Physical Education

From Kale Vagnoni and  Mark Quinn, PE teachers

SPRINGing into ACTION

The days are getting longer, the sun is striking harder, the blossoms are blooming…Spring is in the air. Finally!

Molesworth Campus

When dodging the rains we’ve been thawing out the winter bones by catching some rays outside. While out there we have been slipping on our Science hats and looking at action and reaction. Carrying on from last fortnight’s Koorie game Diyari Koolchee we’ve been measuring up angles while rolling and rebounding balls off different shaped objects and into targets. 

On top of the target fun our physics brains have been stacking and constructing targets. Team work has made the dreamwork when it comes to creating the largest, most stable targets to Knock em’ Down roll and throw. 

If the spring rains hit and you are stuck inside on the weekends try simply balling up some paper, creating some targets and throwing and rolling to Knock em’ Down!

Errol St Campus

Carrying on with one of the strong themes from Koorie Games, we’ve been working hard on working COLLABORATIVELY. Overcoming the desire to be first, to be fastest and to win we have been focussing on working with each other to help the team rise up. Stronger Together! 

With the Physics lens on this has been done through pushing, pulling, balancing and the upwards force of jumping. The sports of Soccer, Volleyball, AFL and Tennis have provided us with a teamwork base to explore these movement concepts. Team long-rope Skipping has also allowed us to go deep into teamwork from a physical science perspective, thinking about the marriage between timing, gravity and motion.

This year we will be including some of our core Health Curriculum concepts in the PE Dept Newsletter. The idea behind this is to give families a little more scope into the Health curriculum that is delivered in lessons throughout the year. These Health Hacks are designed to be a great talking point for discussions at home surrounding Health and Movement. 

Movement is Medicine

This past fortnight we have been talking about how the right amount of movement each day is good for us and the many reasons why. Too little and our body is not efficient in its processes, too much and exhaustion can throw a spanner in the works. 

We know that movement can have wonderful effects on the body, including; increasing blood flow, keeping blood vessels flexible, lowering overall inflammation, supporting immune cells, maintaining muscle mass, lubricating joints, building extra bone density…the list goes on! 

But what is too little and what is too much?

Primary school aged children should aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day. Note that this is a minimum standard. 

Moderate activity is something like a brisk walk or a bike ride, where kids can still talk, but don’t have enough breath to sing.

Vigorous Activityis when kids start becoming out of breath and can only say a few words at a time before pausing. Good examples of this are steady running or playing soccer. 

The idea of too much movement often doesn’t enter the equation for kids in this age range. However, if movement starts to cause physical pain or emotional burnout then it’s likely time the foot of the gas and reduce the overall exercise volume. When it comes to kids movement needs to be daily, but it also needs to be fun!