LMAS F.I.T!
Integrating Physical Education and Music
Shellie Stahly & Lisa Janssen
Pauline Central Primary School
USD #437-Auburn Washburn
Suggestions for informative websites!
F.I.T. Build Healthy Kids through Songs & Activities (music program)
Music for Elementary
15 Resources for Elementary Music Teachers
Teachers.net Music Lesson Plans
Nutrition and Health Services-Teacher Resources
K-12 Resources for Music Educators
Teacher Ideas, Teaching Resources and Lessons for PreK-12
Teaching Kids Healthy Nutrition Resources Tips and Tools Section
...
Health & Nutrition Printables & Activities
Unconventional Physical Education Activities
PE Central
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**A terrific site for educators, families, and communities!!!
Musick8.com
Body Composition Circuit (SPARK Activity)
Ready….
*8-10 cones (1 per station)
*Choose 16-20 Fitness Circuit Skill Cards-half Body Composition, half Muscular Strength and Endurance –(SPARK Instructional Media CD) to use as stations (2 per station). Throw in a few types for variety and fun.
*Read through the chosen Fitness Circuit Skill Cards for specific equipment needs.
*Music and player.
Set…..
*Create the circuit by placing cones around the perimeter with at least 15 paces between stations. The greater the distance, the more aerobic the activity.
*Place 2 Fitness Skill Cards on each cone: 1 each of Body Composition, and Muscular Strength and Endurance. Students answer the question on the Body Composition card, while completing the task on the other.
*Place needed equipment at each station.
*Disburse students equally among stations.
GO!
- The object is to increase nutrition awareness by answering questions and completing tasks at each station.
- (Describe and have students demonstrate all stations, with a focus on proper technique. Describe the rotation between stations.)
- When you arrive at the station, read the Body Composition Card first. Answer the question, and complete the task on the other card. When the music stops, rotate to the next station.
- Continue until you hear the stop signal.
Cues….
*If you don’t know the answer, ask others at your station.
*Focus on your body cues. Is your heart beating faster? Are you breathing faster and harder? Can you still talk with your group?
Body Composition Tag
PE Central Activity
Purpose of Event: To reinforce the concept of body composition and the importance of having a healthy body composition.
Prerequisites: The knowledge about body composition: Body composition is the amount of fat cells compared with lean cells in the body mass. Lean body mass is the nonfat tissue of muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons. It is important to have a certain amount of body fat-not too much and not too little. To have good body composition one needs to be physically active, have proper nutrition, and proper rest.
Suggested Grade Level: 4-5
Materials needed: 2 cones to post signs, two marked off areas for safe zones, scarves or some type of identification for fat cells to hand off once tagged by someone else.
Description of Idea
Have 2-3 fat cells that are the taggers (they hold the scarves to identify they are “it”). Everyone else is lean body tissue.
There are two areas located in the gym that are safe zones. They are identified as nutrition and rest. The lean body tissues can use these safe zones to prevent getting tagged. There can only be 2 people per safe zone and they can stay for 15 seconds or less. The students who enter the nutrition zone have to name a nutritional food (to teacher) to be able to stay in for the full 15 seconds. If they do not name a nutritional food, they must leave the safe zone immediately. The objective is for the fat cells to tag lean body tissue. If a fat cell tags a lean body tissue then the lean body tissue becomes a fat cell and the fat cell becomes lean body tissue. When the fat cells tag a lean body tissue, they give the new fat cell their scarf.
Remember, good body composition contains three traits: physically active, nutritional food and right amount of rest.
U Can Two Workout
PE Central Activity
Purpose of Event:To exercise with 2 canned goods and then donate them to our local food pantry.
Prerequisites:Students must know basic warm-ups before doing activity.
Suggested Grade Level:3-5
Materials Needed:2 canned goods for each student (student donated) and cd player with music (Locomotion or Crocodile Rock work well).
Description of Idea
Have students spread out around the activity area, having enough space so they are not touching each other. Each student should hold 2 canned goods (10-16 oz.). Students then perform various exercises to the music. For example: arm circles, arm curls, shadow boxing, bench press, butterflies, trunk twists, lat pulls, sit on floor and row the boat (pull bottom across the floor using your heels), etc..
After exercising, the students stack their cans in the corner of the gymnasium. At the end of the week, the school donates all of the cans to the local food pantry.
Assessment Ideas:The students write in their classroom journals how they felt about giving the food cans. Question the students about muscle groups being utilized.
Fun Push-Ups
PE Central Activity
Purpose of Event:To help students increase muscular strength and endurance.
Activity Cues:Eyes up, hands shoulder width apart, concentrate on strong abs.
Suggested Grade Level:3rd and up
Materials Needed:A mat and various other pieces of equipment including several small balls.
Description of Idea
Sometimes performing regular push-ups can be boring. The following push up activities should provide some more excitement for kids and provide the same benefits. Of course students can choose whether to be in the push up position of their choice (i. e., modified or regular). Many of these can also be done in the crab crawl position.
- Macarena Push-ups
The students reach forward with their right hand while supporting themselves with their left arm. After returning their right hand to the floor they raise their left hand while supporting themselves with their right arm. The following commands are then given: (After practicing add the music and have a great time and a great workout!)
Right hand forward and turn palm up-return, left hand forward and turn palm up- return.
Right hand to left shoulder-return, left hand to right shoulder- return.
Right hand to right ear-return, left hand to left ear-return.
Right hand to left waist-return, left hand to right waist-return.
Right hand to right hip-return, left hand to left hip-return.
¼ turn to your right and repeat steps facing next wall.
- Alphabet Push-ups
Tap left shoulder with right hand, then right with left, etc. as you recite the alphabet.
- Ball Tap Push-ups
Put a small ball in between your hands. Tap the ball with right hand, then left (the ball does not move). This time make the ball move from side to side. The next time touch the ball with right elbow then left.
- Chin Juggling Push-ups
Put a small ball in your right hand while in push-up position. Put ball under your chin; put right hand back on floor; remove ball from chin with the left hand and place back on floor. Continue alternating in this manner.
- Partner Patty Cakes
Two people in push-up position face each other. Tap right hand to right hand and then left to left. Continue alternating until too tired to go on. To make it harder increase distance between partners.
- Push-up Position Hockey
Two people in push-up position face each other about 5 feet apart. Using a bean bag or ball, try to slide or roll the object between your partners two hands. The partner may stop it with one hand only. Students may choose to keep score if they would like.
- A Deck of Push-ups
Using a deck of playing cards, challenge your students to a push-up contest. The students turn over a card, whatever the card is, you do that number of push-ups. Joker=20, Ace=15, King=13, Queen=12, Jack=11 and so forth down the line. The teacher then turns over a card and the students do that many push-ups. Go back and forth until you get too tired. Tally haw many push-ups you did as a group.
- Bean Bag Push-ups
Materials needed for this activity are a crate, box, or basket which stands about 1 ½ feet off the ground and bean bags (approximately 4 per student). Children are in push-up position with bean bags and baskets in front of them. They start by picking 1 bean bag up off the floor with the left hand and placing it on the crate, then the next with the right hand, then the next with the left until all the bean bags are on the crate. Now they take the bean bags off the crate one by one alternating hands until they are all off the crate. This repeats until a given time limit such as a minute is over.
- Alphabet Push-ups With a Partner
Two children are in push-up position across from each other about arm’s length apart. They are to high five each other using opposite hands while working their way through the ABC’s. This can then be modified and low fives can be used. To make more difficult have them go through the alphabet backwards.
- Tennis Ball Roll Push-ups
One child is in push-up position while a partner is behind them holding a tennis ball. The partner with the tennis ball rolls the ball under the student in push-up position and the push-up person catches the ball and tosses it back to the partner over their shoulder. To make more difficult have the person in the push-up person alternate hands.
Flip Flop
SPARK Activity
Ready….
*4 cones (for boundaries)
*Music and player (optional)
Set….
*Creat a medium (20 X 20 paces) activity area
*Scatter students in area
GO!
- The object of Flip Flop is to warm up the large muscle groups.
- As you enter the activity area, find a partner and move together throughout.
- One of you stands in crab (belly up) or bridge (belly down) position. You choose which way. On signal the other partner moves through the area, steps over crabs and/or crawls under bridges.
- When someone goes over or under you, flip over to the opposite position.
- We’ll switch roles on my signal (every minute or so)
Cues….
*Be very careful when moving over or under other students.
*Hold strong in your position.
*Move to flip over a different student every time.
Frogs and Ants
PE Central Activity (kids love this!!)
Purpose of Event:To help increase muscular strength. This game is a cooperative game in which students have to help their fellow classmate in order for the game to continue.
