"Bring Your Parents to PE Class"

 Submitted by: Sonia Sheehan, HPEC Vice President Communications

In March 2018 I was fortunate to be able to attend and present at the National SHAPE America Conference in Nashville. Throughout the weeklong professional learning experience, I gained numerous insights, ideas and teaching strategies to enhance my professional practice. One session I attended shared best practices in the area of involving parents in our physical education programs. I was introduced to the idea of “Bring Your Parents to PE Class”. This sounded like an amazing way to invite parents to experience a physical education class and move, play, and learn alongside their student. As a physical education teacher at an elementary school my goal became looking into ways to incorporate this parental involvement idea into my physical education program and host my very own “Bring Your Parents to PE Class”.

On my journey to plan and implement a “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” there were a few things I needed to consider to increase the probability of a successful event.

1.       Timing/Date: Finding the right time within the school year is important to help the “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” event be successful. Hosting the parent/student PE class during a Family PE Week, during a welcome back BBQ or during student learning conferences can be possible options. At my school I aligned my “Bring Your Parents to PE Classes” with my school learning conferences. During both the fall learning conferences (October) and winter learning conferences (January) I host my “Bring Your Parents to PE Class”. Choosing school learning conference days and evenings allowed me to host multiple classes both during the day and during the evening. Being in a K-4 school, I was also able to host a kindergarten specific class and a grade 1 – 4 class during this time. Hosting the classes during learning conferences allowed me to interact with parents and showcase student learning in physical education class in an active and parent included manner.

2.       Length of Class/Class format/Class Capacity: Determining the class length, format and capacity is important when planning for a successful event. When I was planning for my “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” I tried to plan for my class similarly to my regular PE classes. I planned for a 30 minute class that followed our regular PE format including: an entry activity, review of expectations, warm up activities, an introduction to a movement skill, practice and application of the movement skill into a game activity that allowed all participants (students and parents) to experience success. Determining the capacity of the class was linked to the space I have available in my gymnasium and the required space to ensure safe movement experiences. I did incorporate a sign up process to ensure the “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” did not reach an unsafe number of participants. I was also flexible and was able to add additional classes once the original classes reached their capacity. I usually run 3 – 4 separate classes to accommodate approximately 200 students and parents during the “Bring Your Parents to PE Class”..

3.       Promotion: Letting both parents and students know about the “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” was important to fill the classes. I announced the event during physical education classes, promoted the event on our school communication pages and used the school parent messaging application to ensure parents received the information about the event. I also personally invited parents of students who might need a little extra help being successful in physical education class.

4.       Lesson Plan/Activities: Planning the activities for the “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” is important to ensure safe and active participation by all those attending. I usually make sure students have learned all the activities previously in PE class and can model the activities to help their parents. When using any equipment during the “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” I make sure there is enough equipment and choices of equipment for participants to choose from. Focusing on cooperative activities rather than competitive activities has also helped for a more enjoyable and successful event.

Through the development of my “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” I reached my goal of creating an opportunity for both students and parents to experience a safe, fun, developmentally appropriate physical education experience. Parents and students arrive ready and prepared to be active for each class and leave with a positive and active family experience. Many parents who attended the “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be active with their student and appreciated the ideas of how they could continue to be active with their student at home.

If you are interested in developing a “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” at your school, below are some resources that may be of help in your planning, preparation and delivery of an event. I highly recommend hosing a ‘Bring Your Parents to PE Class” and hopefully it will become a positive way to engage parents in your Physical Education Program.

Bring Your Parents to PE Class Resources:

Connect your “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” to a Family PE Week and the US Games OPEN resources: https://openphysed.org/familieslovepe

Sample “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” sign up template:

Bring Your Parents to PE Class during January 2025 Learning Conferences on Thursday January 23, 2025:

During the upcoming Learning Conferences at SWE, join Mrs. Sheehan and Mrs. Bishop for a “Bring Your Parents to PE Class”. This PE class is for students currently attending the SWE Campus (Kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, and grade 4).  Parents need to accompany their child and be ready to participate in all activities with their student. There is available space for 24 students and their parent(s) to sign up for each PE class. Please dress to be active with your clothing and wear indoor athletic shoes. The sign up link for the "Bring Your Parents to PE Class" will close when the class is filled or at 12pm on January 22.  

