This week, we did something a little bit different for our Technology class. Actually, over the span of our technology and field experience classes. Our EKTEP year 2 group was allowed to spend time with elementary kids, doing a variety of physical activities, for Take Me Outside Day.

October 20th

On October 20th, we were tasked with creating an activity in which groups of kids could interpret their own 1-4 level activity. This activity was based on “I Love a Challenge,” by Dark Horse.

Here’s an awesome video I found that you could watch as an example of how “I love a challenge works.”

We chose to create an activity with the scoops and wiffle balls.

Kindergarteners

When the first group, the kindergarteners, got to our station, we only had a group of two, so it was really easy to get them focused and on track with our activity. Our goal was to have the kids begin playing individually with the wiffle balls and scoops so they were able to get used to the motions. My group and I would say things like, “What ELSE can you do with your scoops,” or “what can you do to make this harder?” These kids picked up the throwing up and catching so fast that they were eager to throw it even higher, so we decided that could be their level two. It was impressive to see how excited they were to progress more, because shortly after, they began passing back and forth, which they decided could be level three. These younger kids could’ve kept going for hours, but after 35 minutes, they switched out with a group of grades 1-3. They did give a great effort to make a poem, but had trouble coming up with words to use. One of the kids said P could stand for partners, which I thought was lovely.

Grades 1-3

The grade 1-3 kids were already pretty seasoned on the concept of the scoops, so it took no time at all for them to start working on challenges for themselves. Although they were only supposed to go to level 4, they were determined to challenge the next group, and some of the kids came up with incredible ideas, such as catching the ball with their eyes closed. Some members of this group would get distracted and veer off from the rest, but they were easy to regain focus and continuously gave ideas. I wish we had remembered to take photos of the poems because this one was lovely. The kids were happy to suggest words, but we only had one student who would do the writing, of course.

• S- Spin around
• C- Close your eyes
• O- Over your head
• O- Over the net
• P- Participate

Grades 4-6

Our grade 1-3 group then switched out for a large group of grades 4-6, and this group was probably the biggest challenge for us. The kids were so lovely, and excited to get into the activity, but there were so many kids that we didn’t have enough scoops or wiffle balls for them to use to many of the kids would be standing around with nothing to do. My partners and I were able to give them alternative options with tennis balls and cones, which helped to get back their engagement a lot. It was incredible how many challenge ideas this group was able to come up with, creating 5 levels more to add difficulty to our activity. This group, although not interested in the poem portion, was still giving us some words to use, such as, smack, pass, and shovel.

My Thoughts

This experience was so lovely, and I had the greatest time working with each age group, learning their strengths and weaknesses, and watching them all challenge each other in different ways. I think to start, I would probably let the kids know their boundaries because we had many kids throwing their balls over the fence and running around to retrieve them, which is a big no-no. For future reference, our group could be more towards the middle of the field to ensure that doesn’t happen. Aside from this and the chilly weather outside, the entire experience was incredible.

October 21st

On October 21st, we were invited to a grade 2 class for a field trip, in which we got to go on a scavenger hunt and make videos on ChatterPix. In our group, with two teacher candidates and two young students, we were able to explore the area around Elizabeth Lake.

This activity had our students really looking around and investigating the nature around them, which was also wonderful for us, and allowed us to appreciate the wildlife around us at the lake as well. This activity allowed us to bond with the kids as well, as they were able to make connections to the activity. After I pointed out that a dog was on the list, the kids started talking about dogs they knew.

Before leaving the lake, the kids, along with my fellow teacher candidate and me, got to make nature art inspired by the book “Leaf Man,” by Lois Ehlert. These kids completely took this task into their own hands and spent tons of time digging for rocks and sticks that they could use to create the perfect “mini man” out of sticks and rocks. Upon returning to class, the kids created a ChatterPix video, which allowed them to take a photo of their leaf art and make it talk. The end of the day approached so fast, and we had so much fun that time flew by.

My Thoughts

This activity was so wonderful, and it taught me a lot about teaching. Giving the kids free rein to explore, create based on their own interests, and search for things kept the, so entertained and engaged. They were able to learn science, art, PE, and even a bit of language arts, and they really didn’t even know they were doing any learning. It’s wonderful to see the joy of learning up close. I would absolutely do something similar to this activity in my future as an educator.

Venn-Diagram Reflection Below:

Thanks for reading this week’s reflection. I hope you found some useful information in this post. See you next week!