CHRISTMAS FITNESS FESTIVAL CAMP

Ana de Rivera

Stretch-n-Grow of Guatemala

WEEK 1 – Christmas at Home

  • Warm-up: Tiny the Christmas Tree (this warm-up story can be found on the AOA and it was created by another affiliate).
  • Main Themes: Decorate Christmas Tree, decorate home, family time and sharing, all the family together preparing for Christmas.
  • CardiovascularRoutine:Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Jingle Bell Rock, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
  • Cooldown: O Christmas Tree (Pooh)
  • Materials:streamers, candy canes (actually they are plastic Christmas tree ornaments), jingles bracelets (for wrists or ankles), any Christmas hat for the coach to wear.

1. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree / Pottery Barn Kids ChristmasCD / Plastic Candy Canes 3:03 min.

  • Coach wears any Christmas hat
  • “We are going to decorate our Christmas Tree”
  • Arms up, and wave them form side to side, holding candy cane on the hand. Now add some jumps and combine movements.
  • Tummy twists
  • Bring knees up to touch candy canes with knees (bring knees up to the waist level)
  • Tricep curls – hide the candy cane behind head
  • Now let’s do some lunges or giant steps around the room (“the Christmas tree is in the middle of the class) – so do lunges around so we can decorate our tree.
  • Now stand with legs open and let’s put some ornaments up here, and down here (candy cane up- above head, and candy cane down – almost to the floor). Do several repetitions pretending to decorate the tree.
  • Now we’ll pass the candy cane form one hand to the other –around our waste (at the back, and then at the front; back, front, etc….from one hand to the other)
  • Now let’s pass it around our legs. With legs together, and then with open legs and pass it around each leg.
  • Now we’ll pass it around our knees – but lift knees at waist high.
  • Jump around
  • Run around, etc.

2. Jingle Bell Rock / Bracelets withJingle’s2:12 min.

  • Put the jingles on ankle or wrist. TIP: on the wrist might end up distracting; and on the ankle makes them move more they’re feet, so the jingles sound louder.
  • …we are going to keep decorating our home…
  • We are going to walk around our home in different ways, so we can hear our jingles. (If it’s on wrist, move arms in different ways).
  • March and clap around room
  • Walk on tiptoes, on heels, backwards, stomping.
  • All the family has the Christmas spirit…let’s see how our jingles sound. KEEP ON MOVING, so the jingles keep sounding.
  • Walk as spiders, crabs, bears, gallop like reindeers, etc.

3. It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year / Disney’s Family Christmas CD / Streamers 1:47min.

  • Swimming motion with arms, as if we are sprinkling or putting Christmas ornaments from our colorful streamers.
  • Rainbows above head, with both hands.
  • Rotate with streamers above head.
  • Movement with streamers as flapping wings
  • Scissors arms (moving arms to the front – one up and another down, and alternate them in a fase pace- as if cutting scissors). To the front, to the side, other side, up, down and between our legs.
  • Movement as lay down 8’s – holding streamer with both hands
  • Jumping jacks –slow
  • Shake the floor, feet, decorating around our home….
  • Rotate with extended arms to sides
  • Arm movements, as a swinging motion, alternating both arms.
  • Throw streamer up, and try to catch it from its handle, throw and catch…
  • Stand like a Christmas Tree – for balance (on one foot as the trunk of the tree)
  • Etc.

COOLDOWN:

4.O Christmas Tree / Pooh – Disney’s Christmas CD2:19

  • Stand like a Christmas Tree – as the shape of the tree – open legs and stretch arms up and hold hands making a triangle – like a mountain)
  • Arms to the sides
  • Arms to the back and hold hands to stretch
  • Sit and do a Butterfly Stretch
  • Stretch legs
  • Do Roll downs
  • Make as the shape of a star – The Christmas Tree STAR, at the top of the tree. – Or lay down and make like a star (moving and opening legs and arms).
  • Hug legs
  • Etc., at the end let’s give ourselves a Christmas hug and with all the family.

WEEK 2 – Christmas on the Street

  • Warm-up: Tiny the Christmas Tree
  • Main Themes: We are going OUT of our home, to the mail to send Santa our Christmas setter/list; on the way we see children making snow mans, w ego to the stores and all the people is buying present for they’re loved ones; and at the end we board the “polar Express” – which promises to take us directly to the north pole…so the story continues next week). At the end we watch outside through the polar express train window, and we see snow falling (parachute with cotton balls as snow).
  • Cardiovascular Routine:My Only Wish this Year, Frosty the Snow Man, Rockin’ On Top of the World, Let It Snow.
  • Cooldown: Stretch legs and arms
  • Materials: Santa’s hat for coach, Frosty’s scarves, red envelopes or small red papers – for Santa’s letter, balls, parachute and cotton balls.

