FollowingTheEnergyofBoys

CONVENER(S): Linda zankowsky, Marie Jenkins, Rachel Culver, Faye Kirk

PARTICIPANTS: Lee Ann Gattorno, Suzanne Druchl, Rebbecca Little, Prabha Williams, Saleha Hafiz, Margaret Ford, Ursula Escuza, Aliyah Shakirah, Cindy Venezi, Vanessa Polito, Desiree Rosario, Miram Hinnant, Wanda Roghrock, Laura Lumetta, Emily White, Tony Kambich, pat Scarantino, Debbie Montgomery Nancy Dutton, Pamela Miller, Silvia Adams, Sonia Wuniz, Silvana Strasburger, Amy Fester, Jill Guenther, Sarah Price, Barbara Clarke, Denise Koch, Claudia Pasmin, Nancy Wuniterra, Gaylene Brotherton, Kathy Davidson

SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION:

Listing of Concerns Coming from the Group:

1. Busy on the go energetic childreen, especially boys - understanding that energy, providing for it in the classroom, examining our environment and ourselves as teachers in light of that energy.

2. Transition Times

3. Playground / community Building - ideas and activities

4. The Child's expectations of play vx. work - connecting the child to the environment.

5. How boys and girls play

6. Motivating children with work

7. Children not wanting to play with other children

8. Self-motivation and controll

9. Overly helpful child

10. Passive Agreesive child

Ideas shared to address issues

1. Responsive Classroom through the Northeast Foundation for children is an excellent source for playground cooperative games, the teacher's role on the playground, and for community building in the classroom. See Web Site - Responsive Classroom.org.

2. Buddy Older and Younger Children for helping each other on playground and in classroom. 3. Look at Playground - is the environment designed well for the children? How can it be redesigned to work for the children.

4. Find ways to challenge the energy of the children - Play tug of war, etc.

• Do we as teachers play with the children or do we talk among ourselves?
• Do we have enough adults on the playground to interact with the children?

5. give children redirction on the playground. Do the like to be power rangers? Suggest they be dogs, cats, trucks, planes, etc.

6. Use practical life to our advantage to help children refocus. Some choices can be in the outdoor classroom - sledding, shoveling, building with snow, scrubbing picnic tables, paint equipment with water.

7. Ground rules for the playground for the 1st six weeks of school just as you do your classroom. We must take the time to teach and model the rules:

 *2 finger toucb - taught with a feather that children use on the line to touch each other softly. Sent feather home with children. "I learned how to touch a friend softly." Let parents know ground rules and acceptable behavior.
 *Areas of the playground for certain activities - running, balls, etc. Time limits, adult supervision. Switch children to new activities.
 * Logical consequences for use of playground and equipment
 *Areas for painting with water, sweeping, tire scrubbing. etc.
 *One play - all play - You can choose to play alone.  Once you play with a friend, then any friend can play.

• Give choices of cooperative play

8. We need to teach children to calm themselves and get in control.

• Reaction to inappropriate behavior, Teacher "Come stand next to me"
• Do you know why I asked you to stand next to me?
• What should you have done?

Classroom energy Breaks -

 *Deep Knee Bends
 *Hammering and building activities
 *Joint Compression helps centering - caring jugs of water to another room, etc.
 *Crab walks with the teacher in hallway

• Sit down with book to prepare for returning to the classroom

• Be sure that you really know what children are interested in and include that in the classroom.

• Have lots of things for children to do with their hands.

• Calming Basket - Basket with various calming and centering activities that involve physical motion:

 *tupperware with crayons to be peeled.  Later melted for rubbing work in room.

• Two colors of modeling clay -yellow/red, yellow/blue - child molds until they are one color.
• Puzzles
• Etcha Sketch

To Help a Child get into work - Pick a Ticket Basket for getting a child to move to a work. (Ticket is teacher made index card with cut out photo of classroom material; use your old catalogs). Child chooses a ticket and goes to that work. Helps them make a choice when they aren't able to. If they haven't had a lesson on that work they can pick another ticket, get a lesson from the teacher or another child.

Diet Intervention with parents is often a way to help a child who is distractable and/or disruptive.