Room 1 Brainiaks: September 2011

Saturday 17 September 2011

PMP

Who knew that having fun was good for the brain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PMP or Perceptual Motor Programme, is to assist students in their learning by focusing brain activity in the brain. (That's it in a nut shell, but far more complex than that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Room 1 and 2, the Brainiaks and Rockets have started the programme again this term, and having great fun with it.
There are six stations, each one developing specific brain functions and body movements. One station is changed each week to maintain development but also the fun for the children. It really is so interesting from a teachers perspective, how children co-ordinate movements in such diverse ways.

Aiden striving for accuracy when balancing
on the low beam.

Wobble boards to centre balance. Following direction
to move minutely left or right. Persistence, Risk Taking
and Accuracy essential.

Hoopla, for hand eye co-ordination. Distance, speed
and accuracy.

See the concentration! You can just about touch it!!!!!!

Balancing the body whilst throwing a bean bag into
a hooper. Taking a Risk, Managing Self and Great Persistence.

Do you remember the good old 'Moon Hopper'?
Yep, you learnt to centralise your body core, as well
as striving for accuracy, taking a particular route.
Yep and you were having fun!

Go go Gabby.

Eye tracking. To focus the
eyes on an object, improve muscle control and strength,
enhance visual stamina.
(Press-ups for the optical muscles... Go the Team.)

Hand and eye co-ordination

Co-ordination of various parts of the body through the
obstacle course. Accuracy in placing the hands, feet essential,
whilst jumping, balancing, and changing direction.

Kids are learning by having fun and becoming much more receptive, focused and interactive
learners, by just 'playing' for half an hour a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!
........'LETS MOVE IT, MOVE IT.... MOVE IT'........

Books, books and more books........YEAH!!!!!!!!!

What fabulous fun to become a blood thirsty pirate, or a fluttering fairy, or my be a friendly dragon with a giggling witch!!!! The magic of character and books. We have enjoyed escaping into the fanciful fantasy of book week, developing our reading skills through reading millage, using the Habits of Mind by bring prior knowledge, imaging, questioning and most definitely developing a sense of wonderment.
Along with our book week the junior syndicate ran a readathon. WOW, the teachers could not keep up with the amount of students that ploughed through books. Great enthusiasm!!!!!! Fabulous higher order thinking too, changing endings, developing different plots. The list is endless.