The Power of Play!

By fostering environments of respect and inclusion, we create healthy communities where children feel safe to be themselves and grow. The most effective way to create healthy community is through healthy play. Play creates equal opportunities for children to explore their imaginations, connect with other people, and stretch and grow physically, emotionally and socially.

The MRA students have been learning a variety of games to play in PE class. There are five main types of games that we've been focusing on. They include Icebreakers, Readiness, Tag, Cooperative and Core Games. Here are the definitions to these types of games:

Icebreaker Games: Promote respect, encourage playfulness, promote inclusion and builds community.

Readiness Games: Attract and focus students' attention in order to signal changes. They can be used to help ease transitions, and promote inclusion through alternative grouping techniques.

Tag Games: Teach the foundation skills necessary for traditional or core sports while encouraging active engagement, respect and health energy release.

Cooperative Games: These games promote teamwork and positive conflict management and teach problem-solving skills.

Core Games: Encourage teamwork, teach conflict management skills and social emotional skills while promoting physical and cognitive development.

Next week we'll be focusing on MRA rules to the Core Recess Games. I look forward to working with the students to learn the past rules, and create some new variations as well.

Leaderfit Leadership Class - We had our first Leaderfit Meeting this Thursday! The Cedars students are ready to work together for the overall wellness for MRA. They will be in charge of and help develop activities, service projects, assemblies, and parking lot safety. They'll be meeting in the Wild Woods gym every Thursday from 3:00 - 4:00 pm. It'll be fun to work with these creative, energetic students this year.