Going on an Urban Animals Hunt – an OMazing Kids Yoga activity

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Looking for a fun indoor activity for kids? We did an indoor animal hunt in OMazing Kids Yoga to go with the book “Urban Animals” by Isabel Hill

(take a peek inside the book on her website: http://www.isabelhill.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/UrbanAnimalsExcerpt.pdf & more at http://www.isabelhill.com/books/urban-animals). Available from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Animals-Isabel-T-Hill/dp/1595722106

I made picture cards for all the animals in the book and taped them on the architectural elements (walls, columns, railings, windows, doors, etc.) inside the JD McCarty Center.

PDF printable (2 pages – letter size paper): Urban Animals – animal pics for indoor animal hunt  (tip: laminate the pics or cover in clear contact paper for durability)

We made binoculars out of toilet paper tubes (just need two cardboard tubes of same length, tape, construction paper strip (to tape around the tubes to help hold them together), yarn, a single hole punch & crayons) & then animal hunt began 🙂

The kids took turns doing “I Spy” or “I See” (for kids that were nonverbal, we used a BIGmack®  single message voice output communication aide that they pushed the button to say “Look!”).

More info about ways to use the BIGmack® http://talksense.weebly.com/feature-101-ideas-for-a-bigmack.html

Since we were “on the move”, we kept shoes on & didn’t use yoga mats since the area is carpeted (it was a great opportunity for folks to see that yoga can be done “off the mat”)

We stopped and did the yoga pose or breath for each animal that we found (here are a few ideas…. for Seahorse we made up a pose – lay on your tummy, cross your legs & then curl them – like the curled tail of a seahorse, put your hands on the floor by your shoulders and wiggle fingers – like the tiny fins, make sure to switch and cross with the other leg on top; Hare = hopping; Bunny = Bunny Breaths)

Tons of fun for kids of all abilities!

Stop by the OMazing Kids Yoga Facebook page for more fun ideas: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Pete’s A Pizza Party – An OMazing Kids Yoga lesson plan based on the story “Pete’s A Pizza” by William Steig

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Time for a Pete’s A Pizza Party!

To celebrate having 400 kids yoga fans in one place sharing OMazing ideas, I’m sharing “Pete’s A Pizza Party – a free OMazing Kids Yoga lesson plan based on the story “Pete’s A Pizza” by William Steig” (including supplies, pose ideas, playlist with links to songs, symbols for the book, a printable pizza craft, affirmations and other fun ideas!).

Click on either of the screenshots to download the PDF. Within the PDF you will be able to click on links to the fun stuff!

  

Feel free to share any other pizza-themed ideas that you have to add to the fun 🙂

(Special thanks to Barbara Gini at BodyLogique for inspiring me to “use my noodle” to try out pizza-themed yoga!)

Update 9/26/13: Did you know that October is National Pizza Month in the USA?

Pete's a Pizza - updated post 2013

Glad to see I’m not the only SLP who LOVES this book! Fun idea to use shredded yellow paper as “cheese”. Check out this post on Preschool Wonders:

more ideas from a SLP

More fun ideas for pizza topping props on Playdough to Plato:

ideas for topping props

Pizza Costume Craft idea:

Pizza costume craft

Wow! Tons of pizza-themed learning printables from 123 Homeschool 4 Me:

learning printables

Update 8/8/12: Here is a larger version of a pizza and toppings printable I made to use in larger groups of kids as an alternative to each child assembling the pizza printable I included in my original post….. that would still be fun to do but I realized in a group of 14 kids that could take too much time. I bought a pizza pan at Dollar Tree, cut a circle out of a paper bag to fit the pan to be the “dough” & cut it into halves so I could laminate it, cut a smaller circle out of red construction paper to be the “sauce”, laminated the sauce & all the toppings, used a fine-tip permanent marker to write pose options for that ingredient on the back & used clear velcro to attach the sauce and toppings to the dough. I attached the pic of the pizza oven & the timer to the back of the pan (as a place to store them). The kids LOVED being pizzas this week in OMazing Kids Inclusive Yoga at JDMC! They did a great job keeping their table pose steady as I placed the assembled pizza on each child. BTW…. this was a fun way to practice waiting turns & maintaining a pose for a few seconds 🙂

Here is the printable I made: Pizza and Toppings Printable (PDF). I also made a coloring sheet to send home with the kids: Make a Pizza coloring sheet.


Update 9/26/12: Look at the cool Melissa & Doug Felt Pizza Set I got to go with my Pete’s a Pizza theme! Couldn’t pass it up at 40% off at Michael’s last week 🙂

Info about the set: http://www.melissaanddoug.com/felt-pizza-play-food-set. 

