Videos
Juggling - Steps to Success

Here's a short demo of a teaching method, together with a suggestion for making easy homemade juggling socks.

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Skill builder for discus release - hand position and spin direction
One of the more difficult aspects of teaching the discus for the 5th grade Olympiad is hand position and release. Here's a skill builder - use tape so the spin direction is easy to see, and have students practice on the floor as shown.
Making a paper "sailboat"
This video shows the paper folding instructions for a whole-class remedial activity known as "Sailboat Race." It provides fine motor development (the folding part); training of executive function (waiting to be told what the construction will be); an aid for breathing (you'll see!); and myelination of the brain (crawling).
STEPS:
  • Have students sit in a circle, placing 8.5" x 11" copier paper in front of them, in landscape position. Fold neatly per video. For grades 5 and under, teacher(s) provide stapling.
  • Without any suggestion of what these will be, have them stand on a line, holding their "boats."
  • Tell them to set boat on floor in front of them, and to take three steps back.
  • Tell them to lay down on stomachs. Announce: "No noses, no hands, no hair" and then say "Ready-Set-Go." Ideally, distance across floor would be about 30 to 50 feet, or have them go across and then go back the other way.
Gnomey Football - a great game for first grade
Aurora Waldorf School teacher Josh Boyle recently contributed this game to our living museum of wonderful games. (To see why it’s called Gnomey Football, be sure to watch until about 30 seconds in!)
    What you need: 10 or more children and a ball. Players form a large circle. Legs spread out with each player’s feet touching his/her neighbors.  Players bend and the waist and are able to touch the floor. Game play: The ball is passed by way of rolling (never bounced). The object of gnomy football is to send the ball through the legs of another player. 
    When a goal is scored players commiserate with a gnome dance. Each player stands in the circle. The teacher calls out each action individually: “Elbows in, knees together, thumbs up, eyes closed, and tongue out.” (You may also only call one or two actions if so desired) After the players are prepared for the dance the teacher sings: “A tootie ta, a tootie ta, a tootie ta ta - A tootie ta, a tootie ta, a tootie ta ta.”
A Model for an All-Grades Tumbling & Gymnastics Circus
Parts 2 and 3 of this video are on the web page with the full article.





Guidelines setup for painting handwriting exercise
For painting handwriting in the lower grades, students will need 'helper' guidelines for each row of exercise or lettering. Of course, photocopying paper with lines would be the quickest way. Shown is another way I've come up with that's much nicer to look at and can be done relatively easily.
Apparatus Obstacle Course
A few times each school year in the tumbling program at Aurora Waldorf, we organize a high-activity, low-teaching apparatus obstacle course. That is, instead of the regular instructional periods for gymnastics in the lower grades, every so often on a given Tuesday we simply set up all of our apparatus in a loop of stations that the students can play on in free rotation. My thanks go to Maureen Curran for inspiring this lesson model.
Cold & Spicy Buffalo Style Yogaball
Here's a rough and tumble game that can be played in grades 2 through 5, when the snow is soft enough and snowsuits provide padding. All you need is four cones to mark the two end zones, and a 24" yoga ball. After a kickoff, players can shove, roll, carry or throw the ball across the goal line. Usually a few players will self-assign as goalies. The rules are: no kicking after the kickoff, no neck or head grabs, and don't hurt anyone... very much! (Say that with a knowing smile on your face, and send anyone who's playing too rough to the "penalty box".)