PE for the body, mind and soul

This fall was very busy for my family.  I was coaching field hockey and my own children played in a soccer league.  Getting home in time for dinner was a challenge, on top of homework and their game schedule!

Dinner HAD to be  well planned out…

My husband and I would have a set menu for the week.  To make it more fun on crazy busy nights, we made our own “Ferrie Happy Meals”!!

We had pre-made some sandwiches, and put in pretzel snacks and a small cookie for dessert.  It wasn’t like a real Happy Meal from McDonald’s  but it was healthy and made from scratch.  Each child got a brown paper bag with their dinner in it.  Sometimes we would leave a special note for them, or even some stickers inside as a “prize”.  It worked great on busy nights. 

What do your parents do for meals on crazy busy nights??

In August, I  was asked to help coach the modified field hockey team.  I was really excited to get back into coaching. I love the sport of field hockey so it was a perfect coaching position for me.  I ended up with 30 girls trying out for my modified team!  After much thought, I decided to keep all 30 players.  I didn’t want any of them to think that they were not ”good enough” to play field hockey.  I kept all 30 girls in hopes that with practice, they would become skilled players.

We practiced hard, ran many miles,  and starting mastering the skills needed for the field.  The girls on this team always supported each other, and we were a team!   We scored  goals, and even though we lost some games, we  continued to improve until the last game of the season.

The best part for me was meeting the team every day after school to practice and improve.  My team was a great group of girls.  They were motivated and worked hard for their team.  It was pleasure and privilege to coach them. 

Have you ever been on a team before?? 

What was the best part for you??

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer vacation!! Be ready for your teachers to ask you to write about your summer vacation!  If I had to write one, this is what it would say….

  My summer vacation started off pretty wet.  My family and I traveled to Maine right when school got out in late June.

We spent time on an island off the coast of Maine.  We hiked mountains, kayaked, and watched my dog swim in the ocean (it was too cold for us!).  It sure did rain a lot.  Since that trip we’ve contiued to stay active.  We hiked with some friends in Lake George, swam  in our pool, played at the beach in Cape May, played a LOT of baseball (my son was on the all-star team), and spent several weekends in the Adirondack’s. 

If I had to pick my favorite memory, it would be when I was kayaking in the Adirondack’s and a Loon started following me!  I’ve never seen one get so close before.  It was awesome!!

Well, that was a quick insight into Mrs. Ferrie’s summer vacation.  I can’t wait to hear about what you have done!

I’m sure you too, have put that remote down and had the TV turned off!!  As you can see I didn’t use the computer much over the summer either!! (no blogs written)

Tell me some of your favorite summer memories!!

Can’t wait to see you all at school…very soon!!!!!

Just two weeks to go and we will be into our summer vacation.  That doesn’t mean that your PE time with us has to be over….

PUT THAT REMOTE DOWN…and get outside!!!!

There many many great things to keep you and your family active in the summer.  For my family, swimming is their favorite.  We will be heading to Maine for vacation and I will be kayaking in the ocean. I can’t wait.

(Also remember to be safe when you are near any water source, boating, swimming or other)

What are some of your favorite summertime activities to do??

Frisbee??  Water balloons??  Help me make a list!!

Hope to hear from you!!

To me, the phrase LIVESTRONG reminds me to make the most of each day.  I try to surround myself with positive people, friends and for sure try to keep my body strong and healthy.  Sometimes, life  brings us good as well as bad surprises.  I feel how we handle this adversity is the key to living strong.   We need to be strong in the mind,  and try to overcome bad days with positive thinking.   One of my favorite sayings is, “Keep your head up and charge the mountain”.  We are all stronger than we think….we are all courageous.

So, for those of you dealing with a “bad day”…you will get through this, and the sun will shine strong soon!

My thoughts are with you Jacob!!

HANG IN THERE AND SHELLSTRONG!

Do you ever wonder how much sugar is in the food you eat??  I guess sometimes I’d rather not know, and other times it is helpful.

This web site was shown to me last week.  It has many food catagories.

http://www.sugarstacks.com/

I checked out the candy and cookies section.  I found out  how much sugar goes into my sweet treats.  Make sure to check out how much sugar is in soda!! OH MY!!

If you could only pick one, what would your all-time favorite sweet treat be??

*Remember, sweet treats are OK to have as long as you can balance it with other healthy foods, and that you don’t eat them all the time!!  Also, don’t forget to brush your teeth!

Spring weather is making it easy to get outside.  The National Association for Sport and PE recommends 60 minutes per day of physical activity.  The benefits of physical activity include stronger muscles, bones and heart!!  A child’s creativity and imagination expands from playing outside as well.  Our family loves to take nature walks, bike rides and lots of fishing trips.  My youngest daughter just likes to get on her swing…and sing!!

Check out these web sites for more ideas on outdoor fun!!

www.recreation.gov

www.presidentschallenge.org

 As one of your child’s PE Teachers, I look forward to sharing my knowledge so that Pashley students CHOOSE to make physical activity an important part of their every day!!

Please always feel free to contact me with questions on exercise and activity!!

kferrie@bhbl.org

Have a wonderful weekend!!

How much TV are you allowed to watch during the week?  At our house, there is no TV during the school week.  We are just too busy playing sports, doing homework and getting outside to play.

However, we do have a favorite TV show to share!!

“Lazy Town”is what we watch.  The main character is named Sportacus.  The story of Lazy Town came about because there wasn’t any super hero to motivate kids to lead a healthy, active lifestyle.

Well….my daughter who is 3 knows ALL the songs, and we even have the music for the car (lucky me!).

We watch it on the Noggin channel…check it out and tell me what you think.  It is appropriate for toddlers, so be prepared!

Our family tries to get as much outside time as possible.  This weekend we had baseball and lacrosse games.  We also made time to bike ride in the Saratoga State Park.  I even ran into Coach Shell and his kids biking!   Coach Shell is the Varsity Football Coach and HS PE Teacher for Burnt Hills!!

While the weather was perfect for outside activities, don’t forget about drinking plenty of water!    Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount being taken in.

Dehydration can occur in anyone of any age, but it is most dangerous for babies, small children, and older adults.  Increased sweating from a very hot environment can cause dehydration.

BUT that doesn’t mean not to play outside!!  Just be prepared with water, and at my house popsicles!!!!!

Spring is here, and I’m trying to decide what to plant in my garden. 

 What would be your favorite vegetable??  Does it grow above or under the ground?

I guess mine would have to be asparagus (above the ground) and sweet potatoes (below the ground).  I just made sweet potato fries over vacation, and they were yummy!!