The following video clip provides a number of experiences that engage youth in movement.  With little equipment or set-up time required, these instant activities challenge participants to move to achieve specific goals.  Connections can certainly be made to both skill-related and health-related components of fitness.  These are fantastic challenges which can be implemented indoors and outdoors for both elementary and high school youth.  Included with this post is a list of reaction ball...

Hi and welcome to my latest post.  Be sure to check out the Jolly Thoughts archives for past posts.

As teachers we know what it is like to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life.  I too find myself having to slow down and re-evaluate what I’m doing in my school life and my personal life.  I have had a lot of people say “I have just not had the time lately do physical activity in my classroom.”  Between report cards , discipline  issues, planning, marking...

Spikeball is a game that can be incorporated into your physical education program to help connect to tactics and strategies involved in net/wall games.  The many skills involved Spikeball allow opportunities for youth to develop movement skills such as volleying and striking with hands.   This video create with the help of University of Regina H.O.P.E. students, demonstrates a variety of lead-up activities that can be used to progress to full game play.  What happens if you do not have a...

Rookie rugby or flag rugby is a safe, non-contact game that can be enjoyed by all ages and skill levels.  Regina Catholic School’s physical education consultant Graham Hayes provides an overview of this game as well as a number of considerations for teachers and/or coaches.  

One of the biggest hesitations that teachers have to getting their students up and moving seems to be that the students get so wound up that they have trouble calming back down and starting to work again.  Some students definitely need more time or instruction on how to transition from movement time to work time, however the benefits of being active throughout the day are crucial to student’s attention and learning.

This week I had the pleasure of working with  Elissa...

Hi and welcome to my latest post.  Be sure to check out past Jolly Thoughts as well.

One of the many routines that we teach our students every year is how to walk properly through the hallways.  Students need to make sure that they are keeping their hands to themselves and not disrupting any other classes.   I think this is an important skill to teach students but can sometimes be an ongoing battle.

I teach my students the reasons we need to walk quietly in the hallways, especially if you...

I hope everyone has been reading and using lots of the great resources which have been provided on the blog.  Many teachers have been asking for more resources and energizers.  This week I will provide two resources that can be used in your  classroom as well as a fun  and easy to follow energizer .

Resources #1:   Thompson Education  –   Functional Fitness Charts      

These kits can be ordered as a set or...

When I began my journey  of turning my classroom  into an environment which  encouraged  movement, one of the first things I explored was exercise equipment.  I had spoken with other teachers who had encouraged me to  read the book  “Spark” by   John Ratey  and also  speak with a teacher by the name of Allison Cameron who at the time taught at City  Park Collegiate in Saskatoon. 

I read the book and was instantly...

SPEA is a provincial non-profit incorporated organization that provides quality leadership, advocacy and resources for professionals in physical and health education to positively influence the lifestyles of Saskatchewan's children and youth. The mission is to promote and support active healthy lifestyles through the development of physical education, recreation and sport at all levels of the educational system.

SPEA is a great resource and support not only for teachers who are physical...

More and more information is being made available to aid our efforts in supporting youth on their physical literacy journey.  In a previous post entitled Read to Move, we provided four infographics to help gain a greater understanding of what physical literacy is, why it is important, and what actions can be taken to help enhance physical literacy.  Recently, Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) has created a video series to help you create a quality physical literacy experience.  Active for Life...