Thursday January 23: 2:15-2:45pm Bring Your Parents to PE: insert your school sign up link

Thursday January 23: 5:15-5:45pm Bring Your Parents to PE: insert your school sign up link

Thursday January 23 6:15-6:45pm Bring Your Parents to PE: insert your school sign up link

 

Sample Family PE Week Template:

Be Part of our 4^th Annual SWE Family PE Week

What: SWE Family PE Week

When: October 7 - 11, 2024

Where: Participate at home with your family members and attend the Bring Your Parents to PE Event at SWE

Who: All SWE students and their family members

Add some movement to your family evenings with our 4th Annual SWE Family PE week.  PE stands for Physical Education.  Our SWE Physical Education program promotes physical literacy.  Physical literacy is the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life.  During the SWE Family PE Week SWE families are encouraged to be active as a family.   

Family Activities for the week of October 7 - 11:

·       Sign up and participate in one of the “Bring Your Parents to PE Classes”

·       October 7 – 11 is iwalk International Walk to School Week, more information here: https://shapeab.ca/iwalk/, consider registering your family and add some additional walking to your daily school drop off or pick up, registration is open for individual families

·       Go for a family hike

·       Take your family pet for a walk around your neighborhood

·       Go for a family bike ride

·       Go for a family swim at a local pool

·       Play at a local playground with your family

·       Create an active game your family can play outside

·       Rake some leaves and jump in or over the piles of leaves

·       Play throw and catch with your family members using some type of ball

·       As a family try out the Family Fitness Challenge, or one of the Fun Fitness video links or Advanced Object Control videos included below

·       Send in a picture of your family being active to Mrs. Sheehan

Thank you for being active during the SWE Family PE Week!

Wednesday October 9: “Bring Your Parents to PE Class for Kindergarten” – must sign up to attend – Join Mrs. Sheehan for a Kindergarten focused PE class from 4:30-5:00pm. There is available space for 24 students and their parent(s) to sign up. Parents need to accompany their child and be ready to participate in all activities with their student. Please dress to be active with your clothing and shoes. The sign up link for the “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” for Kindergarten students will close at 8pm on Tuesday October 8.

Thursday October 10: “Bring Your Parents to PE Class for Grades 1, 2, 3 and 4” – must sign up to attend - Join Mrs. Sheehan for a PE class on Thursday October 10 from 5:00-5:30pm for Grades 1, 2, 3 and 4.  There is available space for 24 students and their parent(s) to sign up. Parents need to accompany their child and be ready to participate in all activities with their student.  Please dress to be active with your clothing and shoes. The sign up link for the "Bring Your Parents to PE Class" will close at 8pm on October 9. 

Additional Resources for Families to be Active during the 4^th Annual SWE Family PE Week:

Family Fitness Challenges:

10 Jumping Jacks

5 Spins

10 High Leg Kicks

20 Air Punches

Balance on one foot for 15 seconds

Speed walk safely to 4 different rooms in your house or around the outside of your house

Give a high 5 to all your family members

Hold a plank position for 15 seconds

Wall sit for 20 seconds

10 Frog Jumps

Do your favourite Fitness Activity 15 times

If space is available outside, create a start line and a finish line and have a family running race

Follow Along Fun Fitness Videos:

10 minute Family Fun Cardio Fitness Workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7nrOBBfcYI

Tabata Workout for Kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzVR5Wz9On0

Spiderman Workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15BWn39QYY0

Kid Fit Go HIIT Workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fomkRYcl_mo&t=13s

Super Mario Adventure Fitness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxfI5pYDqjE&t=4s

Superhero Races: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfeyvOtSdWU

Advanced object control skill videos:

Advanced Football/Soccer Ball Mastery at Home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzB1gxI3w2A

Tennis Ball Skills at Home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_pxajnfCj4

Sample “Bring Your Parents to PE Class” Lesson Plans:

Bring Your Parents to PE Class Lesson Plan for Grades K-4:

2:15-2:45pm: K, Gr 1, Gr 2, Gr 3 and Gr 4 (sign up to attend) 24 spots

5:15-5:45pm: K, Gr 1, Gr 2, Gr 3 and Gr 4 (sign up to attend) 24 spots

6:15-6:45pm: K, Gr 1, Gr 2, Gr 3 and Gr 4 (sign up to attend) 24 sports

Extra class added: 6:15-6:45pm: K, Gr 1, Gr 2, Gr 3 and Gr 4 (sign up on google form) 24 spots

Equipment: 25 poly spots, 25 gator balls, Last Student Standing Cards (Sit, Stand, Kneel, Lay Down), 25 blue buckets, 75 bowling pins, 25 reaction balls, 25 entry task cards (suggestion to have each blue bucket with 3 bowling pins and 1 poly spot for ease of equipment distribution)

1.       Enter Gym and choose a home base for your family (student/parent)

2.       Entry Activity: Home Base Challenges (provide each parent/child with a PE entry task sheet with the following choices: reaction ball bounce and catch, gator ball throw/roll/bounce and catch, perform specific exercises: balance on one foot, hold a plank, complete 10 jumping jacks, complete 10 air punches, run on the spot with fast feet for the count of 10, stretch your arms over your head and then reach down to your toes) – receive a sheet, gator ball and reaction ball when entering the gymnasium

3.       Once everyone has arrived and students/parents have had a chance to complete some of the home base challenges have students return the equipment

4.       Set the Expectations for the Class: Go over Gymnasium Expectations:

a.       Safety

b.       Listen

c.       Respect

d.       Play Fair

e.       Do Your Best

f.        3,2,1 Freeze

5.       Perimeter run/walk around the gymnasium to warm up the large muscle groups

6.       Warm up Activity Game: Last Student Standing Game (Guessing Game): have 4 pieces of paper with each piece of paper having one of the 4 words (written in large letters): Sit, Stand, Kneel or Lay Down – have everyone practice your celebration move/victory dance move for when you guess correctly – Everyone will begin with a movement activity on the spot (ex. Jumping jacks, running on the spot, air punches, lunges, squats,…), teacher calls out “Freeze” and everyone stops and then has 5 seconds to pick one of the 4 positions in the game (sitting, standing, kneeling or laying down), 5 seconds is given to get into the position of your guess (sit, stand, kneel, or lay down), everyone holds their position and the teacher picks one of the 4 pieces of paper and reveals the card, if your guess matches the card then you complete your celebration move/victory dance move, if your guess does not match the card they you run one time around the gym and get ready for the next guess – play for a total of 6 guesses - How many guesses will you guess correctly out of the 6 guesses?

7.       Additional Warm up Activity Game: Reaction Game: everyone with a gator ball – The Reaction Word is “Go”, the Reaction position is pick up the ball from the floor, stay standing and hold the ball over your head – earn a point if you react faster than the teacher or tie the teacher – no point if you are slower than the teacher – play a few rounds against the teacher – play against your parent – progress from starting in freeze position while waiting to react to the Reaction Word, to running on the spot, to jumping jacks, to running around the ball, to fast feet, to sitting, to laying down

8.       Movement Skill Practice: Rolling practice – review rolling technique and everyone rolls a gator ball into open space and moves into open space to find your ball and roll again

9.       Application of Rolling skill: Jailhouse Rocks – Spread gator balls on the ground, pick up one ball at a time, roll the ball into open space to try to tag someone else’s foot or leg, if a ball touches your legs or feet, go to jail and wait until you hear the words “Jailhouse Rocks” to return to the game – complete a wall sit activity while in waiting in the jail

10.   Depending on time: choose Family Bowling or Family Blue Bucket Challenges – if time allows – both activities can be done

11.   Application of Rolling with accuracy: Family Bowling: Set up 3 bowling pins for your family, a poly spot as a bowling spot, and a gator ball to roll/bowl – (place the pins by a wall to ensure the roll is going towards the wall), slowly move away from the pins to increase distance between target and rolling spot, practice rolling the ball and see how many pins you knock down each time – retrieve your ball after you bowl and set up the pins for your next family member 

12.   Extension of Rolling and experimentation with Throwing: Family Blue Bucket Challenges: need gator ball, blue bucket and poly spot – follow through the blue bucket challenges:

a.       Roll the ball from the spot into the blue bucket (bucket needs to be laying horizontally on it’s side)

b.       Bounce the ball on the ground from the spot into the blue bucket (bucket needs to be standing up vertically)

c.       Rebound the ball off the wall and into the blue bucket

d.       1 minute challenges – in a 1 minute time frame – how many times can you and your parent get the ball in the blue bucket  – after a 1 minute challenge – time again and try to beat your number from the first round – 3^rd and 4^th round – move the poly spot further away – 5^th and 6^th round – have parent or student hold the blue bucket to help with the catch

13.   Optional Game: Battle of the Pins: divide the gym into 2 sides and set up approximately 12-15 bowling pins up at the back of each side – protect the bowling pins and try to knock down the pins on the other side of the gym – remember to play fair and move only on your side of the gym – don’t cross the middle line – for safety – focus on rolling the ball for application of skill and keeping the game safe for all participants

14.   Equipment away and thank everyone for coming and invite parents to come and ask any question they might have about the physical education program

Bring Your Parents to PE Entry Task Card:

1.             Complete the following active challenges in a home base with your parents

·    Balance on 1 foot for 10 seconds

·    Balance on the other foot for 10 seconds

·    Complete 10 Jumping Jacks

·    Complete 10 Air Punches

·     Run on the Spot for 10 seconds with fast feet

·    Stretch your arms over your head and then down to your toes

 

2.             Bounce the reaction ball and try to catch the ball after 1 bounce, 2 bounces or 3 bounces – be ready to move as the bounces can go in any direction

 

3.             Roll, throw or bounce the gator ball from student to parent 10 times

4.             Create a trick throw with the gator ball to your parent

Valuable Online Resources and Websites for Health and Physical Education Teachers:

 Submitted by: Sonia Sheehan, HPEC Vice President Communications

As a full-time physical education teacher in Alberta for over 24 years, I have collected and utilized several online resources and websites to help elevate my teaching practice and ensure I have a variety of supports to help me reach the outcomes of the curriculum I need to teach. Here is a list and brief description of Valuable Online Resources and Websites that may assist health, wellness and physical education teachers in their planning and delivery of a quality health and physical education program. Many of the online resources are available to teachers at no cost and provide priceless benefits to a physical education teacher.

1.       Alberta Physical Education Curriculum: https://curriculum.learnalberta.ca/curriculum/en/s/pde

·       Resource includes the Alberta learning outcomes, knowledge, understandings and procedures that Alberta teachers need to cover when teaching K-6 Physical Education and Wellness.

2.       HPEC Website: www.hpec.ab.ca

·       Website of the Health and Physical Education Council (HPEC) of the Alberta Teachers’ Association and contains upcoming professional development opportunities, resources and links to apply for grants.

3.       HPEC Resource Page: https://www.hpec.ab.ca/current-resources

·       HPEC’s resource webpage.

4.       HPEC Blog Posts: https://albertahpec.blogspot.com/

·       HPEC blog with numerous best practices for teaching health and physical education, including posts on the following topics: Empowering Student Voice, Creating a Learning Environment that Supports and Encourages all Students in Physical Education Class, Everyday Routines for Your Wellness, Warm Up Games, A Successful Physical Education School Year Start Up, Winter Holiday Games, Physical Education Resources for National Peoples’ Indigenous Day, Fostering Resilience in Schools and the Classroom, Meaningful PE, and many more topics.

5.       HPEC Publications: https://www.hpec.ab.ca/publications

·       A collection of HPEC’s past publications

6.       Ever Active Schools (EAS) Free Downloads: https://shop.everactive.org/collections/free-downloads

·       Website link to EAS free downloadable resources for teaching health, physical education and wellness.

7.        PHE Canada Journal: https://phecanada.ca/professional-learning/journal

·       Links to a range of PHE journal articles on health, physical education, sport, wellness, and more.

8.       PHE Canada Professional Learning Assessment in Physical and Health Education: https://phecanada.ca/professional-learning/assessment-physical-and-health-education

·       Links to suggestions for quality physical education and health assessment practices.

9.       PHE Canada Professional Learning Quality Physical Education: https://phecanada.ca/professional-learning/qpe

·       An overview of a quality physical education program.

10.   Alberta Health Services (AHS) Lesson Plans: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/amh/Page2677.aspx

·       AHS Lesson Plans for Elementary, Junior High and High School on addiction and mental health.

11.   Teaching Sexual Health: https://teachingsexualhealth.ca/teachers/

·       A comprehensive website for teaching sexual health curricular topics.

12.   US Games Open PE Website: https://openphysed.org/

·       OPEN website with access to a free membership and high quality free physical education resources created by teachers in the physical education community.

13.   ThePhysicalEducator Website: https://www.thephysicaleducator.com/about

·       Online professional development resource for physical education teachers.

14.   The PE Specialist Website: https://www.thepespecialist.com/

·       Website with resources, teaching tips and blog to support teaching physical education.

15.   John Byl, GoCanada4Sports Website: https://www.canadago4sport.com/

·       Collection of games and videos to support teaching physical education.

Empowering Student Voice: Rethinking Meaningful Experiences in Physical Education

 Submitted by: Jodi Harding-Kuriger, HPEC Past President

In physical education (PE), creating meaningful experiences that engage and inspire students is a critical goal. The Meaningful PE (MPE) approach emphasizes the importance of democratic and reflective practices to promote experiences that truly resonate with students. Central to this process is student voice—listening to and learning from students’ lived experiences to shape better, more inclusive PE practices.

Why Student Voice Matters in PE

Secondary students bring years of personal experiences that shape their understanding of what makes PE meaningful. These insights provide valuable guidance for educators striving to improve student engagement. After all, students often know best what works—and what doesn’t—in their classrooms. By seeking their perspectives, taking their feedback seriously, and integrating their ideas, educators can create more relevant and impactful PE experiences.

This concept aligns seamlessly with the MPE approach, which seeks to co-create meaningful experiences with students. It reminds us that PE should be more than physical activity; it should be a space where students feel seen, heard, and empowered.

Listening to Alberta Students: A Research Journey

To explore what meaningfulness in PE looks like from a student perspective, we collaborated with 55 secondary students (ages 12–15) from a sports academy in urban Alberta. Using Group Concept Mapping (GCM)—a collaborative research method—we invited students to share their thoughts on what meaningful PE means to them and how it can be achieved.

The goal? To ensure their voices directly inform how educators approach PE, fostering practices that are not only student-centered but also contextually relevant.

What We Learned

This project yielded two key outcomes:

1. A Collaborative Process: The use of GCM allowed students, teachers, and researchers to work together as equal contributors. This participatory approach reinforced the importance of democratic practices in PE, where students have a real say in shaping their learning experiences.

2. Meaningful Insights: Students articulated what makes PE meaningful to them, providing a foundation for educators to refine their practices. Their insights highlighted the importance of tailoring PE to students’ unique needs and lived experiences.

Bridging Process and Practice

One of the biggest takeaways from this research is that process and outcomes are inseparable. The collaborative methods we used—rooted in student voice—laid the groundwork for the findings themselves. They also underscored how essential it is for educators to continually reflect on their practices, ensuring they align with the evolving needs of their students.

Moving Forward: A Call to Action

The MPE approach challenges us to rethink how we engage students in PE. By prioritizing student voice, we can move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches to create more inclusive, meaningful, and engaging experiences. Secondary students, with their wealth of lived experiences, hold the key to unlocking these possibilities.

As educators, our role is to listen, reflect, and act. By partnering with students, we can transform PE into a space that not only promotes physical activity but also fosters connection, growth, and a lifelong appreciation for movement.

What steps can you take to empower student voice in your PE classes? Let’s start the conversation and reimagine what meaningful PE can look like together. Connect with me at jodi.harding@gmail.com. 

Further Meaningful PE Connections

Meaningful PE 

Learning to facilitate student voice in primary physical education - Grace Cardiff, Stephanie Beni, Tim Fletcher, Richard Bowles, Déirdre Ní Chróinín, 2024 

Full article: ‘Just let them have a say!’ Students’ perspective of student voice pedagogies in primary physical education 

Meaningful pe starter-pack 

Creating a Learning Environment that Supports and Encourages All Students in Physical Education Class:

Submitted by: Sonia Sheehan, HPEC Vice President Communications

The beginning of the school year is an important time to set expectations, build routines and create the positive, supportive and encouraging environment we all want for our students. Every end of August and beginning of September when the new school year rolls around, teachers are awarded a new opportunity to set the stage for a positive year of learning for their students. In this blog post, I will share how I approach the task of creating a learning environment that allows my students to grow and flourish in a supportive and encouraging manner.

After establishing my expectations and routines in my physical education classes at the start of the school year (see HPEC blog for more information: https://albertahpec.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-successful-physical-education-school.html), I begin the process of creating a learning environment that supports and encourages all students in my physical education class. If I want to see my students cooperate with each other, encourage each other, and problem solve with each other, I need to provide them with opportunities to practice these skills during class time. This is where my cooperation and communication instructional unit comes in. I intentionally teach activities and games to allow students to learn, practice and demonstrate the skills of communicating respectfully both verbally and nonverbally, finding a partner, finding a group, including others, encouraging others, working together towards a shared goal, completing tasks as a group, and problem solving when challenges arise.

First things first, students need to practice the skill of finding a variety of different partners in a class to feel comfortable working with a variety of different students. I learned a valuable partnering technique from a SPARK PE workshop I attended. Using a particular body part (thumbs, feet, backs, elbows, knees, etc…), I will call out “foot to foot 2” and students need to find a student to connect their foot with, if a student does not have a “foot to foot 2” person, they go to the “lost and found”, which is a designated central location in the activity area. The “lost and found” is a place where a student can get help finding their “foot to foot 2” person. If there is an uneven number of students in the class and one student is left over, the class is encouraged to welcome the student from the “lost and found” into their group to ensure everyone feels like they belong. This procedure of “foot to foot 2” needs to be practiced multiple times to allow students opportunities to quickly find a close partner and to go to the “lost and found” for help if needed. An important reminder for students is to make sure each “foot to foot 2” partner is different from any previous “foot to foot 2” partner. It is also valuable to give each “foot to foot 2” partner a task when first trying this technique. For example, the first “foot to foot 2” partner you find could be your thumb wrestling partner, the second “foot to foot 2” partner you find could be your healthy eating partner and the third “foot to foot 2” partner you find could be your secret handshake partner. This will give a task for students to complete with each partner as they practice the skill of finding a partner.

Once partner groups have been established, the number used after “foot to foot” can be increased. “Foot to Foot 3” would mean three students need to join feet together and anyone not in a group of 3 would seek assistance in the “lost and found”. Allowing students to practice creating a variety of groups with different numbers to ensure this task can be done quickly and inclusively is important to build the skill of creating groups where everyone is included and welcomed.

As students learn the skill of finding a partner and/or group, I provide a number of activities and games that use the partner/group and build the skills of respectful communication, encouraging others, working together towards a shared goal and problem solving. Here are some activities that help students build their skills when working together:

Partner Hot and Cold Game – Students are set up in partners using “foot to foot 2”. Each partner group has one gator ball or similar item. This game works on trust, honesty and communication. One partner closes and covers their eyes and shows honesty by not peaking. The other partner hides their gator ball or similar item in the activity area. The partner who hid the gator ball returns to the partner with their eyes closed and covered and uses clear verbal communication to direct their partner who continues to keep their eyes closed and covered to move to find the location of the ball. The partner may say “walk forward 10 steps, turn left 90 degrees, walk forward 20 steps, turn right slightly, walk 5 steps, reach down”. These clear verbal instructions allow students to work on their communication skills and the partner who has their eyes closed needs to listen carefully and trust their partner. The 2 partners switch jobs when the ball is found.

Tarp or Mini Parachute Challenges – Students are set up in groups using “foot to foot 4”. Each group has one mini parachute or tarp and 1 gator ball. The group is tasked with working together and completing the tasks provided by the teacher using their problem solving skills, creativity and communication within the group. Some tasks include:

·       all group members stand on the parachute

·       without stepping off the parachute flip the parachute over

·       without stepping off the parachute fold the parachute in half

·       without stepping off the parachute fold the parachute in half again

·       without stepping off the parachute unfold the parachute fully

·       holding onto the sides of the parachute use the parachute to throw and catch a gator ball a set number of times

·       holding onto the side of the parachute pass a gator ball to another parachute group to catch the gator ball with their parachute

Group Juggling – Students are set up in groups using “foot to foot 5”. Each group begins with 1 gator ball. Students create a passing partner that includes all students in the group with the gator ball passing to each student only once and not passing to a student directly beside someone. Once the passing pattern that includes everyone is established the passing pattern remains the same for the game. The gator ball must pass through the passing pattern 3 times in a row without being dropped. If the ball is dropped, start back at the beginning of the passing pattern. If the group successfully passes the gator ball 3 times through the passing pattern, a second gator ball is utilized and the two gator balls are passed through the passing pattern 3 times. Once the task of passing 3 times through the passing pattern is complete, then a third gator ball is added. Groups can continue to add balls until they have one ball per person and group members are simultaneously passing the balls through the passing pattern. Groups will find the need for clear communication, focus and gentle passes as keys for group success in this activity.

Hula Hut Activities – Students are set up in groups using “foot to foot 4”. Each group begins with 6 hula hoops that are the same size. Groups are tasked with creating a hula hut. A hula hut is a three-dimensional structure that can stand alone with 1 hula hoop as the base, 4 hula hoops as the walls and 1 hula hoop as the roof. Once a group creates their hula hut they can complete the following tasks:

·       have all members crawl through the hula hut without the hut collapsing

·       build the hula hut in each corner of the activity area

·       once the hula hut is built lift the hula hut and transport it around the activity area without it collapsing

·       build a double decker hula hut (one hula hut on top of another) by working together with another hula hut group

·       play hula hut knockdown by building and protecting your hula hut and throwing gator balls to try to knock down hula huts of other groups

Whole Class Long Rope Challenges – Students are set up in one long line with the whole class working together. Have the teacher and a responsible student turn the long rope towards the student line up. As a class, students run 1 at a time through the rope, watching the rope touch the ground and then following the rope as it turns to make it through the rope. This is often called “going through the front door” of a long rope. Once through the rope, students return to the end of the line up. Allow all the students a chance to go through the rope alone. Next, line up in partners in the line facing the rope and 2 students run through the rope together as the rope is turned. Repeat with 3 students and then 4 students together. Finally, allow students the choice of going through on their own, or going through in a group to see how quickly the whole class can get through the rope, ultimately trying to not have the rope stop moving. This whole class long rope challenge allows opportunities for the entire class to work together towards a common goal and for students to use encouraging words and support as they navigate going through the long rope.

HPEC Conference 2024 Highlights and Award Winners

 Submitted by: Sonia Sheehan, HPEC Vice President Communications

Thursday May 9 to Saturday May 11, 2024, the Annual HPEC Conference took place at Millennium Place in Sherwood Park, just outside of Edmonton. Thank you to the Conference Co-Chairs, Heather Rootsaert, Dean Rootsaert and Colette Tercier, and the Conference Steering Committee for hosting an outstanding professional development event. The 2024 HPEC Conference was filled with many learning opportunities, recognition opportunities, social opportunities, and lots of “hands on” physical activity participation. Thursday’s program included the pre-conference sessions and the tribute to all individuals who have served in the role as HPEC President at the HPEC Past President’s Social. Friday included the official conference opening with the Robert Routledge Address by Don Zabloski and the Keynote Address by Dr. Dean Dudley. Following the opening, conference delegates had 4 sessions and the annual HPEC AGM to attend. Friday evening finished off with the Conference “Rock of Ages” Social with many creative and impressive costumes from a variety of rock and roll eras. Saturday was the final day of the conference and included 3 more sessions for conference delegates, followed by the closing Mini Keynote by John Byl and the presentation of the HPEC Certificate of Commendation Awards to Alberta teachers who have demonstrated outstanding contributions in the field of health and physical education.

The 2024 HPEC Certificate of Commendation Winners:

Krystal Mackinnon                    Greater Calgary Region

Bryce Gillis                               Calgary Region

Darren Flynn                            Northwest Region

Cameron Rittinger                   Southeast Region

Steven Reid                             Northeast Region

Vanessa Valgardson                Southwest Region

Janelle Stephens                     Edmonton Region

Congratulations to all HPEC award winners!

Stay tuned for details regarding the May 2025 HPEC Professional Development opportunity. In the coming months the HPEC website, www.hpec.ab.ca, HPEC social media, https://www.instagram.com/hpecab/, and the HPEC emails to members will have details regarding next year’s event.