Spring Time comes to St. Mary's

     Lab this week incorporated the holiday of Easter. For my game of choice i choose to do Egg-Extravaganza which included a basket of eggs and numerous activities for the kids to do.

     During prep lab i had different sets of motor movements which i thought of having the kids do however i switched it up this time aorund. Instead of running, jumping, and skipping i had them dancing, clapping, and stomping their feet. Trying to keep kids motivated and having fun was my main goal for my game although the kids spent most of their time reading the eggs but again you can't expect everything to go perfect.

     The eggs didn't last long either. I had at leats 15 kids ask me if they could have an egg and of course i gave them what they wanted. They were more excited with keeping the eggs then they were doing the activity i also had a child ask me for my mask it was quite interesting.

     What seperated this lab from the others was being OUTSIDE. It was amazing to see how much the kids came alive and how their energy radiated in everything they did. I found myself playing tag, swinging on monkey bars, and sliding down a slide (haven't done that in 7 years).

     What made this lab special was it didn't matter what lab group you were in, EVERYONE GOT INVOLVED. All of us took part in what was a lab full of laughs, excitement, and happiness like i've never saw before at St. Mary's.



Hard work pays off at track meet

     This past friday i was involved in the track meet at Cortland where i ran unattached for two races. A  month ago i decided to begin training again for running because of my chance to be apart of the cross country team in the fall. I entered myself in the 1500 meter and the 5K race to see where i stood.

     Having not ran a competitve race since almost a year ago i was nervous to find myself back into the competition. I seeded myself at a 4:50 with my best time being 4:36 back in community college. I crossed the finish like with a 4:40 flat which was 4 seconds slower than my personal record. To call this a motivational boost is an understatement. I couldn't believe that i was almost as good as i was a year ago and it only took me a month of training! So what's the moral of this blog? You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. Believe in yourself and just as my old coach used to say "NGU - Never Give Up" on anything. I'm one step closer to my dream and that is to make the cross country team

     I did finish last in the 1500 and next to last in the 5K with a 18:15 but that's not the point. The point is i'm returning to a lifestyle that i gave up almost a year ago. I plan on aking this to new heights, heights i never thought were possible until i make them possible.

St. Mary's receives a visit from the Dinosaur Train!

     The lab for this week incorporated the children's show Dinosaur Train. But for me the most important part of this lab was working with the pre-k students. Having 2 nieces i feel more comfortable around children in this age group because i've handled situations similar to this at home before. Although my oldest niece is 2 and a half i'm about to begin reading to her so i can have more practice come time to the teacher setting.

     One of the things i have been blessed with through motor development is coming out of my shell and bringing life to the students. When i sat in front of the pre-k kids i felt right at home. I couldn't find any books on dinosaur train itself however you can't go wrong with dinosaurs and it showed, the kids loved it!

     To have students ask you if they can read the book, keep the book, or even asking me what my favorite dinosaur is puts a huge smile on my face and confidence in my heart. This is something i want to do for a living and these kids are showing me that i do have what it takes to make it. Along with the reading, my lab partner Will had an ingenious idea of coloring dinosaur eggs

     I gave a student my egg that i worked so hard on. He appreciated it so much that i added on to me egg and the other side i didn't work on and he gave it back to me. During this activity the one thing i was happy to witness was that the children displayed manners really well. They asked for a marker saying please and taking them saying thank you. It's the little things children do that can amaze me. I hope i'm in the pre-k room 1 more time because they are an honor to work with!

A new beginning to an existing dream

     Recently i have found myself in a tough situation. Running cross country and track for the past 8 years i've run into a mental block. For those who don't know i ran in the NCJAA national 10K race. The results of that race weren't great as i crossed the finish line last. Coming into this semester at SUNY Cortland i haven't had motivation to run lately.
     However with weeks gone by and began talking to my future cross country coach about running. We had a nice 45 chat about running and what is expected of me if i were to join. Also i have a room mate next door that i've gone to high school with who has run like i have in hgih school. She offered to get me back on track. Ever since Monday i've been running like my old self. I'm starting to get in 40 miles a week on my journey to make the Cortland XC team and run in a national meet again to avenge my last trip.
     To those who dream big keep striving for your dreams because if you keep up with it eventually it will be yours. That is something i want to prove during my time here at SUNY Cortland.

Howdy St. Mary's Howdyyyy

     For our 3rd lab we had to perform games that related to a western theme. Being in high spirits i dressed up just for the occasion except for my cowboy hat (still disappointed because of that).

    
     One of the hardest things to do was to keep the second graders attention. I tried asking them if you can hear me clap once and i tried to explain my game. Most of them listened but there were a few who didn't bother at all non the less i continued.

    
     As far as the lab itself it was entertaining. I learned a lot about how your enthusiasm influences the children and playing games with them was a blast. It was nice to get to know a few more kids to and having them smile and be energetic throughout the day helped build my confidence making me believe more and more that this is what i want to do the rest of my life.

An adventure at St. Mary's

     At the St. Mary's this week the kids experienced different cartoons charcters including batman and mario. They learned how to blow bubbles, and they learned how to hunt those rabbits during hunting season. As i experienced the 2nd week of St. Mary's i saw things i did like and other things i didn't like as much.
     For starters the one thing that upset me was someone in our group as he was explaining a game to the kids walked away because no one was paying attention to him. If this is your profession you need to take it seriously. I feel as if through St. Mary's we can see who wants it and who doesn't.
     I wasn't able to do my game. Part due to time and the other due to still being nervous. I haven't worked with kids before so this is still new to me. I'm hoping to rebound this week during the western lab so i can go home and successfully i did my best at St. Mary's today. This is what i want to do in my life and as much as i'm doubting myself i want to shine so bring it on lab 3.

Developing motor behavior beginning now

     This was the first presentation that the MonStars were able to create. As far as presentations are concerned I feel there were some positive and negative aspects to it. As far as main points i don't believe we covered them all, or we covered some main points more than others. Our main focus was to split them up evenly in time frame because not one point in Chpater 1 was more important than the other.
     As far as how William and i presented it i feel like we both did really well. He incorporated the class well and i tried to make it professional by walking around the classroom making sure everyone had their focus on us. Some words didn't come up like i practiced however this is just the beginning of what is to come. With more practice we'll be able to develop a solid presentation however satisfied with how the first one came about. As time goes on the MonStars will deliver and that is a promise