Decorating the Audubon Tree

 Mrs. Iorio got the school into the Yuletide spirit by decorating the school’s Holiday tree on Wednesday.  Pathfinder Village received the tree through a grant from the Delaware-Otsego Chapter of the Audubon Society two years ago. All of the ornaments were eco-friendly, and help attract birdlife and other wildlife friends.  Each classroom was creative in making the ornaments, and came up with these beautiful ornaments:  

                                                     


Bagel/birdseed wreaths
Cut-out bread shapes
  Pine cone/birdseed ornaments

    Whole Cranberry garlands

After decorating the tree the students decided to practice their overhand throwing skills by bombarding staff with snowballs. All students were safe, enjoyed the fresh air, and had such an exciting time. It is always wonderful seeing the students and staff members laugh and play together.

  

Bowling at the Clarks Sports Center

This week we changed things up a bit and went bowling, a sport that the students love and provides them an opportunity to enjoy the facilities at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown.  Mrs. Kilt’s and Mrs. Plow’s class went bowling on Tuesday, and Mrs. Kelly’s and Mrs. Iorio’s class went bowling on Friday.

Bowling is a lifelong sport, and we focus on teaching the students the rules and fundamentals.  Some students learned how to place their fingers in the bowling ball, proper bowling form, pushed the bowling ball down the lane, and used the ramp to bowl. All of the students were full of smiles, celebrating and giving high fives upon completing a bowling frame.

Many of our activities at the Clark Sports Center are supported by annual memberships for the Village, which are funded through Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.  We are grateful to the staff at the Sports Center, for their training support, and all our friends at Excellus who understand how importance fitness is, for helping make these fun fitness activities happen for our students.

Keep Active, 

Miss Shirey 

December Physical Activity Calendar

Congratulations to Gen and Keona for turning in their completed November Physical Activity Calendars. These two students received a free physical education 30-minute block. Keona chose to be creative with bean bags and exercise squares. Gen chose to play tag and practice dribbling a basketball. 

	~ December 2013 ~
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1 Got Snow? Go outside and help your family shovel	2 Try 5 wall push-ups Remember to bring in your November Calendar for a prize!	3Dribble any ball with your dominant hand 50 times.	4Now try dribbling any ball with your non-dominant hand 50 times.	5 Tell an adult one of your site words at school	6Toss and Hit a balloon back and forth. Get creative and play a volleyball game.	7 Practice jumping far and practice jumping high – bend your knees, reach for the sky, and land softly.
8 Make a snowman outside!	9 Sit across from your child and practice rolling a ball back and forth. Count to 10 as you roll back and forth, and then move farther apart and try it again.	10 Can you build a tower out of pillows and practice your underhand throwing skills as you knock over the tower?	11 Visit every room in your home, but each time you get to a roomdo five jumps as high as you can and then move to the next room.	12 Family relaxation activity. Turn the lights off and you lay down on the floor. Squeeze and then relax your muscles. Breathe.	13 Turn on some upbeat music – wiggle, stretch, bend and shake together as a family.	14 Find items around your home that make noise. Use these “instruments” as you march through your home in a parade.
15 Get your sand toys out and make a snow castle	16 Get a laundry basket and practice throwing things into it – try tossing far away and try tossing when you are really close.	17 Walk like your favorite animals through your house. When you get to a new room change to a new animal(bear, cat, dog, snake).	18 Walking with Style … Go on a backwards walk. Now try a sideways walk. How about a spinning walk.	19 Jump over the river. Roll up a towel and put it on the floor. Can you jump over it? Make the towel just a little bit bigger – can you jump over? How big can you make it?	20Indoor snowball fight: Make a bunch of paper balls and have fun throwing them far, near, high, low. Pick them up and do it again.	21 Go sledding or snowmobiling
22Help your parent/caregiver clean off the driveway or sidewalk. Work your muscles and your heart	23 Balance fun. Try putting 4 parts of your body on the ground and balancing. How about 4 other body parts? Now try 3 body parts or even 5. How long can you balance for?	24 Draw a shape on a piece of paper and then try to put your body into that shape. Keep your body still as you hold the shape.	25 Color Find and Move. Have someone name a color and then your job is to move to something that is that color. Move in all different ways.	26 Make a big circle outside in the snow. Practice moving in relationship to the circle. Can you move around it? Can you move in and then out of it? Can you run across it?	27 Sit on a big t-shirt. Using only your arms try to move across the floor. Try it on your tummy. Try not to the touch the floor.	28 Work on your cutting skills and make some paper snowflakes. Hang the snowflakes somewhere in your home or bring them to school!
29 Help your parent/caregiver clean off the driveway or sidewalk. Work your muscles	30 Go to a pond or local ice rink and try ice skating	31Bring this calendar into school.	Notes: In order to get a P.E. prize the student must perform 3 activities a week that are on the calendar. Have an adult sign their initials on the day the activity is performed.  – Miss Shirey

Basketball Cheer !

December marks a new unit, basketball and lots of cheer! Basketball is a sport that all of the students are familiar with and enjoy.

