We have been having a blast with Energy Blasts this past week! 

Somehow, since coming back from holidays we haven't managed to get through our math routines very well. So, I decided to mix it up on the mornings we do Math. Now students start the day by doing a math tub with their group then they come to the carpet for some Energy Blasts and a few pages of calendar on the Smartboard before going on to the next math tub. We do this combination three times and then stop for snack before recess. It has been a huge success! We have not only gotten through our calendar each day but I have been able to add a couple pages on two digit addition with regrouping and writing numbers in expanded form. I have been able to meet with more groups for longer periods of time to go over math concepts in a small group setting. AND we are all moving more and getting our wigglies out through the use of Energy Blasts!

So, just what are Energy Blasts? It is a DVD made by a teacher named Judy Howard. It has 65 different 1 minute workouts. They are four categories: African, Athletic, Latin and Hip-Hop. I set it on random and we do 3 or 4 in a row. This means that between school starting and recess we have managed to get in between 9-12 minutes of exercise plus do loads of math. It is a win-win!

The DVD came to our school as part of a course I took called Action Schools which is all about integrating more physical activity into the daily routine of school. If you are interested in finding out more about it, I found a couple of videos of showing Judy Howard teaching some of the moves. Check her out teaching the samba here and the robocop here. The DVD looks like this:

If you are interested in having a copy of the full DVD for your own child to use at home, it is available through its publisher Eye Learner. You can find out more about purchasing it here. Enjoy!