Suggested Grade: 3-5 (our younger grades K-2 are successful as well)
Materials Needed:1-4 pinnies, foam balls to tag with, 4 mats for lily pads
Description of Idea
Before playing the game, explain the rules and how students will need to cooperate safely and nicely in order for it to be successful.
A few “frogs” will be chosen and they will lie on their backs in the middle of the gym waiting for the signal to start. The “ants” will sit in a circle criss cross with backs to ants also waiting for the signal to start. Upon starting the frogs will chase the ants trying to tag them. If an ant is tagged, he must lie on his back with arms and legs in the air. At this point, the ants that have not been tagged can try to save their fellow ants by getting four ants (no less) to carry the dead ant to a lily pad (carefully). Remind saving ants not to drop the ant on the mat and to watch out when carrying an ant with long hair-don’t step on hair! If a live ant is holding on to a dead ant, they cannot be tagged. The only time ants are on the lily pad is when they are being saved or they are saving an ant. Frogs are not allowed to guard ant being saved or the lily pads. Remind saving ants to call out for help when they need ants to help carry an ant to the lily pad.
Switch after several minutes.
Couch Potato
PE Central Activity
Purpose of Event:For students to learn the concept of being healthy and active. Don’t be a “couch potato”!
Prerequisites:Basic knowledge of tag games (chasing, fleeing, dodging), locomotor skills, moving safely in general space, and use of boundaries.
Suggested Grade Level:K-2
Materials Needed:Plastic fruits and veggies (can use bean bags); cones to create a “fridge”, cones or mat to create an area for the couch, foam balls or other identifiers for taggers.
Description of Idea
Anticipatory set: Discuss with your students: “What is a couch potato?” “Do you think a couch potato is healthy?” Most likely you will receive answers like: “A couch potato is lazy, does not exercise and eats junk food like potato chips.” Introduce the concept of being healthy and how we don’t want to be a couch potato. “How can we keep from being a couch potato?” Answers: get exercise, keep moving and eat healthy foods.
Set-up:Choose five or six people to be “it” (remote controls freezing others into coach potatoes). Identify by using a pretend remote or other identifying pieces of equipment (pinnie, bean bag, rubber critter). Number of “its” will depend on class size.
Designate an area using cones or a mat as the couch where couch potatoes go, and another area where the refrigerator is, in which pretend fruits and vegetable have been placed. Fruits and vegetables can include laminated pictures of fruits and vegetables or plastic ones you can buy, be creative!
Designate playing boundaries: Usually the black line around the gym and remind students to move safely in the open space, staying inside the boundaries and using soft tags.
Play:Using various locomotor movements, students travel around the playing area. If a student is tagged by the “remote control,” she moves to the couch where she sits down, stretches out with legs crossed pretending to be lazy and watches television.
To re-enter the game another student retrieves a fruit or vegetable from the “fridge”, brings it to a couch potato and tells her to “get off the couch!” The couch potato needs to prove that she is not a couch potato by performing a designated body reward while the helper counts (for example five good push-ups or 10 crunches).
The helper sees that she deserves the fruit or vegetable and hands it to her. The couch potato pretends to eat the healthy snack, returns it to the refrigerator and re-enters the game.
Uninterrupted
PE Central Activity
Purpose of Event:To help improve students’ cardiorespiratory fitness through continuous activity.
Prerequisites:Students need to know how to safely tag and move around others in general space in a safe manner. Students should be aware of how to tell if their heart rate is elevated.
Suggested Grade Level:K-5
Materials needed:200 plastic straws, 3-4 medium gator balls, 4-8 poly spots, containers to hold straws
Description of Idea
Before class, spread the poly spots over the playing area. At the beginning of class, explain to students that they will be playing hard today, and not only will this playing be fun, it will also help strengthen their heart! The object is to see if they can keep moving—either walking or running. Explain the game as follows:
Choose three or four students to start the game as “it”. They hold the balls and spread out in general space. All other students start at one end of the gym or playing area. At the signal, student run/jog to the opposite end of the area to get a straw (trying not to get tagged), and then walk, jog, or run back to the endline to begin again. Students continue to get straws throughout the game. Students may stop on a poly spot to keep from getting tagged; only one player may be on a base at a time. If a student is tagged, the tagger gives the tagging ball to the tagged student and that student becomes a tagger (if they have a straw they give it to the person that tagged them) and they continue on with the straw.
When the game is over have students check their pulse to see what their heart rate is. Discuss how continuous activity such as they just played—even if it has a break once in a while—is what their heart needs in order to be healthy.