This week, Mrs. Iorio’s class, our youngest students, learned to dribble with their finger pads at different heights (low, medium and high). Her students started dribbling in place, and then progressed to dribbling while walking.Many of the students enjoyed passing (chest passes, bounce passes and over-the-head passes) to their peers.

Mrs. Kilt’s, Mrs. Plow’s and Mrs. Kelly’s classes practiced eye-hand coordination with the basketball.  In one activity, the students pretended to be candy canes and wrapped their bodies with the basketball from head to toe! The students were challenged during spider catch and figure eight drills.  The students practiced left and right handed dribbling, starting in-place, and then going around objects.

My classes thought the “Pick up Your Room” game was a lot of fun, as the children and I were able to scatter the gym floor with bean bags. The students would then dribble to each bean bag and place it in a basket while continuing to dribble. Students were timed to see how fast they could “pick up their room.”

Mrs. Kelly’s class is learning Physical Education vocabulary to enhance their understanding of fitness and sports. Their first word was‘sportsmanship.’ Look below to see what they came up with all on their own!     

Thank You, Please, Nice Words, Say Sorry, Safe

  On Thursday, the gymnasium was filled with wonderful holiday decorations for the annual Pathfinder Village Residents’ Holiday Show and Tree Lighting Ceremony. In place of playing basketball, the students began to experiment with Speed Stacks. Click the link below to see what speed stacking is really about! 

http://www.speedstacks.com/videos/

Obstacle Courses

This week was focused on our fourth and final obstacle course. This last course included many different skills for the students to practice:

• Running and jumping onto an oversized bean bag
• Crawling through a tunnel
• Scooter through a cone maze
• Crawl over various sized tires
• Walk/run through a tunnel
• Leap/jump between hula hoops
• Step on top of stepping stones

Many of the students were eager to try the obstacle course this week. In each class, students were helping each other out, cheering each other on, and giving high fives to one another.  In Mrs. Kelly’s class all students learned how to time each other and were able to time a peer independently.  In Mrs. Plow’s class students were giving a helping hand with balancing and scooter directions.  In Mrs. I’s class students were patient while taking turns running and jumping on the bean bag.  In Mrs. Kilt’s class students were role models to each other with proper behaviors and skills.

Come back and visit before Thanksgiving break. The students will be challenged with days of the week, names of body parts, a physical education skill, school rules, and healthy foods all in one activity! 

Keep Moving, 

Miss Shirey 

Ringette

This week the Pathfinder students played a game that incorporates the school’s theme of the month, Native American literature and history. The game is called “Ringette.”

Historically, Ringette was played on a large dirt field with a large post on each side of the field.  Each of the players carried a straight stick usually about three or four feet in length.  The “ring” could be one of several thing, but was typically a branch bent into a hoop with a diameter of about 10 to 12 inches.  The hoop was then be wrapped with animal skin.  The result was a disc with a large opening in the middle.

Using their sticks, each team worked together to bring the ring across the field and score a goal by hitting the ring against the other team’s pole.  For our games at Pathinder held in the gymnasium, each athlete used a floor hockey stick to move a Yolf disc to other team’s post – we used an oversized garbage pail, which worked well.  The students were enthusiastic about the game and tried their best. Mrs. Kelly’s and Mrs. Plow’s class played games competitively.  The younger students in Mrs. Kilts’ and Mrs. I’s classes learned different skills, like pushing the ring at different speeds, moving in different directions, and defensive moves.

            During the rest of the week, we revisited obstacle courses that focused on balance.  Students had to:

•          walk across a foam balance beam,
•          go under and over benches,
•          walk across six tires of different sizes and nine stepping stones,
•          climb up and down stairs,
•          jump from spot to spot,
•          jump on a small trampoline, and
•       walk backwards through a maze of cones

I loved watching the students excel at different parts of the obstacle course and to work through their challenges.And, I think it is even better to see the students continually enjoy themselves in physical education!

Keep In Touch,

Miss Shirey 

Physical Activity Calendar

Congratulations to Rebekah, Keona and Genieve for turning in their October Physical Activity Calendars. These students got to choose a softball, basketball, and a soccer ball or football sweat arm band!  Look below for the November Physical Activity Calendar.  Complete 3 of the activities a week (have an adult sign the day) and bring it in the first of December to earn a P.E. prize!

***Remember to do at least 3 activities a week. Try to do the activities on the calendar. Have an adult sign the days you were active! If you have done 3 activities a week bring in the calendar for P.E. reward at the end of the month!					1. Play Man Hunt/ Flash Light Tag inside or outside at dusk!	2. Corn Maze (if it’s not snowing!)
3. Sneaker jumping contest – put on your favorite shoes and see if you can jump more than a friend	4. Get at least 8 hours of sleep	5. Put on a dance show	6. Practice tying your shoes	7.If you have a Wii, play “Lets Dance” or any sport game	8. While watching TV stand up during commercials and stretch!	9. Glow in the dark mini golf! (many malls have this as an option now!)
10. Go to a Home-Depot kids workshop	11. Veterans Day . Color a flag at home with your friends	12. Drink 1 glass of water or more throughout the day!	13. play a board game	14. Try a headstand. Make sure someone helps you.	15 Crab walk and/or bear walk race with a friend	16 Go Bowling