 Free pizza song download: http://soundcloud.com/the-sing-sings/09-lets-make-some-pizza

More fun ideas for this book: http://shannonsbooknook.com/?p=5732 

Update 8/10/13:

http://www.doverpublications.com/samplerkids/intro/children53.htm

More pizza-themed ideas on the Running with Paintbrushes blog: http://angeliqueskids.wordpress.com/category/thematic-unit/pizza/ (wow! pizza palooza over there)

Update 10/29/13:

Another fun pizza printable: http://www.makingfriends.com/preschool/paper_pizza.htm

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Update 10/30/13:

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Pizza at Sally’s by Monica Wellington is another fun option for doing pizza-themed kids yoga! In addition to the yoga pose options included in the lesson plan above, this book also has the following opportunities for kids yoga: planting seeds in the community vegetable garden (see Seeds & Gardens post for ideas), Sally’s cat, sun, harvesting wheat, milling flour, cow, making cheese. I love the vivid colors in this book, the combination of real photos with illustrations, how it shows where food really comes from (the process of growing & harvesting), Sally as the pizzeria owner (the depiction of a woman as a successful small business owner), etc.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist at the JD McCarty Center (http://www.jdmc.org/)

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the wavy divider bar. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here.

Yoga for Kids and Teens in Oklahoma – Resource List

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I have compiled this resource list of folks offering yoga classes/groups for kids & teens in Oklahoma based on what I could find online & through e-mail and Facebook correspondence. It is a work in progress so please let me know if you would like information added, removed or updated.  If I have overlooked someone who is doing yoga with kids and/or teens please let me know so I can get them added to the list.

Just in case you are wondering why I put together this resource list…..

1. We have kids & teens who benefit from yoga in my OMazing Kids Yoga groups at the JD McCarty Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Kids come to the center from all over the state and I have been looking for places to refer families to when their child discharges from the JD McCarty Center.

2. It will be nice to be able to network and collaborate with other folks doing yoga for kids & teens here in Oklahoma.

Click here for the resource list (PDF): Yoga for Kids and Teens in Oklahoma – Resource List

Thanks for all the OMazing things you each do for kids & teens in Oklahoma!

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2
Speech-Language Pathologist & Founder of OMazing Kids Yoga
Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

J.D. McCarty Center
2002 East Robinson Street
Norman, OK 73071

(405) 307-2802 – Direct line with voicemail
amoorad@jdmc.org – Work E-mail

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Flier & Wimgo post for FREE OMazing Kids Yoga Storystretchers Event – May 24, 2011 @ the JD McCarty Center in Norman, Oklahoma (a Better Speech & Hearing Month activity)

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Here is the flier for our FREE OMazing Kids Yoga Storystretchers event at the JD McCarty Center in Norman, Oklahoma on May 24, 2011: FREE – Kids Yoga & Storytelling Event at JDMC – May 24, 2011 (Better Speech and Hearing Month).

Info is also posted on Wimgo: http://wimgo.com/norman-ok/free-omazing-kids-yoga-story-stretchers-amazon/events/228701

FREE Kids Yoga Event at the JD McCarty Center in Norman, Oklahoma – May 24, 2011

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OMazing Kids Story Stretchers: Amazon Rainforest Adventure” (ages 5-9)

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

4:30-5:30pm

JD McCarty Center

Kids of all abilities are invited to come experience a free movement-based story & craft to stretch their body, breath & imagination.

This activity is open to kids with and without special needs and is being offered by the Speech-Language Pathology department at the J.D. McCarty Center as part of Better Speech and Hearing Month.

For more information, contact:

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

J.D. McCarty Center

2002 East Robinson Street

Norman, OK 73071

(405) 307-2802 – Direct line with voicemail

E-mail: amoorad@jdmc.org

OMazing Kids Yoga on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

And the winner is…… Addriya for “Yoga for Small Places”, “Learn With Yoga ABC Yoga Cards for Kids” & “Learn with Yoga ABC Yoga Cards for Kids Instructor Guide” – product review

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I recently had the opportunity to review three great products from Addriya (www.addriya.com). All three are OMazing in their own way! Can’t wait to see what    great new products they develop next. Here is a little info about the products and what I liked about each of them:

 

Yoga for Small Spaces cards by Christine Ristuccia, RYT  & Lynn Geddes, RYT – set of 52 cards with positioning cues, benefits, modifications & affirmations. These are perfect to show how yoga can be done “off the mat”. The inclusion of several warm-ups & affirmations were great. I loved it so much that I gave it away as the door prize at my presentation at the Oklahoma Childcare Association Conference (and then ordered one for myself off Amazon.com 🙂 !)

