A winner for those working with any child

books:

	• 404 Deskside Activities for Energetic Kids (SmartFun Activity Books) Barbara Davis Hunter House, 2006 - 168 pages average customer review:based on 2 reviews view larger image
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A winner for those working with any child

Reviewed by Tammy Petty Conrad for Reader Views (7/08)

As a new Kindergarten teacher, this book will stay on my desk and the activities in it will be included in all my lesson plans. Written to use with preschool children to third graders, the author encourages caregivers to use movement, but movement with a purpose. Not just for teachers, anyone exposed to children who can't sit still and focus for periods of time needs to read this book. The author has a background as a teacher and trainer of dancers and athletes. Unfortunately she passed away last year, but I am thrilled that she left behind this valuable tool.

The first thing I learned was that when I have my kids stretch in the classroom without a specific purpose in mind, I can be setting the scene for kids who can't calm down -- which is the opposite of what I would expect! Now I know that doing balance exercises are more appropriate for getting a class to calm down and concentrate.

Before we see instructions for each activity, Davis takes the time to explain why they are important. I could see this text being read in a college education class, because she reminds us of the value of movement in all areas of development for children. She has loads of activities that can be used with different subjects as an effective supplement to curriculum. I love that there are activities to support math and science, like making human links to show numbers and addition or subtraction answers.

Davis stresses the importance of movement for other reasons, such as encouraging creativity. Her list of self-esteem exercises is wonderful. Who ever heard of foot applause? But I can't wait to use it in my classroom come September. She includes three teaching styles that we can use to implement movement more effectively based on our preferences. The activities are divided into five categories and each category is subdivided making it especially easy to find the perfect activity for your needs, and that of your children. Information is also included like the appropriate age, size of group or space and other details that can be useful in planning. Scripts are included as needed and an occasional picture is added for clarity.

This is the type of book you can use in a variety of ways. New teachers will want to read it cover to cover and one more time. More experienced educators will go to the comprehensive list of games and pick the appropriate one for the day's lesson. Parents might just look for the fun ones and see what happens. There are even imagination exercises. Can you envision the fun the kids will have cleaning the classroom with imaginary tools?

Don't delay in picking up this useful book, "404 Deskside Activities for Energetic Kids" by Barbara Davis, and start reading it now. It's never too late to learn some new tricks!

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Full of great ideas!

Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (5/08)

In today's world children do not have as many opportunities for physical activity as they did in the past. Years ago children walked to and from school, whereas now times have changed and it may no longer be as safe for a child to do so by himself. Because of changes and circumstances in today's world limiting the amount of activity children can get, it is important to try to incorporate some sort of opportunity for physical movement into a child's daily routine. "404 Deskside Activities for Energetic Kids" is written to provide some ideas of just how to do that.

The book is geared toward teachers of children age 3 through 9 and is filled with tons of opportunities to create movement. Not only is movement important in a child's physical development but it also has positive effects on a child's social and cognitive development, as well as promotes creativity.

With each activity listed there are icons next to it that allow you to determine with a glance certain characteristics about the activity, such as targeted age, appropriate group size, whether or not the activity is advanced, if you need props or space, if physical contact is involved, and/or if you need to draw on skills that were previously taught in other activities. These icons are very helpful in sifting through the activities to find one that is appropriate to your situation.

The activities in the book range from the very basic to the advanced. At one end of the spectrum are "Arm Circles" and "Standing Star" which are movements that look exactly like their name implies. At the other end, one of the activities listed is called "Human Links: Division" and reads as follows, "Call out a number such as two. To answer, the students would link in groups of four and two, or six and three, etc., to show numbers that would divide to produce that answer."

"404 Deskside Activities for Energetic Kids" is a great book for both teachers and parents. My children had a fun time doing some of the activities in the book and every time that I am working at the computer they ask for a new one to do. With 404 activities listed I am going to be able to keep them busy for a very long time!

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This invaluable resource helps K-3 teachers deal with restless, energetic students including those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The book contains quick movement breaks that can be used between other classroom activities to minimize disruptions and maintain a positive learning environment for all students. The activities, labeled according to appropriate age levels, length of play time, and group size, include shape recognition, stretching and relaxing, pantomime and imagination movements, balancing, and team relays. None of the activities require special skills, and there are enough for every day of the school year.

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