Monday Made It

#MondayMadeIt

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a relaxing weekend and had a chance to get out and enjoy the sunshine. This week I am sharing the many possibilities of a beach ball! They are inexpensive and it is great to stock up on them at this time of the year!

While I was on teaching practice I used it to start my Gaeilge lessons. 

The children loved them and it was a great way to get children up moving and speaking Irish. 

I feel it’s a good idea to write on the ball with a whiteboard marker as you can make changes as you need to. 

This is how I like to use it. Have the children make a big circle. Throw the ball to a child. The child then calls out the question under his/her right thumb.e.g.Cad is ainm duit? The child then answers and tosses the ball to someone else. If a child lands on an instruction, e.g.Gach duine seasaigí ar chos amháin ar feadh deich soicind then everyone completes the instruction.

In Math it can also be used to practice recalling tables.

I like to take both of these balls with me when subbing. What class wouldn’t enjoy tossing a beach ball around the room!!!

English: At the moment in the Resource room, we are practicing our understanding of story elements as we recall stories that we read. We got a marker and I asked pupil A to write one of the following questions on each section of the ball: Beginning?  Middle? End? Where? (Where did the story take place) Who? (Who were the main characters) Favourite part?etc.

Gross Motor Activities (which could also be used as warm up’s in PE)

The Exercise your tables is going very well and the children are doing a great job practicing this game. Some days we enjoy taking out the beach ball and playing a simple game of toss and catch (with a twist).  When a child catches the ball they must perform the exercise that is under their right thumb.  Children perform each exercise for 10 repetitions or hold for a count of 10.  I have no picture of this ball as I leave it in school.

This following activity is a favourite in my room. I allow the children to listen to their favourite song and ask them to pass the ball around the group.  When the music stops, whoever is holding the ball will perform the exercise under his/her right thumb. Everyone in the group repeats the exercise performed. I turn the music back on and continue to stop the music to perform a Gross Motor exercise.

I have yet to try this next exercise as I am waiting until the weather gets better. 

The children will get into a circle. They will kick the ball around the circle and when I will call out stop and the child with the ball between both his/her feet will perform the exercise that his/her
right ankle is touching.

So there you have it, just a couple of ways beach balls can be introduced in the classroom.

Let me know if you have tried any of the above,

Niamh,