2013 Week 4:Tatty Bumpkin's Activity for the Week is CROCODILE POSE!!

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist
 
The pose for this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is CROCODILE. In the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin and her friends to the scary Crocodile’s river, don’t worry too much -  he might be scary but he is also very sleepy!

 

What CROCODILE Pose Looks Like

Be a snappy, scary crocodile with your Carer or friends

How To Do It (What to Tell your Child)

Lie on your tummy, with your arms above your head, roll onto one side and SNAP your arms and hands together. Then roll onto your other side and SNAP. Try to keep your elbows straight when you are doing your snaps. Make scary, snapping, crocodile sounds or count the number of snaps you do.
 
Note to parents: younger children may find it hard to snap with their arms above their head. If this is the case, encourage your child to stretch their arms out in front at shoulder level, and then snap.

 

Want to Make it Harder? 

Lie on your tummy lift your head, shoulders and arms off the floor and do a SNAP out in front. Then rest your arms down on the floor. This activity is harder as you have to lift both your arms off the floor – and arms are heavy! So do be careful and if anything hurts stop.

Note to parents: if you are doing this pose with your child, tighten your buttocks before lifting your arms off the floor, in this way your will use the correct muscles and not strain your back. 

Snap with your arms out in front

 

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

When your child rolls from side to side in Crocodile pose, snapping with their arms and hands they will increase:

• The activity and awareness of their shoulder, back, tummy and hip muscles, their ‘core muscles’. Strengthening and increasing awareness of these muscle groups will improve your child’s sitting posture and increased activity in their shoulder muscles will aid their fine motor skills.

• Their co-ordination of their right and left hand sides. This is a basic motor skill which your child will draw upon if they start doing more complex sporting activities like football, dance or rugby.

 

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class Crocodile pose can become both a multi-sensory and an educational activity.  In Tatty Bumpkin classes we always try to stimulate a variety of senses, to add to the fun, give choice & to help the learning process. 

If your child is attending a Tatty Bumpkin class this week they are likely to be doing Crocodile pose along to the Tatty Bumpkin Crocodile song whilst snapping at our toy fish. This will make the activity truly multi-sensory for them and will promote both their eye-hand co-ordination skills and their sense of rhythm. 

All our classes are linked to the new 2012 EYFS framework meaning that your child will have the opportunity to progress in all areas of their development, giving them a truly holistic experience. 

Children love doing things together, by watching others they also learn a great deal – often finding out a better way of doing things.
 
Wrapping the Crocodile pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find the pose and the other activities more meaningful and hence more fun to do. 

In Crocodile story your child will go deep into the jungle with the elephants, monkeys and Tatty Bumpkin – they will need to work out a way to cross the Crocodile’s river without waking him … Umm they could do with some ideas!  
Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html

2013 Week 3:Tatty Bumpkin's Activity for the Week is BLOWING FEATHERS!

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist

The activity of this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is BLOWING FEATHERS, in the sessions your child will go on an adventure and encounter the ‘Caring Feather’. With Tatty Bumpkin your child will explore the many different ways the feather helps the ‘Baby Bird’. 

What FEATHER Activity Looks Like

Take a deep breath and blow a feather high into the air!

How To Do It (What to tell your child)

Stroke the feather over your skin, how does it feel? Stroke your arms, legs, feet and forehead with the feather, does it feel different on your feet compared with your forehead? What words would you use to describe the feeling: soft, tickly? 

Now put the feather on the back of your hand and see if you can blow it up high into the air. Take a big breath in and then do a big blow out just under the feather.

Note to Parents: Younger children, 2 – 3 year olds, may need the support of an adult or friend to hold the feather, so they can concentrate on blowing.

Blowing a feather together!

Want To Make it Harder?  

Turn your hand over and place the feather on the palm of your hand. Try to keep your palm really flat, as this will make it easier for you to blow the feather into the air.

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

When your child concentrates on blowing the feather they will become more aware of their breath, as this activity encourages them to take deeper, slower breaths. As your child takes slower breaths their heart rate will also slow and their blood pressure will lower slightly, this helps them to calm down and relax.

If you give your child opportunities for relaxation and ‘quietness’ during their day, along with ideas on how to do this, they will become more aware of their ‘levels of alertness’ and will be able to self-regulate these levels when they become too excited.  

The action of blowing feathers also encourages your child to:

• Activate their tummy muscles

• Strengthen their hand and wrist muscles as they support the feather

• Develop their eye hand co-ordination.

Exploring, investigating and talking about the nature of the feather: how it feels, moves and looks, enhances your child’s wonderment of their environment along with their vocabulary.    

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class blowing feathers can become both a multi-sensory and an educational activity. In Tatty Bumpkin classes we always try to stimulate a variety of senses, to add to the fun, give choice & to help the learning process. During this weeks class your child will have the opportunity to investigate the nature of their feather to the lovely Tatty Bumpkin Feather Song.

All our classes are linked to the new 2012 EYFS framework meaning that your child will have the opportunity to progress in all areas of their development, giving them a truly holistic experience. 

Children love doing things together, by watching others they also learn a great deal – often finding out a better way of doing things.

Tatty Bumpkin will be doing FEATHER ACTIVITY this week when the ‘Caring Feather’ tumbles to the ground in front of her, amongst the snowflakes and the last of the winter leaves. The ‘Caring Feather’ then tells Tatty Bumpkin his special story; he tells her how he kept the Baby Bird warm, taught the Baby Bird to fly and protected the Baby Bird from cats … I am sure there are many other ways the feather helps the Baby Bird – do you have any ideas?

