Movement- Winter week 8

This week it was clear that friends had anticipated movement for the whole term. Friends arrived reminiscing about previous movement classes: "Remember when we did handstands out there (pointing to the hallway)," "Remember when we used to do the obstacle course?" "I loved when we did tight roping!" These memories helped to jump-start our movement class and a conversation about ways to move our bodies in safe ways. As we started out with stretches, we talking about how our muscles are a bit like a rubber band. If you stretch them little by little, they will eventually become more flexible. Yet, if you try and stretch too far too fast, it can damage them.
As our big idea this term is "process" we worked to break down the process of a handstand together. Movement friends first started by locking their elbows to keep their arms straight and strong, and to protect their heads and neck. Then friends practiced getting the momentum to jump their bodies all the way up into a handstand. Friend enjoyed practicing these two key factors while playing a dancing game. When the music stopped, they had to lock those elbows, place their hands on the ground, and kick their legs up like a donkey. Throughout the week, we also worked on exercising specific muscles used in a handstand to become sturdier and stronger.