Movement and Learning are equivalent to Jean
Blaydes Madigan. If you haven't been to her website, you are in for a treat.
Just go to Action Based Learning for an outstanding resource. She does workshops and teacher training. Her website is full of excellent resources. I have her book
"Thinking on Your Feet". She is the heart and soul of getting students to move in the classroom. When she came to
Naperville Central High School a few years back, she changed our world. She introduced us to Brain Breaks. Since then, we have really taken off on the idea of taking Brain Breaks in the classroom. They serve a few excellent purposes. First, they get the students out of their seats. Second, they usually get the students to cross the mid-line of their body which helps both sides of their brain to engage. Thirdly, they are fun challenges which students usually are smiling and laughing with. This is a an excellent thing to happen in your classroom. Unbelievably, student settle down very fast after a Brain Break. I think it is because they had some built up tension that has been released. They are ready to get back to work.
So Jean
Blaydes inspired me to write a book of Brain Breaks called
Energizing Brain Breaks. She has given her blessing to me by letting me use a couple of her activities. There are 50 activities in all. The other activities have come from my own work with Brain Breaks and many others have come from colleagues. Here is what Jean
Blaydes Madigan has to say about the book:
"Energizing Brain Breaks is an excellent resource for quick simple challenging activities that students can do to activate their brain for more optimal learning. Many of the activities were developed by students and for students and really engage the adolescent brain. This is the resource that teachers need to get their students moving in learning."
Jean Blaydes Madigan
Teachers from all around the country are very excited about this book. Whole school districts are buying the book for all their teachers (900 books to one district) Whole schools are buying the book for their teachers. Books are going out to schools in Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Denmark, and all over the continental USA. If you know of an administrator or wellness director that would be interested in this book please their send their email address to
energizingbrainbreaksbook@gmail.com for more information. If you are interested in purchasing the book please click below. If you are interested in knowing the prices for orders of 20 or more books just email
energizingbrainbreaksbook@blogspot.com .
4. PE4Life.org is an excellent place for resources. Their mission is to keep kids moving and learning. Click here to go to their resource page. The book is now available at PE4life.