Wrapping the pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find the poses and exercises more meaningful and hence more fun to do. In this story your child will have the opportunity to wonder at their environment and investigate the nature of feathers. Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html

2013 Week 2:Tatty Bumpkin's Pose for the Week is SPIDER!

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist

The posture of this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is SPIDER pose, in the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin… back to her house! There you will help 'Spider' find her baby spiders!

 

What SPIDER Pose Looks Like

How to do it (What to tell your child)

On the floor crawl on your hands and knees - crawl quickly as a scuttling spider, and then crawl slowly as a sleepy spider. Crawl forwards, backwards and maybe sideways! If you are doing spider pose with friends, gently tickle their toes but, be careful, they may tickle you back!
 

Want to make it harder? 

Squat on the floor and rock from side to side on your toes, you can use your hands for support. Try to creep forwards, backwards and sideways staying in the squat position.

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

When your child crawls in SPIDER pose they increase the activity in their shoulder, back, tummy and hip muscles. Activity in these ‘core’ muscles will encourage your child to adopt a good sitting posture; activity in their shoulder muscles will aid your child’s fine motor skills.

Your child will also benefit from having the opportunity to ‘return to crawling’, as crawling:

• Helps your child to refine their visual tracking skills, especially looking upwards & downwards. Your child has to do this ‘tracking’ action many times during their day, when they look up at a person, or at a whiteboard, and then down to their paper, so it is important the action is as smooth as possible.

• Promotes and strengthens the connections between the right and left hand sides of your child’s brain. These neural connections enable your child to: smoothly co-ordinate the right and left sides of their body and to retrieve, sort and sequence information. If these connections are not well established a child may have difficulties with knowing their left from right sides, number, letter and word reversals (b/d, on/no) and memory.  

Moving to Tatty B Spider song in the adventure will have supported your child’s sense of rhythm. The breath activity of blowing the baby spiders home would have helped your child to calm, ready for the rest of their day. 

Blowing the baby spiders home!

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class spider pose can become both a multi-sensory and an educational activity. In Tatty Bumpkin classes we always try to stimulate a variety of senses, to add to the fun, give choice & to help the learning process.

All our classes are linked to the new 2012 EYFS framework meaning that your child will have the opportunity to progress in all areas of their development, giving them a truly holistic experience. 

Children love doing things together, by watching others they also learn a great deal – often finding out a better way of doing things.

Tatty Bumpkin will be doing spider pose this week as she meets mummy spider whilst giving her home at Wobble Farm a good clean after the Christmas muddle. Spider has some crazy ideas on where to spin her web; in the washing machine, on the toaster, even on the telephone! Oh dear! Can you please help spider find a better place for her spider family?

Wrapping the pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find the exercises more meaningful and hence more fun to do. In addition your child will have the chance to think about the different jobs people do in their community. Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html

2013 Week 1:Tatty Bumpkin's Pose for the Week is STARFISH!

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist

The posture for the first full week of 2013 in Tatty Bumpkin classes is STARFISH pose. In the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin to the beach (we all need a bit of sun at this time of year!) to play with Starfish and his shoes!

 

What STARFISH Pose Looks Like

Cousins doing Starfish Pose!

How to do it (What to tell your child)

Stand with your feet wide apart and stretch both your arms out to the side - in the shape of a starfish. See how wide you really are! 

Want to make it harder? 

What to tell your child: Stand with your feet together and your arms by your sides - jump into a starfish shape and then jump back. In standing or lying practise waving your five starfish tentacles: wave one leg in the air, then the other, then wave your arms and finally your head – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!

Note to parents – On occasions it is a good idea to offer your child a little bit of support when they are balancing, especially if they are just learning to do this.  Support your child , gently round their hips so their arms are free to do the appropriate balancing movements, they then have the opportunity to experience the act of  balancing in a ‘straighter’ position or ‘in alignment.' Your child will also be encouraged to use their mature balance reactions. If your child keeps trying to balance in a crooked position i.e. with their legs wrapped round each other, this may become a habit. As soon as your child starts to ‘get the idea’ of balancing in alignment, stand back or offer less support and let them try by themselves. Maybe suggest they use a wall rather than your hand for support.

 

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

When your child does STARFISH POSE they find out more about their body shape, your child might be quite surprised to see how far their arms can reach. This awareness of body shape results in part from stimulation of the proprioceptive sense (the receptors are in our muscles and joints). As your child grows they will benefit from having reminders on how their body shape is changing, this will give them a deeper body confidence and increase their understanding of their own bodies. 
 
As you encourage your child to wave their starfish tentacles, they will have to wave one leg, then the other, then each of their arms in turn and finally their head! This activity will not only increase their body awareness but will also progress their balance by activating their core muscles i.e. their hip, shoulder, back and tummy muscles.

Bring in some fun maths by encouraging your child to count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, as they wave each of their starfish limbs!

 

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class starfish pose can become both a multi-sensory and an educational activity.  In Tatty Bumpkin classes we always try to stimulate a variety of senses, to add to the fun, give choice & to help the learning process.

All our classes are linked to the new 2012 EYFS framework meaning that your child will have the opportunity to progress in all areas of their development, giving them a truly holistic experience. 

Children love doing things together, by watching others they also learn a great deal – often finding out a better way of doing things.

Tatty Bumpkin will be doing STARFISH pose when she visits the baby starfish on his beach. Oh no! He is getting his starfish shoes in a muddle! Hopefully Tatty Bumpkin will be able to help him choose the right pair of shoes for all his starfish games – but she will need ideas from everyone…
 
Wrapping the pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find the exercises more meaningful and hence more fun to do. In addition your child will have the chance to think about the different jobs people do in their community. Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html