Puddle Jumper~ Part Two

As I discussed last week, mud and mud puddles are considered REQUIRED curriculum here in our household. In our hour or so we spent with said puddles we covered MANY subjects: Science, Math, Language, Art.....and Physical Development. One of my many topics of interest through my work, in Early Childhood Development, is Physical Activity for young children. In the last year, I have attended 3 separate trainings designed to help increase the physical activity offered in Preschool Programs. Being the ever dedicated mother, I have taken much of this information to heart, and have applied my knowledge to mine and Sugar's life.



Four days a week, Sugar spends 9 hours in a Home Daycare/Preschool. Though I love her provider, and know Sugar is well taken care of, a major concern is the amount of physical activity provided during the rainy months. I am certain that Sugar falls quite short of the suggested HOUR of ORGANIZED physical activity each day. To make up for this shortage, I try to spend ½ hour each evening MOVING with my girl. We have some great movement CD's with interactive songs. We dance, and follow the singing instructions. It took a month or so for Sugar to really buy into it....but now she requests certain songs. Our hearts get to pumping, and our smiles brighten. I have no doubt it is not only good for our bodies....but wonderful for our souls.



You may be wondering what all this has to do with our puddle jumping excursion besides the obvious. Granted....going for a walk, and jumping into puddles is considered physical activity, but I take it a whole step further. I believe whole heartedly, that the earlier young children master body movement, the more proficient they will be in the future. I also believe that learning to move your body builds the brain connections you will need to do anything from Reading to Mathematics. With this in mind, I don't just observe Sugar playing in the puddles, I participate.



I model different movements for Sugar to follow. I challenge her to move her body in different ways. We work on balance, bending, stretching, hopping, jumping, leaping, running, walking, galloping, tip-toeing, throwing and so on. It is a blast, and I feel good that I am not only improving her health in the present, but I am increasing her chances of excelling in the future. It all makes sense......and it is FUN!



Here she is working on balance, and bending. To encourage this, I suggested picking up rocks to throw in the puddle. I even pointed out certain rocks to give her different opportunities to reach and lean.



At the same time, obviously, we worked on throwing and tossing. We discussed the difference between an overhand throw, and an underhand toss. It was interesting to see the difference in her accuracy using each technique.





Needless to say, the jumping skills are easily encouraged when puddles are present. However, I find that Sugar still struggles with a TRUE jump. She finds it very difficult to have both her feet leave the ground at the same time, and land together as well. Hopping, which requires holding one foot off the ground, then hopping up into the air with the other foot, while landing on the same foot is equally difficult. It is a whole lot easier for her to Leap. She projects her body off of one foot, while landing on the other foot. This is by far her preferred method when attempting to launch herself OVER puddles.



To encourage her to work on all types of jumping, leaping and hopping, I call out different ideas as she is playing. She likes to be challenged! "Hey Sugar! Show mama how you can leap OVER that big puddle over there!" She gladly obliges.



She loves to Leap....



LOVES.IT.SO.MUCH!



"Hey Sugar....how about leaping INTO the puddle!"



To get her to actually JUMP, I often encourage running, then jumping INTO the puddle. If I suggest the run...to get the BIGGEST splash, she is all for it, and actually comes fairly close to a TRUE jump. It is a work in progress.



All attempts require celebration though...and for that I am always available. I can whoop and holler with the best of them. It is lovely to know that along with the leg muscles...our facial muscles are getting a workout as well. Go Sugar!



"RINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG..." The bell has rung. This concludes another successful day in Puddle Jumping 101. Please join us next week for Hide and Seek 102. See you there!