Arctic Tundra Week Emily Probst Gross Motor

For this week, the children learned about the movements of arctic animals. First, they maneuvered like polar bears across ice. The children were shown a video on the iPad of a polar bear running across the ice and then told about how polar bears must move around the ice to find food and a place to stay. First, I arranged the poster boards looking like ice in a hopscotch layout. The children went one at a time across the ice. Then, I re-arranged into different layouts two more times. The children enjoyed the activity and figuring out different ways to get across the ice. The picture to the right shows Maryn jumping across the pieces of ice. Her method was to use alternating feet, one at a time, to get to the other side. Other children jumped with both feet or walked. The two pictures above show the children engaged while watching the polar bear video. Also, the picture shows an additional formation of the ice and Ellie using both feet to maneuver on the ice. The project went very well and engaged the children like I had hoped. If I were to do this project again, I would tape down the ice because it would move around and cause some children to slip. I explained to the children that the poster board was like ice in how slippery it could be. I learned that every child interprets an activity differently. I enjoyed seeing the various ideas they had to get across the ice.

Also, the children learned about how father penguins carry their eggs. Before the activity began, I explained to the children how father penguins are in charge of carrying the unborn penguin on their feet, while the mother looks for food. The children were told to put the egg on their feet and waddle across the room. I allowed the children to take off their shoes so they were able to feel the egg and hold the egg easier. The picture on the left shows Ellie waddling like a daddy penguin. She was able to waddle across the room with the egg in-between her feet. It took her two tries to balance the egg, but once it was balanced, she was able to move. The children showed much excitement and interest when they were able to imitate the penguins. Some children made the noises of a penguin and put their hands out to waddle. The bottom picture shows how I waddled with the children. However, children of the younger age, like Charlie and Adam, had much more difficulty. So, I decided to pack the egg into the side of their pant legs, which you can see in the bottom right photo. This way, they were able to more around the room with the egg still on their feet. I loved the concept behind this gross motor activity. However, it was difficult for some of the children. In the future, I would use larger eggs or tape the eggs on the childrens socks. I learned some children get easily frustrated when things do not work how they planned. It is then important to always have a backup plan. Charlie was very upset when the egg did not stay, so I needed a new plan for him. Indiana Foundations: - F.2.2 Apply movement concepts to specific movement situations - F.2.3 Follow rules for simple games and activities. - P.3.12- Perform locomotor and non-locomotor skills at a basic level