Handout

Play & Movement
Enhance
Bonding, Learning, Fitness
Leah Kalish, MA – leah@move-with-me.com
www.move-with-me.com
(818) 667-3689
Play/Movement support Being Well & Doing Well • Over-­‐rides the body’s physiological response to stress. • Organizes whole-­‐brain func;on for op;mal learning. (Dennison and Hannaford). • Fuel the brain and body with oxygen and glucose. • Raises levels of glucose, serotonin, epinephrine and dopamine, all chemical messengers known to balance mind and body. • Triggers BDNF, a neuro-­‐tropic factor required for neural ac;vity. BDNF decreases aJer 20 minutes of siMng and is triggered again with movement. • Strengthens key areas of the brain – basal ganglia, cerebellum and corpus callosum by building brain cells and connec;ons. Improves mental focus and concentra;on (Caterino and Polk, 1999) Play/Movement support Being Well & Doing Well • Enhances memory, crea;vity and academic achievement. (Michund and Wild 1991), (Brink, 1995), (Vanves and Blanchard). • Develops eye muscle fitness and helps with reading. • Helps 85% of students who are kinesthe;c learners (Hannaford). Learning through body is more powerful than learning through listening and recalling facts (Jensen). If it’s not in your body, you really haven’t learned it. • Creates a fun, harmonious and safe environment for learning and developing social skills. • Develops self-­‐awareness and the ability to self-­‐ regulate • Builds self-­‐confidence and strengthens the connec;on to inner resources and healthy choices. Adventure Skill #1
Drink Water
Drink water regularly. Enhances: • Electro-­‐chemical ac@vity in Central Nervous System • Processing speed • Stress release Adventure Skill #2
Humming Breath*
Rub spots under collarbone with thumb and one finger while holding other hand over navel and tracking eyes horizontally. Deep breath and HUMMMMMMM S@mulates: • Flow of oxygen to the brain • Hemispheric integra@on • Binocular vision -­‐ eye teaming • RAS *Similar to Brain Buttons in Brain Gym®
Adventure Skill #3
Elephant Wisdom*
Ac@vates the brain for: • Crossing the auditory midline • Listening to one’s own voice • Short-­‐term working memory • Silent speech and thinking • Binaural listening *Thinking Caps in Brain Gym®
Adventure Skill #4
Monkey Wisdom*
March in place, alternately touching hands to opposite knees. Enhances: • Crossing the visual/auditory/ kinesthe@c/tac@le midlines • Hemispheric integra@on • Binocular vision • Binaural hearing • LeR right coordina@on *Cross Crawl in Brain Gym®
Adventure Skill #5
Deep Down Wisdom*
1. Cross your ankles and clasp hands with arms crossed over your chest. 2. Sit with finger@ps touching and feet on the floor. Supports: • Emo@onal centering • Grounding • Respira@on • Self-­‐control and boundaries *Hook ups in Brain Gym®
Adventure Skill #5
Infinity 8’s*
Star@ng at the midline, follow your hand as you draw 3 lazy eights. Repeat with other hand and again with both hands. Facilitates: • Crossing the visual midline • Bi-­‐lateral Hemispheric integra@on • Binocular and peripheral vision • Eye muscle coordina@on for tracking *Lazy Eight in Brain Gym® • Relaxed grasp Optimal
Focused (Brain Stem | Well-Being:
Rep@lian Brain): Par@cipates, recalls details, sees the “big picture,” able to mul@ task, confident, inten@onal, has a clear sense of self Centered (Limbic System | Mammalian Brain): Organized, grounded, follows through, tuned in to self and others, has a sense of well being Clear (Cortex | Thinking Brain): Acts and moves effortlessly, thinks clearly, graceful, ar@culate, reads and writes easily, good listener, interested, skillful What do we need?
• Adequate sleep • Wholesome nutri;on • Rhythm and rou;ne in daily life • Healthy sensory diet • Play, movement, exercise • Time in nature • Reasonable expecta;ons • Love What do many of us have instead?
