Old Forum Need Help w/ Homeschool Physical Education ideas

[Guest]

I live Asia and our family homeschools our kids. I'm looking for ideas (and more specifically, curriculum) for doing PE with 5-12 yr olds. Yeah, I can just wing it with pullup bar/ropes/ball games etc but I'd prefer to have a plan and work towards some goals. I've heard of the Crossfit kids curriculum http://thebrandxmethod.com/store/ Anyone actually used this and have an opinion on it? Does anyone have other ideas? I know Ed Thomas has done work for schools but I've not found a place to track down his materials. Pass on a link if you know where to purchase them. Here's a link to Gray Cook's mention of some of these things: <a>http://graycook.com/?s=Physical+Education"</a>

Do you have other ideas?

 

[CDG1223]

I have never taught childhood physical education.
However, it has been said (as well as proven in numerous studies on juggling, hand balancing and acrobatics) that neurally complex physical tasks build grey and white brain matter. This would include things like crawling, multi-directional movement, balance oriented tasks and speed work. All of these objectives can be met without equipment but can be modified by equipment or made into entertaining games.
That would be the direction of approach that I would take considering the "elementary" and holistic purpose of physical education at such young ages.
I wrote a 7 or 8 page paper on physical activity and its effect on cognitive development in early aged kids for college. I still have it on my hard drive, I can send it to you if you'd like.

 

[crash123]

look up Dan John's writings. he taught general strength and conditioning to school age kids for a number of years - i believe he wrote about it in his book "Intervention". He had a structured plan with objectives in each lift, movement. Give that book a read, it is a fantastic book, packed with simple strength lightbulbs.

 

[Zach Ganska]

Pangrazzi wrote the text we used for my collegiate children PE course, breaks down motor skills that need to be learned at each age and games for teaching:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0321592530/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_3?refRID=07EGW2Y8GN63X4NHDVYD

If you're one FaceBook you could try and message Dr. Mark Cheng. Brandon Hetzler at the "Movement Restoration" FB page Amy have great resources as well, he teaches graduate classes at Missouri State based on the neurodevelopmental sequence and FMS.

Best in your search, it's a worthy endeavor to say the least.

 

[Guest]

Christopher- Thanks for suggestion towards complex movement patterns.

Marchese- I just looked at Dan John's book "Intervention." I like the structured plan for objectives for each movement. I wish it was more detailed.

Zach- Thanks for the links. I'll see if I can message Dr. Mark Cheng or Brandon Hetzler. Thanks for the suggestions.

Any other suggestions out there?

 

[Steve Freides]

I very highly recommend you look into Ground Force Method. Master SFG Péter Lakatos and Senior SFG Andrea Chang can tell you more.

-S-

 

[Steve W.]

Sure, kids should learn good "motor skills," but I think an important part of childhood physical education is learning a variety of popular sports and their associated skills.

Growing up, in phys ed classes but mostly on our own, kids played sports. We learned and practiced the skills of each sport--running, jumping, throwing, catching, hitting, kicking, etc. (as well as swimming, and riding bicycles and skateboards), but we also learned, mostly by osmosis, the rules of the games, the scoring systems, strategies, tactics, etc. And we developed skills/qualities like teamwork, conflict resolution, emotional control, frustration tolerance, risk-taking, and so forth.

 

[Journeyman]

Talk to Jeremy Frisch--or at the very least add him on Facebook, the content he puts out all the time regarding training youth is absolute gold.

 

[Zach Ganska]

Agreed Steve W. Learning sport culture is important once the needed motor patterns have been learned. Organized youth sports in the U.S. have demonstrated precisely how detrimental pursuing sport specific skills can be without acquiring the needed prerequisites, so "motor skills" are the beginning goal for the population that David C. Referenced. All this is covered by Pangrazzi.

That's awesome that you're in an area where kids still play unorganized sports, an invaluable resource I'll be needing to find for my son in the next few years.

 

[Steve W.]

Zach, unfortunately kids playing unorganized sports is relatively rare in my area these days -- I was speaking more about my childhood in the 1970s.

Nowadays, I see a little pickup soccer and basketball, and occasional groups of kids riding bikes or skateboards, but not the same kind of groups (packs?) of neighborhood kids getting together everyday in yards or streets to decide, "What shoudl we play today?"