Recess Rocks on Wellness Wednesdays
and the Importance of Sleep
Alternate Recess Activities
Each Wednesday in January, select one of the activities below to play with your students at recess. The first activity featured will be shown on the announcements on Wednesday morning. The second is either simpler or more well known, and the description provided should be sufficient for getting your started.
The benefits you should expect to see include:
- FUN at recess for you and your students
- stronger relationships between teachers and students
- improved student behavior at recess
- Check out this article for more info
Post a picture or student quote (testimonial) to THIS PADLET of you and your students playing together at recess for a chance to win a prize.
Week One - Jan 9th
Switch
Play on a FourSquare Court...incorporates "rock paper scissors;" no ball or other equipment needed
Sharks and Minnows
No materials needed; Yes this is like the pool game, only on land.
Week Two - Jan 16th
Cat and Mouse
Requires jump ropes....and jump roping skills
Steal the Bacon
Materials needed - Ball, beanbag, etc. to be used as "bacon;"
See the variations for older students...and consider using more than one "bacon" and calling more than one number at a time to keep lots of kids involved.
See the variations for older students...and consider using more than one "bacon" and calling more than one number at a time to keep lots of kids involved.
Week Three - Jan 23rd
Chi Master
Sort of like "rock paper scissors" meets "Simon Says" and "Mother May I"; No equipment needed
Cone Dodgeball AKA Tunnel Ball
Requires cones and balls
Week Four - Jan 30th
Whiz Tag
No materials required
Team Ball Race
Requires balls
Other Ideas You Might Want to Try!!
Sneak
Requires balls, hula hoops, and some sort of boundaries (cones would work if natural boundaries not available)
Zero, 1,2,3
Requires jump ropes
Race Track
Requires dodge balls and a "track" (can be drawn with chalk); Think of this as a track meet + dodge ball
Hot Potato (Variation)
AKA "Don't Get Caught with the Cookie"...but I think a more age appropriate name is better!
Tag Game for large group....balls needed.
Tag Game for large group....balls needed.
The Importance of Sleep
It is recommended that adults get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Why is sleep so important? This article from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute explains it well. Sleep is important for our students as well. Here is some info from Kids Health on the subject. In addition, here is some info about how technology can interfere with sleep. Consider including tips from some of these articles in your weekly parent newsletter - AND challenge yourself to get sufficient sleep too.
Sci Show Kids - SLEEP
If you can get past the lady delivering the information, there is some really good stuff here!
Week 1: 0:00 - 1:00 How much and why we need sleep
Week 2: 1:01 - 1:41 How sleep keeps you healthy
Week 3: 1:41 - 2:27 What your brain does while you sleep
Week 4: 2:27 - 3:14 Importance of a sleep routine and other suggestions for getting good sleep
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aAmaCeq9v4