• Sleep depriva;on • Junk food • Hec;c, overloaded schedules • Chao;c home life • Poor sensory diet • Hi-­‐tech passive entertainment, compe;;on • Sedentary life style • Developmentally inappropriate curriculum (students) Mind-Body State Under Stress:
Unfocused (Brain Stem | Rep@lian Brain): Holds back or tries too hard, lost in details, no perspec@ve, perseverates, looses self in task Uncentered (Limbic System | Mammalian Brain): Scabered, unstable, fragile, stuck, procras@nates, flooded with feelings or cut off, frustrated Unclear (Cortex | Thinking Brain): Struggles, uncoordinated, confused, lacks comprehension, inar@culate, poor listener, unskillful Play More, Stress Less
Play More, Learn More
The cognitive benefits of play and exercise
• • • • • • • • Ac;ve play promotes crea;ve problem solving, Ac;ve play facilitates be`er language skills Ac;ve play improves memory and learning Ac;ve play improves focus, a`en;on and sustained concentra;on Ac;ve play improves impulse control Ac;ve play improves balance and coordina;on Ac;ve play regulates body weight Ac;ve play calms, sooths and reduces self-­‐reported anxiety 4 Games
• Be a Mountain – play with & embody how to ground oneself and feel strong and stable • Nature Kids – play with and embody various forces quali;es in nature. End with Rainbow. • I’m a Rainbow – strong, happy, confident, caring, truthful, smart, understanding • Feather Fun – play with breath & embody, kindness & sensi;vity Yoga Poses
Blown Palm Bird Bear Dog Yoga Poses
Cat Dragon Frog Bug Boat Yoga Poses Bridge Bicycle Shark Lion Yoga Poses
Rock Rabbit Squirrel Star Twis;ng Star Movement Stories
• Make up your own – tell via movement • Choose yoga cards/poses – create a story – Yoga Pretzel/Planet Decks – Yoga Kit for Kids (Imaginazium) • Choose storybook – Kids act out as you read – Choreograph poses and movements first – Read a sec;on, then invite crea;ve movement: • Can you be a worm, mouse, cat? How do you move? • If you were a turtle/beetle, stuck on your back, show what would you do to get unstuck? • How does _______ move when happy? Angry? Sad? Scared? Ideal Movement Stories • • • • • • • • The Napping House by Audrey Wood The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Almost any of Eric Carle's books, – Brown Bear Brown Bear,What do you See? – Polar Bear Polar Bear, What do you Hear? Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman My Daddy is a Pretzel by Baron Bap;ste Babar’s Yoga for Elephants by Laurent de Brunhoff Chipmunk Song by Joanne Ryder RESOURCES
www.move-with-me.com
• Brain Gym® 101: Balance for Daily Life, Paul Dennison, Ph.D. & Gail Dennison, Brain Gym® and Me: Reclaiming the Pleasure of Learning. Ventura, CA: Edu-­‐Kinesthe@cs, Inc, 2006. Teacher’s Edi@on Revised. Ventura, CA: Edu-­‐Kinesthe@cs, Inc, 1994 www.braingym.com • Ratey, John. Spark: The Revolu@onary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. hbp://
sparkinglife.org/ • Healy, Jane. The Growing Mind. hbp://educa@on.jhu.edu/newhorizons/future/
crea@ng_the_future/crfut_healy.cfm • Goldberg, Elkhonon. The Execu@ve Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc. 2001. • Hannaford, Carla. The Dominance Factor: How Knowing Your Dominant Eye, Ear, Brain, Hand & Foot Can Improve Your Learning. Salt Lake City, Utah: Great River Books, 1997, Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head. Salt Lake City, Utah: Great River Books, 2005. hbp://
www.greatriverbooks.com/PlayingInTheUnifiedFieldPage.htm • Pearce, Joseph C. Evolu@on’s End: Claiming the Poten@al of Our Intelligence. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1992. hbp://puture.org/jcp/front • Sally Goddard Blythe -­‐ hbp://www.sallygoddardblythe.co.uk/index.php • Dr. John Medina -­‐ hbp://www.brainrules.net/