Today the boys and girls got involved in a Valentine’s Day themed relay! They got to practice their maths while doing some exercise at the same time!
Valentine’s Day Orienteering
Trying out Mini-Me Yoga!
In December, teachers completed a ‘Mini Me Yoga’ Foundation course with Natalie Boyle. Today the children in Mrs Mc Guirk’s room got the opportunity to engage with yoga in a fun and active, but meaningful way. This is another step towards helping increase the overall mental health and well-being of both pupils and teachers as part of our Health Promoting Schools Campaign and Active Flag Campaign.
Here are some of the many benefits of teaching yoga to kids:
Yoga helps kids to:
- Develop body awareness
- Learn how to use their bodies in a healthy way
- Manage stress through breathing, awareness, meditation and healthy movement
- Build concentration
- Increase their confidence and positive self-image
- Feel part of a healthy, non-competitive group
The children enjoyed their session today and I can definitely see the children reaping the many rewards listed above!
Active Week 2019
Active Schools Week took place this year in our school between Monday 27th and Friday 31st of May 2019. We engaged in many fun active events at school and at home. All children were encouraged to wear comfortable sports gear and footwear for this whole week. Have a peek below at some of the events we got involved in.
Gaelic in our School
Annually, we are very fortunate as a school to get skilled coaches (from Monaghan GAA) into our school to teach all our pupils varying levels of Gaelic skills through the use of fun activities, focusing on the required techniques.
Dance in our School
As part of our Active Flag Campaign we had a dance instructor visit our school and teach dance to our pupils, every Wednesday for ten weeks. All the children got active in completing various dance moves. Please have a browse at our photos to see our pupils in action. Rosita also got involved in some dancing as part of our Active Flag Campaign. Thank you Rosita for teaching us some fantastic moves!
A visit from an Olympian!
As part of our Active Flag Campaign we had a very special sports person visit our school on Wednesday the 7th March ‘18. Brian Gregan, Olympic Athlete visited, as part of the Sports for Schools Initiative. All of the children got active in completing various circuits and they also learned lots about what’s involved in becoming a famous athlete. Our school also received money towards PE equipment, which we were delighted about. We have ordered some new supplies and we will definitely be putting them to good use outdoors! Please have a browse at our photos to see some of the fun activities the pupils got involved in.
Active Yard Leaders
This year we have active leaders from fifth and sixth class as we feel they are the most responsible members for carrying out leadership roles in games. Leaders select an active game from a list compiled by the teachers and also from suggestions received from pupils (via our suggestion box). The games that take place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday are a massive success and it has proven to be a fantastic way of promoting team work among our children and also a way of ensuring that every child gets involved in physical activity. Keep up the great work leaders! See our Active Leaders below!
Here are some pictures of our Active Leaders at work indoors and outdoors and also some of our Busy Break or Brain Break activities carried out by our teachers throughout the school day!
Active Schools Committee 2019 – 2020
Our Active Schools Committee are responsible for helping keep our school body active through lots of different initiatives!
Active Breaks
Active Breaks involve the children dancing and participating in various busy break activities which promote physical activity. Some of these examples include Just Dance, Go Noodle Dance, Busy Breaks and 10@10 challenges.
Children also do various exercises after each break for 10 seconds (Active Lines led by our Active Leaders) before entering the school.
Food Dudes
Food Dudes is a programme developed by the University of Wales, Bangor, to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables both in school and at home. It is based on positive role models (the Food Dudes characters), repeated tasting and rewards. For the second time in May 2016 our children participated in this programme, tasting a variety of fruit and vegetables and receiving some wonderful awards for their efforts. Children got to taste foods they hadn’t eaten before and experiment with trying out some new ideas for healthy snacks.
