Street Hockey Begins - Wednesday June 13th

The K's and 1's learned about the basic way to hold a stick. We didn't focus on rules (besides keeping the stick low) as I wanted to have them working on the skills primarily and the team aspects of the game. I figured out quickly that the one year gap was large enough to separate the two sides. The younger children had more fun and success with the mini sticks and the larger ball. The grade ones were capable to use the larger sticks with a modified larger ball and the big nets. It was interested seeing them respond to different situations - we learned how to challenge someone who was in possession of the ball rather than wait for them to come to you! This made the games more exciting.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to work with this group. I am learning so much from them - how to teach, how to be flexible, how to see my own imperfections and human nature, share with them what I'm learning and grow. We learned a lot from our morning together - how to say sorry, how to play safely, how to be a better team mate, how to respond to people when they are frustrating us. Our stretching and sharing circle was very insightful with the promise of a better class tomorrow :)

The 7th and 8th of June

The end of last week was a nice wind down to the big anticipation of horseback riding. The grade 6's were given free time with Doan on a sunny afternoon so the K's and 1's joined them (during their P.E. time) at the big park. It was a nice unstructured play time and the children really needed it and enjoyed it.

On Friday the Gr. 6's and I did some fitness Friday fun. By grade 6's I mean Yannick and Keelan. We warmed up with stairs, did stretching and went for a 30 min run through the barracks. We learned about interval training, heart rates, the bodies response to exercise and endorphin releases. After we ran we decided to play some soccer on the freshly groomed field. It was a fantastic morning - we all agreed coming away from it that we felt energized and in a much better mood!

Horseback Riding at Sweet Talk Stables June 6, 2012

It was a great day! Sweet Talk Stables was an incredible experience for the beginner all the way up to the advanced rider. I was so impressed with how natural our riders were! An excellent job done by all. 

Highlights of the day included: meeting the new babies at the stables (a filly and some 3 week old kittens), watching Georgina navigate her way through her horse getting spooked (and handling it like a professional), feeding the horses outside, enjoying a sunny lunch break and meeting all the friendly helpers at the stable.

The students had the opportunity to experience three stations: a horse grooming/anatomy and horse behaviour lesson, a pony relay race where they learned how to handle a pony by a lead rope through an obstacle course, and a riding lesson where they got feedback and one on one support where needed.

We couldn't have asked for a better day. Thanks to Howie, Jackie, Jodi, Lindsay, Carrie and Natalie for coming along - we enjoyed having you!

A last congratulations for our very own Ethan for being so brave and getting up on Blaze the Shetland Pony! Way to go cowboy!

For more information about Sweet Talk Stable check them out on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sweettalkstable

or their website at: www.sweettalkstables.com

I would highly recommend this stable for atmosphere, expertise, relativity to the city, and affordability!