Physical education, while quite possibly the most important subject in school, seems to take a backseat to “academics” more often than not. A quality physical education program helps reduce obesity, increases learning, builds confidence, prevents disease, and promotes healthy habits for a lifetime. The goal of Tandalay and of Kids Moving Incorporated is to provide an opportunity for every child at every school in every classroom to experience the JOY of PLAY through a quality physical education program that not only meets the core competency physical education curriculum standards, but exceeds them by leaps and bounds – literally!
To that end, they have teamed up – Tandalay, with a curriculum program extraordinaire, and Kids Moving Inc., a nonprofit on a mission for obesity education and prevention through movement – to make this goal possible. You can now access Tandalay’s complete physical education curriculum at no charge! The Tandalay Physical Education Curriculum is almost absurdly thorough, ridiculously simple, yet powerfully effective. So effective in fact, that instead of kids forging notes to get out of P.E., we have heard multiple stories of kids hiding their notes so that they can play!
Can you find comparable physical education curriculum programs out there? Sure! How does Tandalay compare to say, SPARK PE? Interestingly, many principles and superintendents have compared the two programs side by side. Every single time, Tandalay’s program has been preferred. Compare for yourself. Tandalay’s program has more unpacked and ready to teach PE standards; uses less equipment; requires little or no prep and/or set up time; all of the players really are active and engaged all the time; the lesson plans are complete – including focus standards, a warm up, practice activities, lead-up games, a challenge, and a cool-down; and best of all, they are now FREE!
With the help of Kids Moving Incorporated, Tandalay is now offering 48 complete units of lesson plans – each unit with 10 lesson plans in each! That is over 480 complete lesson plans, and includes over 2,000 activities! And that is only the tip of the iceberg! In order to keep the program available for free, donations are welcome. Kids Moving Inc. is a new nonprofit organization formed to empower and inspire young people to be their very best selves through conscious decision making – from healthy habits with activity and nutrition – to social and academic decisions as well. Kids Moving is in the process of creating programs for communities, schools, and individuals who are ready to rock the status quo, embrace change, and get out there and get dirty!
Check back here frequently for your opportunity to join the tribe! Change is coming. The world is searching for leaders who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves, challenge the way things are being done, and step up, speak out, and take action! The world, the nation, and our kids, need YOU.
Delve into Tandalay Curriculum. Play some games. Have some fun. If you find value in it and you notice that it saves you time, makes your life easier and more enjoyable, and you rediscover the JOY of play, please donate to keep the site alive. You are making a difference and very literally changing the shape of the nation!
It’s time to shed that brain-dead-techno-bot-couch-potato self we all turn into now and then, and get out there and get active! With the Zombie Apocalypse on its way, it is high time for us all to get in shape – if for no other reason than to be able to outrun those buggers! In all seriousness though, we all have our moments of zombied-out listlessness. Here’s the challenge: Identify two or three zombie-like activities in your life that might prevent you from activities that could be more beneficial and rewarding. For example, watching TV or spending too much time on facebook or watching YouTube videos (yes, I know those kittens are cute!). Then identify two substitute behaviors. For example, going for a walk or playing some fun Fluffilo games with your kids. You might pick up that great book you’ve been wanting to read, or look up a new healthy recipe for dinner. The key is to make sure you have an alternate healthy behavior. Don’t just tell yourself that you cannot watch TV, but reward yourself with something better!
The threat of the walking-dead eating your brains might be scary enough, but let’s not let our very own actions turn us into brain-dead people walking! Activity and movement actually increase brain development and learning, along with a myriad of other benefits! http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/slideshows/7-mind-blowing-benefits-of-exercise
Shed the Zombie!
Shed the Zombie!
Let’s talk about stickers. They’re great! Everyone loves stickers – I still love a good sticker – and it still makes me feel special when I get a new one. The question is, what should we be using stickers for? Reward for good behavior? Sure! To track success on charts? Not so much. Isn’t that the same thing? Not really, no. Charts with stickers to track how many books a kid has read, or to track how many math goals have been achieved, or any other form of PUBLIC COMPARISON is just not really helpful for anyone. The kid at the “top” of the list might be real proud – and his/her parents are pretty darned proud too, but what about ALL of the other students? Is this motivational? I think that’s the teacher’s goal – to motivate – but is it working? Is that the right way to motivate? Let’s think this through…. It’s a struggle for me to read, but I’m doing my very best, and I’m still toward the bottom of the group. I’m labeled as not-so-smart and lazy. The kids look at my stickers and judge me every day. The first thing the parents do is look at the charts to compare their kid with the other kids – to judge. The charts make one kid feel special, and let’s be honest – make ALL of the other kids feel “less than.” Like “losers.”
Is that the goal of education? It shouldn’t be. The goal should be to inspire. To motivate every individual student to be the very best that he or she can be – without feeling the pressure of public comparison with everyone else. Rewarding students with stickers is a GREAT idea – but what if every student had his/her own personal goals? What if they kept their own goals in their own notebooks, with their own stickers on the back INSIDE cover of their own notebook? Individual improvement should be rewarded – individually – according to each person’s capabilities and accomplishments.
I know a teacher who bragged about how she gave stickers out every day. She stuck them to the shirts of the kids who were doing a good job. She laughed about how the same kids go home with a shirt full of stickers every day. Do you think the other kids in the class know which kids go home with stickers every day and which kids don’t? How do you think it feels to be the kid who never goes home with a sticker? Do you think they’ll try harder to get stickers, or just give up and behave badly on purpose, so that it becomes THEIR choice to not have stickers? Or do you think maybe they’ll actually start believing that they are “bad” and don’t deserve a sticker? Do you think this might have an impact on their behavior and self-esteem?
Stickers are fun and should be used frequently. Kids should be rewarded for improvement, for effort, and for accomplishments. Not empty achievements, but real ones, based on their own abilities – not in comparison with everyone else. Think through the way you reward. Create an environment where every student feels safe. Safe enough to try harder. To give their best effort and not be afraid of failing. To feel free enough to learn without being judged. To be OK with the struggle because they know it won’t be followed with humiliation – but with pride. The pride of knowing – and having the teacher know – that every day they feel free, secure, and safe enough to try again. To learn more. To grow academically and personally. To thrive in mind and spirit. To be weighed – and to not be “found wanting.”
