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
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| 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
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