Galactic Blast VBS - Yoga for Kiddos!

Here are the preschoolers, enjoying one of the poses from the book, "Black bear, black bear, what do you see?".  We are doing in this one is the Red Bird Pose, flying around in our Yoga nest.

I had several helpers for this large class. (Thanks Tamara & Leon & Recreation Helpers!!)  After each pose, I'd pipe in and say, "Criss Cross Applesauce", to indicate coming back to their place on the yoga mat.  There were so many kiddos, that there were 2 to 3 kiddos seated on the yoga mats.

Reading the story book and doing the poses worked well with this yoga bunch!

gaileee

Z is for Moose. Great book to use with Kids Yoga!

Found a delightful little book to use in Kids Yoga at my child's Scholastic Book fair last month.

"Z is for Moose!"

This laugh-out-loud romp of an abecedary features an impatient moose who just can’t wait for his turn. There is something intrinsically funny about moose (the art has a Bullwinkle feel), and this overenthusiastic one prematurely pops up onstage at D, wearing a proud grin, with hapless Duck having been pushed out of the way. Zebra (sporting a referee’s black-striped shirt) leaps out from the corner, shouting, “Moose? No. Moose does not start with D. You are on the wrong page.” Moose then wanders onto Elephant’s page, Fox and Glove are forced to share a stage, and then Moose’s irrepressibly excited mug plops down from the ceiling, obscuring Hat: “Is it my turn yet?” Basically, he is like an antsy kid anticipating his big star turn at M, only to be heartbroken when Mouse is given that letter’s starring role. Zebra, though frustrated, is not deaf to Moose’s offstage sobbing (look to the title for his resolution to the problem). Ideal for kids who are past struggling to learn the alphabet and who will fully get the humor in Moose’s goofy antics. Grades K-2. --Diane Foote

Review

“Everybody will be elated with this goofy new way of going from A to Z.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) )

“This zany alphabet book will make children smile.” (School Library Journal (starred review) )

“This laugh-out-loud romp of an abecedary features an impatient moose who just can’t wait for his turn.” (Booklist (starred review) )

“If you think you’ve seen every possible idea for an alphabet book played out, think again.” (Horn Book (starred review) )

“Just label it F for funny.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review) )

“Readers accustomed to the usual list of letters will be giggling with suspense by the time ‘L is for Lollipop’ rolls around.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Here is my review of the book.

Z is for Moose. Great book to use with Kids Yoga! This ABC book to use in reading the story out loud, then acting out the A, B, C animals in the book with yoga poses. It's great when moose tries to take over the other letters, and has great humor it the story line. I supplemented the book/storytelling with ABC Yoga for Kids Card deck, so that we could further act out animal poses for the letters. For example, the letter U, is Umbrella in the book, but I had the kiddos pick out cards from my yoga deck, and instead of acting out Umbrella, we acted out Unicorn instead. Worked very well for ages 4 - 12.

YogaKiddos with Gaileee [...] 

 Here are the cards that I used to supplement the storytelling aspect of the book for the class!

http://www.abcyogaforkids.com/

I bought the book, the color book and the cards to use in the YogaKiddos classes.

Ahh!  Enjoy!

Gaileee

Tools for Schools

Getting a yoga program started in your local school may be easier than you think.  Check out these resources for parents, classroom teachers, and yoga teachers who want to learn more about teaching yoga in school setting.

Grounded | Southeastern US
Offers yoga-for-kids teacher trainings, and fun classroom tools.  Find trained teachers listed at gogrounded.com.

Little Flower Yoga | New York City
Offers yoga-for-kids teacher trainings and workshops for educators; littlefloweryoga.com

Shanti Generation | Greater Los Angeles
Teaches in-school workshops on yoga and peacemaking skills; shantigeneration.com

Yoga Ed | Nationwide
Find teachers around the country trained in this groundbreaking kids' yoga curriculum; yogaed.com

Yoginos | Colorado, Maryland, Texas, and Utah
Find lesson plans and yoga videos for kids in Spanish and English, and sign up for yoga teacher trainings for classroom teachers; yoginos.com

Yoga4Classrooms | Eastern US
Trains teachers to lead kids in in-class yoga exercises and offers an activity deck with 67 classroom practices; yoga4classrooms.com

Panda Bear, Panda Bear YogaKiddos Lesson Plan

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?  I see a new YogaKiddos Dance Class Lesson Plan a happening!

Below is a lesson plan that I use to execute the Panda Bear book by Eric Carle, YogaKiddos Classroom activites.

Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/YogaKiddos

Plus a color page that you can pass out at the end of class

YogaKiddos Lesson Plan Winner Results. OMazing Kids Lesson Plan Contest

Back in October, I submitted my lesson plan for kids yoga to OMazing Kids website, and voting on facebook occurred and my friends on facebook and YOU came through and my lesson plan won!  Thank you!

 Kids Yoga Lesson Plan Contest on OMazing Kids

Go over to the facebook site to see the set of lesson plans submitted, print and put into your folders for future reference to use in teaching kiddos yoga.  Great stuff!

Yoga Kids Lesson Plans to view, print out and use in classes

As part of my winning the contest Angela would help me with figuring out another lesson plan for me to use with the kiddos.   The “Prize”: The winning lesson plan will be announced on the OMazing Kids blog with the entire lesson plan text & picture(s), author’s name, website, Facebook page & other social media page links included. It will be announced & shared on all the OMazing Kids social media sites and your Facebook page will be “tagged” and folks will be encouraged to go “like” your page (think of it as a social media blitz to help promote your website & social media sites). The winner will also have the opportunity to receive a custom made visual support and story props made by me to go with their lesson plan and consultation regarding inclusion of kids with special needs. The details for that will be handled via e-mail correspondence with me.

