recess guardians taking back the playground. meet the team michael mcdonald bachelor of kinesiology...
TRANSCRIPT
Recess Guardians
Taking Back the Playground
Meet the Team
Michael McDonald
Bachelor of Kinesiology from U of S
Recess Guardians Executive Director
Certified Personal Trainer
Exercise Expert
Why is Recess Important?
23 ½ Hours
Playworks
Problems with Recess
Bullying
Gossiping
Physical Inactivity
Boredom- Unbusy hands can lead to bad situations
More harm done than good
Reasons
Students grow up too quickly, forget how to play
Unfamiliar with games to play
No one will take responsibility for getting game started
The Act of Play
Play is a lost art
Students grow up too quickly
Play is crucial in ones upbringing
Recess is a time for kids to be just that... Kids!
Prescription for Play
Facts
Bullying occurs once every 7 minutes on the playground
Obesity rates among children and youth aged 2 to 17 years are staggering
Childhood Obesity
Increasing amount of interactive, immobile games
Source: Stop a Bully, www.stopabully.ca/bullying
Past Programs
• Canadian Intramural Recreation Association of Ontario (CIRA)
• P.A.L.S. (Playground Activity Leaders in Schools)
• PROPS (Peers Running Organized Play Stations)
• Active PlaygroundsSource: The City of Hamilton Public Health Services
Our Advantage
Empowering students through peer leadership
On-the-ground interaction
Ownership and Accountability
A Safe Recess Should:
Promote FUN and participation
Increase physical activity levels
Teach movement and dexterity skills
Promote creativity and problem
solving
Reduce bullying
Promote fair play
Teach cooperation and respect
Provide equal opportunity for all
Mission
Recess Guardians’ mission is to motivate children to bring positive attitudes to the playground, while
teaching their peers how to play in an energetic, fun and constructive way.
What is Recess Guardians?
How to play
Leadership Skills
Empowerment
CTV Interview
Recess Guardians Musts
A teacher who will take responsibility for the program
A way to get equipment out on the playground
School must show excitement behind it, reward the students for taking a leadership role
How it All Began
Started September, 2008
Started as drop in program
In 11 Core Community Schools in Saskatoon
Kids participated, but turnout varied greatly
Year One Analysis
Pros
Kids had fun
Learnt games to play in their own time
Received shirts
Has positive grown-up role models
Cons
Turnout was inconsistent
Sometimes wouldn’t play the games if they didn’t like them off the start
Inexperienced adult volunteers
Changes
Have a group of 8-16 students assigned to the program, grades 4-8
Decrease the amount of schools
Have the same coaches at each school
Students must participate or they won’t be welcome back
The RG Model: Option 1
8-16 Children
Grades 4-8
Minimum of 12 sessions
1 day a week, 1 hour after school
1-2 Volunteers per school
Option 1
Positives
Get different students working together
Allowing only the students who want to attend, to attend
Extra physical activity during the day
Negatives
Not giving every student a chance to participate
Inconsistent turnout, having to chase students after school
Other activities can get in the way
The RG Model: Option 2
One entire class during Phys. Ed. Time
Grades 4, 5, or 6
6 to 12 sessions
1 day a week
Either volunteer(s) or teacher
Option 2
Positives
Everyone has a chance to succeed and participate
Teacher is there to see how it is run
Consistent attendance
Negatives
Disruption from children who don’t want to play the games
Not having physical activity after school, cuts down on time they are active
The RG Model: Option 3
One entire class during Phys. Ed. Time
Grades 4, 5, or 6
6 to 8 sessions
3 to 4 days a week for 2 consecutive weeks
Either volunteer(s) or teacher
Option 3
Positives
Everyone has a chance to participate
Sessions are close together so they can remember the games better
Teacher is present
Negatives
Students who don’t want to play may distract others
Now What?
Volunteer
Volunteer or teacher?
In a volunteer you want someone:
Reliable
Energetic
Positive
Likes to play
Games
Decide on a group of 10-12 games
Should require very little or no equipment
Easy to organize
Popular
Games cont’d.
Teach most of the games in the first 3 to 4 sessions
Have the students replay the games after that, but always add in a new game for each session
Get a student to explain the rules to the other students, allows them to lead their peers
For last session or two, bring care partners in for the class to teach them
Teacher’s Role
Be EXCITED!
Organize students on the playground
Get the students participating in the learning sessions
Teacher’s Role cont’d.
Different organizational ideas:
Assign 2 groups of students (3 in each group) to organize games at recess.
Have them come up with one game idea, and to run it for a specific recess.
Change up groups for each recess.
Teacher’s Role cont’d.
More ideas:
Have two students bring out equipment at recess and allow others to play with it.
Have them work one on one, or in a group with younger children and teach them to throw/catch.
Run indoor recesses with the games they were taught.
Physical Literacy Push
Sport Manitoba’s “Games with a purpose”
Teach the students these skills
Have them work with younger students on the playground with these skills
Students love teaching younger students
Physical Literacy
Have the students set up circuits in the gym for the students to do for indoor recess
Students love to be EMPOWERED
Obstacle courses and relays work great for this type of program
Questions
