Saint Mary's

My first few weeks at Saint Mary's I have really enjoyed. I love knowing at the end of the day I don't have to sit in a classroom but I can actually make a difference in a child's life and be a role model. What we have done is try to take games out of our books and off line, and teach them to the children. While teaching, we also assess and evaluate the skills needed for that day. For example, the first time we watched the motor skills of the kids was when they had them do a run, hop, and gallop. I always think it is a good idea to demonstrate to the kids how to do these skills properly. They may not know how to in the first place, so it is good to give them a good visual. This way, when assessing them, you can get a really good look as to what you need to watch and correct.

My group played a game called Alligator Ally. This is a game with very few pieces of equipment. Hula hoops and yarn balls is all that is needed to make this game fun. The point of the game is to avoid the players with the balls, which are the alligators. If you are on a hula hoop (lillypad in game play) then you are safe. If you are tagged with the ball you then become an alligator. This was a good game to assess because both the taggers and the regular players had to do the movements in the game such as run, gallop and hop.

What I've learned about myself is that I actually enjoy teaching and playing with the younger kids as opposed to the older kids. I feel as though the older kids have seen it all already and for obvious reasons, while the younger kids are so excited to play something else besides regular tag games and they can be their favorite animals or favorite character on TV. All in all it is a great experience helping out at Saint Mary's and making me feel as if seem I have impacted a child's life by making him or her active.