17.  National “Take a Hike” Day. Go on a nature trail or take a walk in your own back yard!	18. Got a balloon? Play volleyball in your living room!	19 Play a tag game…the students loving playing this game in school!	20. Play with your favorite toy and write/draw it in this box/backside of sheet	21. Have a yo-yo contest	22. Make paper air planes and fly them around your house.	23. One part of being healthy is helping others! Take canned food to a local pantry.
24. If it’s warm out help wash the car Keep Active, Miss Shirey	25. Put on the Hokey-Pokey and show everybody what it is all about!	26. Play “Rock, Paper, Scissors…Shoot”	27. Draw or find pictures of veggies and make a vegetable person	28. Make a list of at least 10 things that you are thankful for (words or pictures) and attach to this calendar!	29.Tin can Stilts – empty tin cans with yarn tied long enough to reach your students hands – this is a great activity for balance at home!

Obstacle Courses & Swimming

             Last week, we started our Obstacle Course unit, which provided the Pathfinder School students with many physical and thinking challenges.  The students needed to keep their balance as they encountered different levels of stepping stones and maneuver over benches.  They used their leg strength to get from one area to another, and hand-eye coordination to move a hula hoop. Students also used loco-motor skills, such as jumping over jump ropes, leaping through hula hoops, and running through different parts of the course.

Obstacle courses are great because students get to use their imaginations and be creative as they encounter course elements. Some students like to go forwards, backwards, sideways, and lie on their stomachs while using the scooters.  Some students chose to hop through the hula hoops instead of leaping. Other students challenged themselves by skipping a stepping stone/hula hoop. Keep checking back for future obstacle course videos or pictures! 

            Every week we the students go swimming and bowling at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown – our students love going there and we’re thankful to Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield for underwriting these fitness opportunities!  Some students are working on diving, floating skills, the front  crawl, using kick boards, and completing laps in the pool. Some of our favorite games are “Splish, Splish, Splash,” aerobic work outs, tag, obstacle courses, and making big kicks during our warm-ups to create a big SPLASH. In bowling,students are learning to carry the bowling ball by themselves, to push the ball down the lane, and are starting to develop proper bowling form.

"Just keep swimming" 

 - Miss Shirey 

Spooky Scary Halloween Spirit

This week Pathfinder School had some very special events happen, and this carried through in the students’ Adaptive Physical Education classes.  Our football throwing and catching unit has ended, and for the next couple of weeks the students will work their way through various obstacle courses and may even create an obstacle course of their own design.  We also included some Halloween activities in our APE classes this week.

One of our throwing activities that the students really enjoy is called “Caboose.” A giant box is placed on top of a floor scooter and is pulled by a rope. The teacher starts off as the engine pulling the caboose; if the students have met class goals and exhibited sportsmanship,they get turns at being the train.  As the caboose is pulled along, all the students stand at half court (on a basketball court) and throw as many balls as they can (yarn-, foot-, soccer- and tennis balls) into the caboose before the timer runs out and the train needs to get more fuel. 

 Our older students in Mrs. Kelly’s class have been playing flag football games when they come to Adaptive PE. When a student scores, each loves to do his own special dance and yell “TOUCHDOWN!” Playing this game really has been a highlight for me as a teacher. It’s amazing to see how students’ skills improve and they often surprise me with what they can accomplish.  Some students can spiral throw, others can step with their opposite foot without any prompts, and some can catch a ball at 50-foot distances.  At times, students may get confused about the game rules, but their peers are supportive in reminding them of what to do --when to hike the ball, which way to run, and when to pull a flag off an opponent’s belt.

Each Wednesday, our teaching staff takes turns developing programs for our weekly special. This week was my turn to host the Wednesday special, and of course I focused on a Halloween theme. JI set up six stations that all the students rotated through as spooky music played: coloring, costumes&dress up, pin-the- nose on the pumpkin, “Scary Spider Toss,”and the limbo.  The final station,“Trick-or-Treat”offered each student coloring sheets of candy, pumpkins and bats with activities on the back. I am pretty sure that the costumes station was the students’ favorite.

Until next time, keep active!

Miss Shirey

Welcome

 Hello and welcome to the Pathfinder Village Adaptive Physical Education blog! This blog has just started and I, Miss Shirey, am looking forward to showing off what my students can do. First I would like to introduce myself because I have not met all of the student’s parents, guardians, and residents yet.

 My name is Miss Shirey and this is my first year teaching at Pathfinder Village. I have my Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and a minor in Adaptive Physical Education. I just received my Master’s degree in Health Education.  Both of my degree's were completed at SUNY Cortland. Ever since I was a kid I have always had a love for sports. Now as an adult I love teaching students all different sports and continuing to learn sports and activities myself.  Anyways enough about me...This is about the students!

All of our students are active and that is what this blog will be.  This blog will be a great way for everyone to see what our students are doing throughout the week. I will also be posting our monthly activity calendars, pictures, and tips on how to be healthy and active, and special events that happen at the school.  

Enjoy!