2013 Week 11: Tatty Bumpkin's POSE for the Week is BEAR!

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

The activity of this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is BEAR POSE; in the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin to the mountains to meet a family of mountain bears ...  in their cave  ...

What BEAR POSE Looks Like

 

Stretch your hamstrings, strengthen your tummy muscles, refine your balance and growl in Bear Pose!

How To Do It (What to tell your child)

Stand up with your legs a little apart (about hip width). Bend forward and grasp hold of the back of your legs with both hands just below your knees. Walk forwards like a big bear trying to keep your knees straight. Remember to keep hold of your legs with your hands. After a few steps straighten up, to stretch out your back, then walk on as a grumpy bear making growling sounds!

Note to parents: Younger children might find it hard to hold the back of their legs, so encourage them to walk as a bear by bending forwards and putting their hands on their knees. Encourage younger children to growl as bears to develop their speech sounds.

Want to Make it Harder? (What to tell your child)

See if you can walk backwards or sideways as a bear. To make the pose even harder place your hands under your toes and then walk forwards – be careful this is very hard, but great for the tummy muscles!

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

Bear pose gives your child the opportunity to stretch out the muscles at the back of their legs i.e. their hamstring and calf muscles. Generally these muscles are prone to tightness as they are kept in a shortened position whilst we are sitting – if your child is having a growth spurt they might be more prone to tightness. 

In addition bear pose can progress your child’s:

• Core stability - Bear pose activates both tummy muscles and the hip muscles.

• Proprioception (body awareness) - Bear pose offers your child a great opportunity to increase their understanding of their body shape.

• Balance skills: To walk forwards in bear pose your child has to shift their weight from one leg to the other, challenging their balance.

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class Bear 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 will be stomping as bears, making growling sounds as they move down the mountain path to the mountain bear poem. On their way the bears meet snake and your child then has the opportunity to practise their slithering and sliding to Tatty Bumpkin snake song. These multi-sensory activities will promote your child’s engagement, concentration skills and creativity, all vital aspects of 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.

Wrapping Bear pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find Bear pose and the other activities more meaningful and hence more fun to do. This week Tatty Bumpkin ventures into the mountains, she discovers the bears in their cave, the snake on a rock, the cheeky mountain rabbits and last but definitely not least the mountain lion – ROAR! Yikes, she will need an escape plan! We know Tatty Bumpkin is a ‘thinker’ so I’m sure she will hatch a plan fast - but she will always listen to ideas first!

Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at  http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html

2013 Week 10: Tatty Bumpkin's POSE for the Week is COCKEREL!

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

The pose for this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is COCKEREL POSE; in the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin and she is late!!!

What COCKEREL POSE Looks Like

Crow Cockle-doodle-doo with Tatty Bumpkin

How To Do It (What to tell your child)

Start in sitting or kneeling with your elbows bent and your hands on your waist. Flap your elbows like wings and wiggle your body side to side! Then stretch your arms up above your head, bringing your palms together, and take them back down to your sides, like bigger wings. Repeat several times and crow “cockle-doodle-doo!”

Want to Make it Harder? (What to tell your child):

Move into standing. Put your hands on your waist and flap your elbows as before but  this time also bend your knees and wriggle your bottom down to the floor – just like a chicken settling down in the straw! Once again crow “cockle-doodle-doo!”

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

Cockerel pose is another great shoulder stretch for your child, giving them the opportunity to stretch the pectoralis muscles at the front of their chests. Hence it is the perfect antidote to ‘screen time’ when your child may be sitting in a more slumped position. Adding knee bends and wriggling are a fun way to refine co-ordination skills.
 

• The ‘crowing’ activity will enhance your child’s:

• Breath control. Steady, deep breathing is important for both movement and speech.

• Proprioception (body awareness). As your child takes a deep breath in and out, really activating their diaphragm, they will develop their body awareness

• Ability to ‘self-regulate’ their emotional state. Deeper, slower breaths cause an automatic decrease in heart rate and blood pressure leading to a more ‘relaxed state’. A few “cockle-doodle-doos” might well help your child to calm if they feel worried or anxious about something as well as making them smile!

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class Cockerel 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 will be balancing and crossing their midline in Cockerel pose whilst crowing, listening and joining in with the actions to Tatty Bumpkin Cockerel song. This multi-sensory activity will promote your child’s engagement, concentration skills and creativity, all vital aspects of 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.

Wrapping Cockerel pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find Cockerel pose and the other activities more meaningful and hence more fun to do. This week poor Tatty Bumpkin is late for her adventure! She misses her plane because Cockerel was confused about the new summer time. Tatty Bumpkin is a ‘thinker’ and I am sure she will solve her problem, after listening to everyone’s ideas ….
 
Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at  http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html

2013 Week 9: Tatty Bumpkin's POSE for the Week is SUN!

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

The pose for this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is SUN POSE; in the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin zooming up into space to visit the planets that go round the sun.

 

What SUN POSE Looks Like

Reach and stretch out like an enormous Sun!

How To Do It (What to tell your child)

Start in sitting, kneeling or standing, and stretch your arms out to either side – see how wide you are! Now move your arms above your head so your palms are touching and look up at your hands – feel how tall you are! Slowly take your arms back down to your sides and look straight ahead. You have made a big sun shape with your arms with you head in the middle!

Note to parents: your child is likely to find Sun pose easier to do in sitting compared to standing as sitting is a more stable position; they are closer to the floor and have more of their body on the floor. If your child is younger encourage them to start doing Sun pose in sitting so they can concentrate on stretching their arms out wide and above their head. 

 

Want to Make it Harder?

Encourage your child to take a big breath in as they raise their arms above their head and then to breathe all the way out as they lower their arms back down to their sides.

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

Even young children can spend a great deal of time sitting and playing with objects and toys held in front of them, everyone loves investigating mobile phones and computers! In this playing position your child may tend to slump and hunch their shoulders. When your child does Sun pose they open their arms out wide, and expand their chest giving their chest, arm, shoulder & back muscles a really great stretch! 

As your child moves their head to look up at their hands and then straight ahead they are stretching and strengthening their neck muscles and refining their postural skills i.e. keeping their body still whilst they move just their head. Your child will use this selective head and neck movement in the class room when they are looking up to the white board.

By doing big breaths with Sun pose your child will become more aware of their breathing and what it feels like to take deeper breaths. When they breathe in as they raise their arms above their head your child will be giving their chest muscles an even bigger stretch.

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class Sun 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 will have the opportunity to zoom as rockets into space, stretching out in sun pose and exploring the planets. They will visit Mars, space-walking to a Tatty Bumpkin rhythm track and Jupiter to balance red spots.These multi-sensory activities will promote your child’s engagement, concentration skills and creativity, all vital aspects of 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.

Wrapping sun pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find sun pose and the other activities more meaningful and hence more fun to do. In the 'Tatty Bumpkin Space Adventure' your child and Tatty Bumpkin explore all eight planets learning about their different worlds - tiny Mercury, the volcanoes on Venus, hot, red Mars, the red spot of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn ..!

Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at  http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html

2013 Week 8: Tatty Bumpkin's POSE for the Week is RABBIT!

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist
 
The activity of this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is RABBIT POSE; in the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin to the play with the rabbits at their ‘Rabbit Spring Olympics’

What RABBIT POSE Looks Like

How To Do It (What to tell your child)

Squat down on the floor. Keeping your feet still reach forwards placing both your hands in front of you. Tip forwards so your nose moves over your hands and you are taking your weight more through your arms. Then hop both your feet forwards towards your hands. Squat again to keep lolloping forwards like a rabbit!

Note to parents: Younger children will find rabbit pose hard. So encourage your younger child to start by just bouncing up and down in the squat position. Place a scarf, streamer or piece of ribbon on the floor in front of your child and guide them to do rabbit hops over it. Your child will find the pose easier if they have something to look at and jump over.

Want to Make it Harder?

See if you can do rabbit pose backwards! Squat down on the floor as before, this time place your hands close to your feet between your legs. Once again tip forwards so your nose is in front of your knees and you are balancing more on your arms but now hop both your feet backwards. Move your whole body backwards onto your feet, so you’re squatting again and repeat the action to keep lolloping backwards.

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

When your child does rabbit pose, they activate their shoulder and tummy muscles. This means rabbit pose is an excellent prewriting activity, as strong, activated shoulder and tummy muscles are essential for writing i.e.

• To sit with correctly your child needs to have active tummy muscles, otherwise they may tend to slump forwards.

• If your child’s shoulder muscles are active and strong, they will use these muscles to support the weight of their arm, freeing their delicate hand muscles for writing. If their shoulder muscles are inactive or weak your child may try to support their whole arm with their hand muscles and this can lead to a very tight pencil grip and hand ache.

Rabbit pose is also a great activity to promote co-ordination, your child learning to move their hands before their feet.


 

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class Rabbit 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 will have the opportunity to hop like rabbits over green streamers and cycle in the rabbit bike race to a Tatty Bumpkin cycling song! These multi-sensory activities will promote your child’s engagement, concentration skills and creativity, all vital aspects of 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.

Wrapping Rabbit pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find rabbit pose and the other activities more meaningful and hence more fun to do. In the Rabbit Olympics story your child and Tatty Bumpkin find the rabbits at their Rabbit Olympics! There are cycling, hopping and dancing competitions.The giraffes might win the cycling but then they do have very long legs!
 
Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at  http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.htmlhttp://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html