Tried it Tuesday- Me Moves!

Today I am linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday (Wednesday)!

When I was student teaching, my cooperating teacher used Me Moves with her class.  She used it after recess as a way to calm their little bodies and get their brains ready for more learning.  I loved it so much, I used it with my class last year, and felt that it was really successful.

Me Moves was created by a parent of an Autistic child, as a way to calm and focus the brain.  It combines simple, repetitive movement with calming music.  Students simply follow the movement patterns on the screen.  Although Me Moves is often used with Special Education students, it can be used with classes of any size and ability levels.

Here's my Tried it Tuesday:  I tried Me Moves for the first time with my class this year.

To introduce it, we talked about how we might use Me Moves to calm our bodies.  We might do it every day.  We might do it after Morning Meeting, or we might do it after recess.  Then, I projected it onto the screen, and I had them all watch a segment first.  After we watched, we talked about choosing a successful spot (just like for Daily 5).  I allow them to sit or stand, but they need to be an arm's span away from the next person.

Then we tried it!  They were a little bit giggly at first.  When that happened, I paused the video and we discussed again why we use Me Moves, before starting the sequence again.

Here is a video of my kiddos trying Me Moves.

The Me Moves package comes with three things:

-- A DVD (The part I use the most.)

-- a CD of the Me Moves music (I use this during quiet working time.)

-- Textured movement cards (I don't usually use these, but I might try putting them in my Take a Break area.  Students can trace the texture with their fingers as a way to calm down before returning to the group... What do you think of that?)

I really think my students this year can benefit from using Me Moves!

Me Moves ---  Tried it, LOVE it!

What did you try this week?

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward