Today’s class was excellent! It was so refreshing to get outdoors into the woods and play a game that got us aware of our bodies and our actions. Doing such a movement based activity and the trust falls really got us working together as a team/cohort. It illustrated the importance of getting our students outdoors and experiencing physical education in an environment that is not contained by 4 walls. This allows students to learn outdoors and can be used cross-curricular (ecology, arts, etc) in order to explicate the importance of being outside. I remember being a student in elementary school and as soon as I stepped inside the school, I conditioned myself to be a focused student who didn’t run wild or play, even in P.E. It wasn’t until recess or lunch when we went outside that I let loose and truly had a good time. It was outside that I learned my mistakes and explored creatively and imaginatively and I believe that getting students outside is very important to foster growth, safety, awareness, and creativity. Not only does it do this, but as with our class, it builds community between the students and between the students and the teacher, and connects them with nature and the land they inhabit.
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The connection you’ve made here about kids engaged in physical activity during PE and during recess/lunch is really interesting! I hadn’t thought of that before! I remember as a kid that the playing I did on the playground was fun and active, but I would often totally change my attitude and enjoyment of movement when it came time to participate in PE. I think this is probably common for a lot of kids because of the expectations to act and participate in a certain way in a PE class. As educators, how do we meet our educational goals but still ensure that the lessons we’re planning for children are as active and engaging as the playing they naturally do without adult intervention? It’s an interesting thought for educators, since the typical approaches are focused more on what the children can and need to learn from us. But it’s interesting to flip that concept and ask ourselves what we can learn from the children in our classes about what we can do to teach PE (or any subject for that matter) in a way that is better for them.