Veggie Power Activity Tip

“Veggie Power”, an exercise routine for whole body fitness, can be found on two best-selling products from Kimbo...

Smart Fitness, Smart Foods CD, by RONNO and Liz Jones-Twomey, is a best-selling CD that offers Brain-Based Fitness & Healthy Nutrition. This exciting, multi-purpose CD addresses both the need to provide easily accessible opportunities for necessary exercise, and important nutritional facts to encourage children to understand how to eat properly. For ages 4 to 9.


The Smart Fitness Workout DVD, by RONNO & Liz Jones-Twomey, is a multi-award winning DVD to help children thrive with daily physical workouts.  The entertaining DVD features kids demonstrating brain-based, guided movements that will stimulate whole-brain integration for better learning.  Also shown are segments that show how these fitness exercises can be used with children who have special needs. A special section features the 'rationale' for the actions, and includes information about games to teach about healthy nutrition.

Daily exercise is a must for children to build healthier bodies and stimulate brain development. These intentionally designed movements can help kids gain the important benefits of increased fitness and greater learning power.

Please click here for a downloadable PDF of this informative activity tip, and also click here to listen to a sample of "Veggie Power".

Veggie Power:
Specific “Brain-Based” Movement Benefits

Part of the Smart Fitness Workout
by RONNO and Liz J-T

 

Movements	Benefits
[Feet shoulder width apart/Bend those knees/And bounce up and down….Jump, jump, jump]	Homologous Movement Pattern Involves symmetrical movement of both feet and hands at the same time. It supports and stimulates development of the limbic system (emotions, relationships, organization). ¹
[Up on your toes….down on your heels…toes up/March on those heels]	Elongating the calf muscle by lengthening and shortening it activates the brain stem and helps with focus. ²
[Feet flat, march on the spot/Knees high]	Contralateral Movement Pattern
[Jump, jump, jump, Veggie Power!]	Jumping is an important skill. Children need to learn to bounce first, then push off with both feet, knees bent, to propel themselves upwards. ¹
[Jumping jacks]	Homologous Movement Pattern Jumping jacks involve symmetrical movement of arms and legs, helping develop a sense of the upper and lower halves of the body.
[Jogging on the spot/ Feet wide apart…/Feet back together]	Contralateral Movement Pattern Jogging with feel wide apart and then back together develops body awareness through varying movements and changing speed.
[Arms out in front, bend arms in towards your chest/Roll one arm over the other]	Contralateral Movement Pattern Here is a simple movement sequence involving the cross-lateral movement of rolling the arms in a variety of different spaces (i.e., in front of the body, over the head, down the side, and down to the toes).
[Hop on one foot/Hop forward/…hop back/…hope on the spot with eyes closed]	Homologous Movement Pattern Hopping is a fundamental movement skill. Hopping on one foot allows the body to learn to shift weight and to balance.
[…climb up a really tall ladder/Reach high with your arms]	Contralateral Movement Pattern Here are movements involving the coordination and working-together of limbs. They allow children the opportunity to imagine and explore, while orienting their bodies in different spaces.
[…arms out to your side/…spin around in little circles….spin the other way/…wiggle your arms up and down]	Spinning is a natural movement for children. When the body moves, the brain records that information and forms its own understanding of what it feels like to be in and out of balance. The brain is craving these kinds of movements in order to stimulate the Vestibular System (eye-ear connection) and establish its sense of balance. ³
[Touch opposite hand to opposite ankle]	Contralateral Movement Pattern
[Reach your hands way up….And start jumping]	Homologous Movement Pattern As children listen and move to music, millions of brain neurons are firing and connecting with other neurons. What a terrific way to build a healthy brain and body!

References:
¹ Carol Anne Erickson, Movement Exploration Series, 2005
² Paul Dennison and Gail Dennison, Brain Gym® Teacher’s Edition, 2010
³ Carla Hannaford, Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head, 1995

© 2012 Ronno Song Support