First sessions

Children really enjoyed the freedom given in the ‘locomotor warm up’. They were eager to give suggestions for ways to travel around the room and loved the freedom of doing their own movements all around the space. I was conscious to keep emphasising that they could do whatever they felt. I intend to build on this coming weeks by talking to them more about the characteristics of each movement – what makes a ‘jump’ or a ‘slide’, this then unpicking what makes the movement unique and opening up more potential to explore that concept in other parts of the body.

The year 1 activity to run and ‘make a mark’ for each different type of weather on big pieces of paper was appealing and they enjoyed rushing around the room and leaving their own ideas in each place using their pencil. Many children were able to think independently and creatively about what that weather may look like on paper, as opposed to visually representing things that describe it such as drawing snowmen or sun, wind and rain were easiest. We began to discuss the typical qualities of each drawing in being short and sharp, long and smooth etc. I will repeat a similar session next week.

How far should we go in catagorising and defining particular movement qualities for each weather, is this me telling the idea to the children and restricting them or them developing a language to describe but still with enough movement freedom?

With Year 2, children were encouraged to describe something they find ‘in the wild’, written on a piece of paper which each child then laid in a space of their choice. Children lay on the floor with eyes closed and were transported away from the school and into a different imagined environment, a rainforest soundtrack assisting, making their way around the space and responding how they wanted to the words. After we tried this once, we discussed and I did some modeling of possibilities before trying again. All children were completely absorped, meeting their own level in terms of movement and imagination, giving them permission to play!

Resisting the temptation to model movement or verbalise ideas before children first try the activity, then modeling afterwards and discussing to increase their options – effective?

Leaving space open – for next weeks physical story, can children choose what will happen, I make a story by putting the ingredients together but still leaving space for children to decide how there character will react emotionally and physically, to make their own sections/endings?

Next week, how can these more open ended explorative tasks be gradually progressed to building specific skills and eventually setting individual/group movement material or sections.

Year 4 and 6 – Dance codes. After the locomotor warm up, I explained the concept of creating dance for everyone to enjoy doing dance week by making a movement code.  Children discussed and decided key movements and symbols to represent each. They all then enjoyed writing their own dance in pairs, using the code.  I emphasised from the start that we would do a test run and try things, adjust, suggest, improve, try again, see what worked etc… to give them a feeling of flexibility and us as a group giving input and changing it over the two weeks. A few children started to respond to this, and had the idea to combine movements such as a jump kick by writing them next to each other instead of in separate rows, also adding  then number of times and if it was a strong or light movement or on a certain level, using another symbol.

Could I have been more vague about the idea of creating a code and posing the question ‘during dance week we want all children to do other dances apart from just in the hall during the dance class, this could be by themselves, with friends and anytime but mainly playtime, how could we do this?’.