 

 

 

 

 

Learn With Yoga ABC Yoga Cards for Kids cards by Christine Ristuccia, SLP & RYT – set of 26 ABC yoga cards  with verbal cues & benefits (1 pose for each letter) & 26 Instructor Cards with ideas for language development & reading readiness activities for each pose. As a speech-language pathologist, I love how many ideas there are for working on speech, language & reading readiness all in the context of whole-body movement. I work with lots of kids with ADHD & Autism that learn best while moving so these are perfect! The kids also love picking out pose cards to spell their name :).

 

 

 

 

 

Learn with Yoga ABC Yoga Cards for Kids Instructor Guide by Christine Ristuccia, MS, CCC-SLP, RYT. Designed to be used with the yoga cards described above but is also a great stand-alone product as it contains good info about yoga benefits, tips for educators, yoga instructors & parents, forming yoga groups, incorporating motor, basic concept, language and reading/literacy goals, and ideas for quick yoga breaks, etc.

Handouts & Powerpoint Show from my presentation on “Yoga for Radiant Kids” at the Oklahoma Childcare Association Conference

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I had an OMazing time sharing my love for kids yoga with a great group of childcare providers at the annual Oklahoma Childcare Association Conference today. It was one of the most highly requested sessions with about 55 people in attendance.

Shared lots of great ideas. Also a few fun Youtube clips from from Barbara Gini from BodyLogique /S.M.Art Kids Yoga, Donna Freeman from Yoga In My School, Lani Rosen-Gallagher from Full of Joy Yoga and The Sun Dance Kids Yoga/Music Video by Bari Koral Family Rock Band. It was like having you guys there with us 🙂

Here are copies of the Powerpoint show & handouts:

Yoga for Radiant Kids – presentation for Oklahoma Childcare Conference (with video clips) Netbook (PDF) – PPT – Powerpoint Show (in PDF)

Yoga for Radiant Kids – presentation for Oklahoma Childcare Conference (with video clips) Netbook (PDF) – handouts – Handouts (in PDF)

OMazing Kids Yoga is now on Wimgo – forming kids yoga groups at the JD McCarty Center in Norman, Oklahoma

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Info about OMazing Kids Yoga forming kids yoga groups at the JD McCarty Center in Norman, Oklahoma is now on Wimgo (http://wimgo.com/norman-ok/omazing-kids-yoga-groups-now-forming-at-the-jd/events/226286) – also see the new widget in the right side bar.  🙂

Cool Updates: Check out the “video clips” page and the Vodpod video player on the bottom of the right sidebar :)

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Cool Updates to the blog: Check out the “video clips” page and the Vodpod video player on the bottom of the right sidebar 🙂 Doing some tweaking to the blog in preparation for my big presentation on “Yoga for Radiant Kids” at the Oklahoma Childcare Conference tomorrow. I found out yesterday that it was one of the most requested sessions when folks pre-registered for the conference. Expecting around 50 people. Can’t wait to share my love for kids yoga!

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2
Speech-Language Pathologist & Founder of OMazing Kids Yoga
Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

J.D. McCarty Center
2002 East Robinson Street
Norman, OK 73071

(405) 307-2802 – Direct line with voicemail
amoorad@jdmc.org – E-mail

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Flier for “Love Me for Who I Am” CD – 5% of proceeds are being donated to Autism Speaks and additional proceeds will benefit the Celebrate the Children School in NJ

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Here is a flier with additional information about this OMazing CD: Love Me For Who I Am – Songs Celebrating Children Of All Abilities (PDF).  The CD itself is spectacular and I was even more touched when I found out that 5% of proceeds are being donated to Autism Speaks and additional proceeds will benefit the Celebrate the Children School in New Jersey (http://ctcschool.org/ & on FB at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Celebrate-The-Children-School/199593683407181?ref=ts&sk=wall)

Available for CD purchase or mp3 download at:

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Me-Who-I-Am/dp/B004PF0GCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=mu

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Me-Who-I-Am/dp/B004RLK3UA/ref=tmm_msc_title_0

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-me-for-who-i-am/id425372919

I know I’ve posted several times about this but my greatest passions at work are working with kids with Autism, advocating for ALL kids to be loved and included & teaching yoga to kids of all abilities 🙂

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2
Speech-Language Pathologist & Founder of OMazing Kids Yoga
Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1& 2

J.D. McCarty Center
2002 East Robinson Street
Norman, OK 73071

(405) 307-2802 – Direct line with voicemail
amoorad@jdmc.org – E-mail

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga