Go Noodle It Monday

It was definitely a Monday for this...

How many of you out there have discovered this site?? It's absolutely incredible and my kiddos LOVE IT! I discovered it last year and it was just what we needed to bring our year to a close. This year, we have a new mascot and have been having fun trying out new breaks.

If you haven't discovered Go Noodle...let me give you a quick run down. It is a fabulous site aimed at giving your class the brain breaks you desire throughout the day. Best of all...it's absolutely FREE! And everyone loves FREE!  Simply create a free account and get started.

You will need to put in how many students you have, pick a class mascot, and name your class/team.  (This, in it of itself, is a nice break from the rigorous Common Core curriculum.)

After you have it all set up, you are free to explore different games or activities to help gear your students up or even wind them down.  I love the variety!!

My kiddos last year loved to play different songs and spend their 3 minutes dancing around in their spot while singing...quite loudly.  (Thank heavens I've had really understanding neighbors to tolerate my loudness!). Rest assured, not all the activities are loud.  

This year, my firsties are loving the Olympic races and challenges! Hurdles and the javelin toss seem to be amongst the favorites. To help us bring it down to a respectable, learning level, we have even done some of the breathing, yoga type activities.  Not as much fun for this energetic bunch...but still needed at times. ;)

When you finish your brain break, it is added to your previous total.  After you reach your grand total, your mascot enters into metamorphosis (the "transmorph...." something) and morphs into a bigger, better mascot.  This is of course the most exciting part! The littles start trembling with anticipation as they await the changes.  It's too fun!

One of the things I love most about it is being able to see the time for each one.  If we have been working on Math for 90 minutes, we may want to take a 3-4 minute break to stretch, energize, and refocus. If we only have a few minutes to spare, I can choose an activity that is only one or two minutes in length.  And we all know, time is precious, valuable, and limited in the classroom so ths helps to be able to manage that.

So....if I haven't convinced you yet, check it out for yourself.  I promise you won't be disappointed!