5. My Only Wish This Year / Britney Spears / Letters or red envelopes for Sants’s letter- 4:17 min.

  • Put on Christmas hat
  • Shoulder Shrugs
  • Open up arms as if “once upon a time…” Brazos
  • Look up to see if we see Santa’s sleigh in the sky.
  • Walk around, we are taking our setter to the mail.
  • Walk and at the same time move and wave arms up.
  • Walk hugging ourselves, because it’s so cold outside.
  • Skip around
  • Walk on tiptoes…the snow is so cold
  • Look up in the sky…its Santa’s sleigh…why don’t we throw up to the shy our setter so Santa can match it. Throw setter to the sky several times, and jump at the same time.
  • Now we are going to do some Jumping Jacks – because we are so happy that Santa got our letter.
  • Now do jumping jacks turning.
  • March around and clan at the same time
  • We are going back home, walking in the snow…
  • Walking backwards
  • Giant steps
  • It’s so cold, that we are going to exercise for a while to make the cold go away..
  • Tummy twists
  • Side bends
  • Squats
  • Stand on one foot, and then the other
  • Touch the sky
  • March and clap to go back home…and on the way we see Children making Snow mans…let’s make one of our own…

6. Frosty the Snowman / Frosty the Snow Man Scarves2:37min

  • Now our snow man turned into Frosty...wow, so we are going to exercise with Frosty and play outside.
  • Turn or rotate with open arms up, holding scarf with hand.
  • Jump when the song says “happy birthday”
  • Scissors arms – move arms as scissors motion - to the front, to the sides.
  • Move Frosty’s scarf up with one hand and then the other
  • Jump opening and closing legs,add up “T” arms to do half a jumping jack.
  • Raise knees up to waist level and pass scarf between knees form one hand to the other. And alternate legs.
  • Skip around the class.
  • March around with high knees, con keep on moving the scarf
  • Throw scarf up and catch, throw up and catch. Several times, just play for a while
  • Run around the room, keep moving scarves.
  • Now pretend to clean up the street from snow, with the scarves.
  • Rotate with extended arms to the side
  • And at last Frosty says god-bye…wave scarves as saying goodbye

7. Rockin’ On Top pf the World(The Polar Express) / Balls2:37min

  • There’s so much people buying presents for they’re families; people having Christmas parties and sharing. And at last we are going to climb aboard the Polar Express Train, because it’s going to take us to the North Pole.
  • So let’s climb aboard and while we are on the train, we are going to exercise with these balls.
  • Do a ball routine.

8. Let It Snow / Parachute with cotton balls as snow 1:51min

  • Now let’s see outside the window…it’s snowing!
  • Extend parachute and but the cotton balls on it and shake

WEEK 3– Christmas on the North Pole

  • Warm-up: Tiny the Christmas Tree story
  • Main Theme: We arrive to the North Pole, and we’ll exercise with Santa’s elves. Santa’s Elves welcome us and they give us some ice skates (paper plates) so we can get to Santa’s home skating –there’s a lot of ice. When we arrive Santa’s home, we exercise in a ball party (exercise with balls). Everyone is exercising to get ready for Christmas night (everyone needs to be in shape and strong – Santa, the elves, and the Reindeers). Then we dance with Mrs. Claus the “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus”. At the end the Chipmunks (Chip and Dale) visit Santa, and they invite us to come and celebrate Christmas at Disney with all our favorite Disney friends Characters….continued on week 4.
  • CardiovascularRoutine:Sleigh Ride, Santa Claus is coming to Town, Boogie Woogie Santa Claus.
  • Cooldown: Song- Deck the Halls (Chipmunks)
  • Materials:Elves hat, Santa’s hat, paper plates, balls.

9. Sleigh Ride / Paper Plates-as skates – ELVES (Elf hat for coach) /2:42 min.

  • Stand on the skates.
  • Arms up…”look at the beautiful sky it’s a lovely afternoon in the North Pole”…Arms up- as if “once upon a time”.
  • Move head form side to side – fast - with the rhythm of the song.
  • Now start skating across the room.
  • Skate backwards
  • Turn or rotate with skates
  • Stand only on one skate
  • Keep skating
  • Skate and clap, swing arms, etc.

10. Santa Claus is Coming to Town / Santa’s hat. – BALL ROUTINE2:44 min.

  • Rotate ball around waist
  • Knees up to waist level and touch ball to knees- alternate
  • Balls up – to the sky, and down –to the ground. Several repetitions.
  • Jump, opening and closing legs.
  • Run around the room, and hug the ball really strong so it won’t fall.
  • Tummy Twists – let’s see how the ball dances from side to side
  • Sit and put ball in front of yourself. Now put feet ON the ball, and manipulate the ball with feet –Roll it to the front and then back to you, several times. Can do it with both feet or with one first and then the other.
  • Knees up to touch with ball- alternate knees.
  • Walk with balls between legs, around the room.
  • Jump with ball between legs, and then rotate and jump at the same time. You can add arm movements to make it more difficult.
  • Balls around waste
  • Run around room
  • Sit on the ball and bounce. Add arms – pumping or boxing arms; to the front, to the sides, and up.
  • Stand on knees and roll ball from one hand to the other.
  • Three jumps to the front, three to the back, etc.

11. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus / Santa’s Hat. - RESISTANCE2:20 min.

  • Start marching around and clapping at the same time.
  • Giant steps
  • Walk – clapping over your head (arms to the sides as a “T” and then over head and clap hands).
  • Walk on knees
  • Walk with toes turned in
  • Walk on heels
  • March backwards
  • Walk as the elves- bend down.
  • Shake gluteus with the “boogie, woogie Santa Claus”, or shake arms up to one side and the other.
  • Jump, when the song says “jump, jump, Mr. Santa”
  • Dance…dancing is a great exercise.
  • Walk like bears- shaking gluteus
  • Or ------
  • Do the whole routine with a noodle pretending to be a guitar– Noodle
  • Or ------
  • Do a bean bag routine.

12. Deck the Halls / Chipmunks – COOL-DOWN2:59 min.

  • Stretch up
  • Side bends
  • Butterfly stretch
  • Hamstring stretch
  • Carry “baby chipmunks” – hug one leg and then the other
  • Stretch arms
  • Roll downs
  • Etc.

WEEK 4 – Christmas with Disney Friends

  • Warm-up: Song - Over the River and Through the Woods (GOOFY sings it). / or Tiny the Christmas Tree warm-up story
  • Main Themes: We are going to make exercise and celebrate Christmas with some of our favorite Disney friends (Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Tiger and Pooh). We are going to imagine and pretend that we are in Disney…
  • CardiovascularRoutine:Jingle Bells – sang by Mickey, Minnie and friends (use Jingle bracelets), Santa Claus is Coming to Town – sang by Mickey& Friends (ball routine), The Twelve Days of Christmas (ball throw & catch), Deck the Halls (scarves or streamers).
  • Cool down: Song – We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Chipmunks – Chip & Dale).
  • Materials: Santa’s hat with Mickey Mouse’s eras (for the coach to wear), jingle bells wristbands for ankles, balls and scarves.

WARM- UP:

13. Over the River and Through the Woods / GOOFY /1:55 min.

  • Start with arms stretched up, moving them from side to side – as if trees waving with the wind – make sounds as if the wind is blowing.
  • When Goofy starts to sing – march with high knees, around the room, add some clapping (“we are going with Goofy through the woods, and there’s a lot of snow, and very tall trees. We are going to Goofy’s grandmother’s house to eat a Christmas cake”).
  • Walk on tiptoes and arms stretched up as high trees.
  • Squats with arms movement (as if riding a sleigh) “We are going to ride a sleigh to get faster to grandmother’s house”
  • Gallop around with right foot in front first, and then change to left foot, etc.

14. Jingle Bells / sang by: MICKEY & FRIENDS / Jingle bells bracelets and Michey’s Santa’s hat 2:11 min.

  • Start marching and clapping at the same time.
  • Run around class – slowly
  • Skip around
  • Walk on heels
  • Jumping jacks
  • Shake legs to the front
  • Walk as bears – stomping feet
  • Walk like reindeers – gallop
  • Grabs – really shaking feet – stomping it a little, to shake the bells.
  • Jump al around, jump in one foot and then on the other
  • Gallop around in one direction, then gallop around in the other direction.
  • March around, more jumping jacks, kick gluteus with feet.
  • Etc.

15. Santa Claus is Coming to Town /MICKEY & FRIENDS/Balls and Mickey’s Santa’s hat3:21 min.

  • Hold ball with hands, and make large circles – large movements, bend at waste and extend arms making full circles (as in the Wheels on the bus routine).
  • Jump opening and closing legs
  • Run and kick gluteus with feet at the same time
  • Knees up – to waist level and touch ball to knees
  • Tummy twists, fast
  • Walk with ball between legs all around class.
  • Jump and then rotate jumping at the same time.
  • Balls around waste
  • Hug ball, and run around room.
  • Sit on the ball, and pump arms up and to the front
  • Now put hands back – on the grpund- keep sitting in the ball; and then lift one foot up, and then the other, several times (alternating)
  • Stand on knees, and then roll ball from one hand to the other.
  • Jumping jacks
  • Three jumps to the front, then three jumps to the back, etc.

16. The Twelve Days of Christmas /sang by: Pooh & Friends /One BALL3:44 min.

  • One ball for the coach. Coach stands in the middle of the circle.
  • Coach throws the ball, for each one of the children, and for each one to catch it. Throw the ball, and then the kid has to throw it back to coach. Do it one by one.
  • If they are toddlers, roll it.
  • For older kids you can make them choose if they want to do it with they’re head or with they’re arms.

17. Deck the Halls /sang by: Mickey & Friends /Scarves2:38 min.

  • Any scarves routine

18. We Wish You a Merry Christmas /Chipmunks – Chip & Dale /COOLDOWN 0:56 min.

  • Butterfly Stretch
  • Hamstring stretch
  • Stretch arms, legs and body.