergenerational cast of numerous races, both

sexes

Cons:

• DVD is very expensive

• Need projection for whole group

Me Moves

B R A I N B R E A K

Types of Energizers: Meditation

Pros:

• Short and sweet

• No supplies or additional space needed

• Centering and calming

• Helps increase oxygen flow to the brain

• easy to transfer the skill into other times – ex: conflict

resolution, assessments, etc

• Can be used as a wind down following a more active energizer

Cons:

• Some kids struggle to “take it seriously” and embrace the quiet

B R A I N B R E A K

Types of Energizers: Active

Games

Examples include: Limbo Rock – Chubby Checker, This Is What I Can Do, Up/Down Ball

Pass, Let’s Get the Rhythm (Engine, Engine Number Nine), Bean Bag Alphabet Rag – Hap

Palmer, Bean Bag Boogie – Greg & Steve, Just Like Me!, Take Sides

Pros:

• Kids love games!

• Can introduce (or eliminate) competition, depending on your group and your goals

• Fairly easy to integrate curricular content (alphabet, numeration, etc)

Cons:

• May require more space

• May require props (ex: limbo stick)

• Can take more time

• Since fairness is so important to young children, best when same number of turns for all!

B R A I N B R E A K

Types of Energizers: Exercise

Types of Energizers: Hand

Games

Examples include: Double Double, Dum Dum Dah Dah

Pros:

• Easy for kids to do in partners or as a whole group

• Encourages cooperation

• Strengthens hand-eye coordination

• often incorporates crossing the midline

• Develops rhythm

• kids transfer naturally to other parts of the day (i.e. recess, finished snack early, waiting in

hallway, field trips, etc)

• Lots of room to add variations and create additions to these types of games

Cons:

• Hand/eye coordination often harder for our youngest learners

• Some are more difficult if you have an odd number!

Types of Energizers:

Celebrations

Pros:

• Build community – helps build identity as a group

• Celebrates accomplishments

• Psyches the group up

• Short and sweet

• Triggers release of dopamine

Cons:

• Can be loud!

B R A I N B R E A K

Using Energizers Successfully

look for the cues

B R A I N B R E A K


plan your management

model expectations


Choose wisely!

Goal?


gradually build complexity

B R A I N B R E A K


wind up, then wind down

B R A I N B R E A K


keep it fresh


make it easy


find a system(found on http://thehappyteachertpt.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/brain-breaks.html)

http://thehappyteachertpt.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/brain-breaks.html









keep it age appropriate

B R A I N B R E A K


celebrate diversity


take advantage of transitions

B R A I N B R E A K


insert activity into your daily

schedule

make your curriculum active


Supplies to Promote Activity

B R A I N B R E A K

Resources

Action Plan!

Questions?

Before you go…

… a small favor!

https://energizeyourstudentslearning.wikispaces.c

om/

SUZANNE

BLAKELY, [email protected]




mailto:[email protected]

From "Animal Action" to "Tony Chestnut" - Energize Your Students' Learning by Suzanne Blakely MSEd

Education

Transcript of From "Animal Action" to "Tony Chestnut" - Energize Your Students' Learning by Suzanne Blakely MSEd