Make Fitness More Fun with a Spelling Workout

Whether you’re a gym teacher looking for something fun to do with your kids on rainy days or a parent with the same problem, this alphabet workout from 730 Sage Street is a great thing to have handy.

Each letter of the alphabet corresponds to a particular movement, such as jumping up and down 10 times (A), bending down and touching your toes 20 times (S) or 10 pushups (Z).

The idea is that you can spell your name and do the workout you get.

I have problems with this in a big group, because some kids will have short names and some long (and some like my poor kid, whose name is short but who has repeating letters). Maybe with a group or for kids with really long names you could have them work out their initials, or choose a four-letter word or roll dice to choose a certain number of letters or something to make it a little more fair.

Also, there are somersaults, cartwheels and pushups on this list, which not every kid of every age can do, but this is a fun place to start building in some playful exercise.

There are two versions of this workout for adults, too, if you want to get in on the fun. Or use the kid’s version and work out alongside your kiddos.

[Photo via 730 Sage Street.]

If you are looking for fun active games to get the kids moving, I highly recommend this Floor Is Lava Board Game

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Christmas Language Arts Activities

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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