So I selected the book Animalia by Graeme Base.  My friend Tammy Miller, gave Grace this book as a gift, and I quickly saw that this book had great potential to be used in a YogaKiddos class.  I gave Angela of OMazing Kids Yoga a crack at it to see what she could come up with.  Here are her list of suggested yoga poses, based on the contents of the book.

• Armadillo or Horrible Harry Hogs (rock and roll)
• Alligator (alligator)
• Blue Butterflies (butterfly)
• Babbling Brook (waterfall)
• Crimsom Cats (cat)
• Crusty Crayfish (crab)
• Diabolical Dragons (dragon breath)
• Elephant (elephant)
• Easter Eggs (child’s pose)
• Fat Frogs (frog)
• Fish (fish)
• Green Gorilla's (thymus chest taps)
• Grapes (a cluster of child’s pose)
• Harnessed Horses (donkey kicks)
• Ingenious Iguanas (plank)
• Musical instruments (could incorporate kids following beat of drumming or tapping rythym sticks)
• Jovial Jackals (Up Dog)
• Quails, Kookaburra or Vulture (bird)
• Kangaroo (self hug like in a pouch)
• Koala (tree – eucalyptus trees)
• Lazy Lions (lion)
• Library (turning legs in easy pose like pages in a book)
• Meticulous Mice (extended child’s pose)
• Mathematical Messages (standing star to be a multiplication sign)
• Old Ostrich (forward bend like hiding head in sand)
• Onion Omelette (stir the pot to mix the ingredients)
• Proud Peacocks (seated angle)
• Rickety Red Rickshaws (wheelbarrow – but only if the kids are old enough to do this safely as partners)
• Six Slithering Snakes (cobra)
• Two Tigers (cat with leg extended for tail + roar)
• Train to Timbuktu (choo-choo breath)
• Wicked Warrior Wasps (Warrior 1)
• Wildly waving warlike weapons (Warrior 2)

Then I needed to show her some specific pages to get more ideas for some of these pages in the book.

• Newts (boat pose)
• Rex Fox Fixing Six Sax (could do blowing – bubbles, pom poms, etc. since you blow the instrument to play it.)
• Yaks Yodelling in Yellow Yaughts (maybe a yodeling breath?)

 And Angela's suggestion for multiple items on a page. "When there are multiple things on a page I typically just do poses or breathing for the ones that match up the best..... especially for a book that has as much as this in it."

This book will get several YogaKiddos classes out of it since it has so much great graphics on the page!

Thanks Angela!  

Thank you! I won the Yoga Lesson plan for Kids. Thanks for your vote!

“Using Books to Practice Kids Yoga” by Gail Pickens-Barger – winning entry in the Kids Yoga Lesson Plan Contest on OMazing Kids

Posted October 17, 2012 by OMazing Kids in Contest, lesson plan. Tagged: children yoga, Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids, kids wellness, kids yoga, kids yoga lesson plan contest, Kids Yoga Stories, Life Moves Through ~ Yoga & Somatic Arts, Little Yoga Stars - Debbie Logan, OMazing Kids, YogaKiddos with Gaileee. Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Gail Pickens-Barger for “Using Books to Practice Kids Yoga” – the winning entry in the Kids Yoga Lesson Plan Contest on OMazing Kids!

Lesson Plan: http://omazingkidsyoga.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/using-books-to-practice-kids-yoga-gail-pickens-barger-yogakiddos-with-gaileee.pdf
Supply List: http://omazingkidsyoga.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/using-books-to-practice-kids-yoga-gail-pickens-barger-yogakiddos-with-gaileee-supply-list.pdf
Please head over to “like” her Facebook page at: YogaKiddos with Gaileee (http://www.facebook.com/YogaKiddos), follow her on Twitter at:  http://www.twitter.com/YogaWithGaileee & check out her blog at: http://yogakiddos.blogspot.com/
I LOVED all the lesson plan entries! See all of them in this album on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. There is a link to the PDF of each lesson plan on each pic:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=454637441253933&set=a.454637344587276.123432.174264525957894&type=1&theater#!/media/set/?set=a.454637344587276.123432.174264525957894&type=1.
Please also head over to “like” each of these Facebook pages as thanks for them taking the time to share their ideas with us! 

• Carolyn at Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids
• Debra at Little Yoga Stars – Debbie Logan
• Giselle at Kids Yoga Stories
• Laura at Life Moves Through ~ Yoga & Somatic Arts

Voting has started!  You have today, October 13 and October 14, 2012 to click on my Kids Lesson Plan and *Like* the lesson plan that you like the best.

I teach Kids Yoga and my Lesson Plan is being voted today and tomorrow. If you like my lesson plan, won't you please click *like* on my lesson plan photo? Thank you! Please vote for my YogaKiddos Lesson Plan https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=454637441253933&set=a.454637344587276.123432.174264525957894&type=1&theater 
for my birthday present! Thank you! Gaileee 

Click on the link, then click on the lesson plan you like, then actually *like* it to make a vote count!!!

I teach Kids Yoga and my Lesson Plan is being voted today and tomorrow. If you like my lesson plan, won't you please click *like* on my lesson plan photo? Thank you! Please vote for my YogaKiddos Lesson Plan for my birthday present! Thank you! Thank you! Gail
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=454637441253933&set=a.454637344587276.123432.174264525957894&type=1&theater
Click on the link, then click on the lesson plan you like, then actually *like* it to make a vote count!!!