Upon our return from winter break, the kindergartners began work on using their eyes and hands as a team, or in technical terms, their eye-hand coordination. Using bean bags, students are learning tossing and catching techniques with the help of skill cues. Skill cues are words that help children remember a skill pattern as they navigate their way through a new concept.
Earlier in the year, multi colored scarves were used as an introduction to the skill of tossing and catching. Scarves are light and come down slowly. The skill cue words used to help students remember the toss and catch pattern were "Eyes up, Alligator, In," allowing students to catch the scarf with their fingers. WIth bean bags, the words "Eyes up, Hippopotamus, catch" transitions the hand placement from fingers to a "mouth" created with both hands to catch the bean bag. By using words with something kids can identify with, such as animals, they are more likely to remember the skill. The next progression will be tossing and catching a medium-sized foam ball. This technique has been very effective and the kids have fun saying the words, which makes learning more fun!
