2013 Week 17: Tatty Bumpkin's activity for the Week is DINOSAUR!

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

The activity of this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is DINOSAUR; in the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin to a 'land that time forgot' - where Dinosaurs roam!


 

What DINOSAUR POSE Can Look Like!

 
Dinosaur pose is a chance for your child to let their imagination run wild! Encourage them to explore different shapes.

 

 

How To Do It (What to tell your child)

Imagine you are a dinosaur! What kind of dinosaur are you?

• Are you a tall, thin dinosaur? Stretch your arms up high to eat the leaves from the trees

• Are you a big, heavy dinosaur? Stretch your arms out wide and stomp your feet on the ground

• Maybe you are a little dinosaur creeping on the ground? Creep on your knees and forearms keeping your elbows bent

• Maybe you have spines all the way down your back? Pat down your back with your hands or ask a friend to gently pat down your back for you! 

Note to parents: 

Doing activities with your child is a great way to bond with them. Research shows that children, especially boys, bond with others when they move with them. When you do different dinosaur poses with your child you will give each other ideas on different shapes so sparking creativity & imagination.

 

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

The various dinosaur poses will give your child the opportunity to:

• Develop their body awareness (spatial awareness). As your child discovers and explores the different shapes they can make with their body they will be building up a more accurate picture or ‘map’ of their body. A growing awareness of their body shape and how it is changing will give your child ‘body confidence’ and encourage them to tackle new activities

• Enhance their creativity and imagination. Giving your child the time and space to come up with new ideas for dinosaur shapes and to think of different ways their dinosaur might move or sound will nurture their creativity, imagination and independent thought. Support your child’s ideas by demonstrating dinosaur shapes of your own, as your child will also learn a huge amount through looking at others.

 

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

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

In Tatty Bumpkin classes we use unique storylines, songs, rhythms and natural props to make the activities ‘meaningful’ for your child, and to give them the opportunity to use nearly all their senses. This ensures your child has choice and is supported in their learning.

Hence through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class Dinosaur activity becomes both a multi-sensory and an educational activity. In this week’s class your child will be encouraged to move their body into strange dinosaur shapes whilst stretching their hands up high to ‘munch’ leaves and using their feet to pick up fruit.

This week Tatty Bumpkin discovers she is in the land of the dinosaurs and, as summer is coming, the dinosaurs have arranged to go on a ‘Dino-picnic’ before stomping off to a ‘Dino- disco’! Tatty Bumpkin helps: the Stegosaurus to spread out the picnic blanket, the brontosaurus to set the ‘leaf plates’ on the blanket & the Raptor to put out the picnic fruit. Uh oh! The Tyrannosaurus wants to come too and he is very big and heavy. The beautiful picnic is in peril of being knocked over … Tatty Bumpkin will need all the help and ideas she can get to sort out this problem!

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

2013 Week 16: Tatty Bumpkin's POSE for the Week is VOLCANO!

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

The activity of this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is VOLCANO POSE; in the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin to investigate the ‘Rumbling Volcano’ and the mystery of the feather trail …

What VOLCANO POSE Looks Like

 

Be a sleeping volcano then spring up to be an erupting volcano!

How To Do It (What to tell your child)

Start curled up on the floor with your head tucked under your arms. Then quickly come up onto your knees spreading your arms out wide to ‘erupt’ like a volcano.

Want to make it harder?

Start squatting down low on the floor, balancing on the balls of your feet. Then quickly push up through your legs into standing & spread your arms out wide to be a huge volcano erupting! 

Be a huge, ginormous volcano! Whoosh!

 

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

Volcano pose will give your child the opportunity to:

• Strengthen their leg, arm & tummy muscles

• Progress their balance skills. As your child moves quickly up to kneeling or standing they will be refining their balance reactions. These reactions are important not only for sporting activities like football or dance but also for sitting in a good position to write

• Let off steam! The explosive movement of volcano pose allows your child to express their emotions. Hence this activity will make a great ‘movement break’ if your child is getting frustrated with a complex task or problem. Be careful though, do not do the pose too many times as then your child may find it hard to calm down!

Doing activities with your child is a great way to bond with them. Research shows that children, especially boys, bond with others when they move with them. Doing volcano pose with your child can be fun and give you the opportunity to strengthen your leg, arm and stomach muscles whilst letting off steam too!



 

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class volcano 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 i.e. in the class this week your child will have the opportunity to creep with Lion and Tatty Bumpkin through the rainforest to Tatty Bumpkin Lion song, discovering a volcano of red and orange streamers!

We construct the Tatty Bumpkin classes to give your child the opportunity to both raise their ‘levels of alertness’ and to calm themselves, this prevents them from becoming either overexcited or bored, keeping them at the ‘just right level of alertness’ for learning.

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 volcano pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find volcano pose and the other activities more meaningful and hence more fun to do.

This week Tatty Bumpkin finds herself deep in the rainforest. Above the sound of the parrots & monkeys she hears a distant rumble and wonders where it can be coming from? Tatty Bumpkin asks her friend Lion to come with her to investigate and along the way they discover a trial for feathers leading over a bridge … who can the feathers belong to? Will Tatty Bumpkin and Lion find out what is making the rumbling sound? Tatty Bumpkin needs help and ideas!
 
Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at  http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html

2013 Week 15: Tatty Bumpkin's POSE for the Week is GROWING FLOWER!

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

The activity of this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is GROWING FLOWER POSE; in the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin to rescue ‘Little Flower’ taking her away from the road building to a place where she can grow and flourish.

What GROWING FLOWER POSE Looks Like

Grow from a tiny seed into a beautiful flower. What colour are your petals?

How To Do It (What to tell your child)

Start by curling up in a tiny ball like a tiny seed. Make raindrop noises by drumming your fingertips on the floor in front of you. Now start to grow! Raise your hands above your head, with your palms touching. See if you can come up into standing without using your hands. Once you are standing up, spread your arms out to either side like flower petals and say ‘hello’ to the sunshine.  Now think about the colour of your petals – are they purple, red or spotted?

   

Younger Children- Note to Parents

Younger children may find it hard to stand up without using their hands. As an alternative they can stop growing in kneeling! In this position they can either sway side to side with their hands together above their head (see picture) or spread their arms out wide as petals.

Sway side to side as Little Flower in the wind.

 

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

'Growing Flower' pose will help your child to:

• Progress their muscle strength - when your child does this pose they will be strengthening both their leg & arm muscles

• Improve their core stability - as your child rises to standing they will be activating their core muscle groups i.e. their hip, abdominal & spinal muscles, as they spread their arms out wide they will activate their shoulder muscles

• Balance skills – growing flower pose gives your child a great opportunity to develop their balance skills as they rise from curled position to standing especially if they do not use their hands to help themselves up from the floor

• Imagination & creative thought – encourage your child to think about the colour of their petals and to imagine what kind of flower they are and where they are growing i.e. are they a jungle flower, a mountain flower or maybe a spikey desert cactus!

Doing activities with your child is a great way to bond with them. Research shows that children, especially boys, bond with others when they move with them. Doing 'Growing Flower' pose with your child can be both fun and give you the opportunity to activate your core muscle groups and strengthen your leg and arm muscles. 



 

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class 'Growing Flower' 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 i.e. in the class this week your child will be encouraged to wriggle on their tummy whilst looking at and investigating the ‘Little Flower’.

We construct the class to give children opportunities to both raise their ‘levels of alertness’ and to calm themselves, this prevents them from becoming either overexcited or bored, keeping them at the ‘just right level of alertness’ for learning.

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 ‘Growing Flower’ pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find ‘Growing Flower’ pose and the other activities more meaningful and hence more fun to do. This week Tatty Bumpkin finds herself by a busy road, with cars and diggers all around. In the middle of this mayhem she finds 'Little Flower' wobbling on top of a mound of earth and 'Little Flower' needs her help! Tatty Bumpkin, always the thinker, finds a way to rescue the flower, taking her to a beautiful cliff top home where she can grow big and strong and watch her friends the dolphins play in the waves below. As always though Tatty Bumpkin will need help and ideas on this rescue mission!

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