This time of social distancing has us all missing our friends, families, and our routines. It can be tough to stay motivated and get moving when you are staying at home but staying active and having fun may be more important now than ever! Cindy Kuhrasch, Distinguished Faculty associate and Program Coordinator of the Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) program is encouraging families to look at this time as an opportunity to develop connections with each other, telling parents that it is good to enter some activities as playmates rather than teachers.
Play and activity serve very important roles in anxiety reduction and feelings of connectedness.
In efforts to show people that it can be easy and fun to incorporate play into your new routines, Cindy has started a campaign series “P.E. At Home” which offer examples of fun activities families can engage in together, or even apart!
Her campaign has been featured in American Kinesiology Association’s Kinesiology Today! Please read the article Staying Active While Staying At Home by Patrick Wade, which explores the benefits of fun activities and regular exercise. You can view the entire Spring 2020 edition of Kinesiology Today here, or visit their website for more information.
You can view her videos on UW-Madison’s PE Facebook page or on PETE’s Youtube channel. Check back weekly for new activities and updates! These videos are also great for instructors looking for new ways to keep students active and engages in Physical Education while online.
Cindy is also working with Dan Timm, Faculty Associate, to co-host an online workshop this summer called Culturally Responsive Classrooms and Social/Emotional Learning in PE. This event was very popular last summer and has been moved online as a Canvas module in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The workshop is designed to prepare instructors to interact more meaningfully with their students and teach them social and emotional skills. The online format will allow participants to learn together through real-time video conferencing and will provide participants with a site for additional resources after the workshop is complete. This is a great opportunity for PE instructors to discuss new ways to incorporate these lessons as we develop new curricula, and will give participants a chance to share ideas for ways to keep students engaged and connected.
While the new social distancing reality can be trying for everyone, it provides an opportunity to connect with students in new ways and create innovative, culturally-sensitive lessons that will engage students’ social skills even though we are apart. Learn more about the workshop here or email Cindy Kuhrasch!
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