Mrs. Rios Teaches: Surviving the Last 9 Weeks of School with GoNoodle

Hi Friends, so we just got back from Spring Break last week and the energy is boiling over in my classroom. The kids can see the finish line, and so can I. I know I am going to have to pull out my best tricks to get through the next 8 weeks! Of course, I have my regular "go-to" type of motivators, like focusing on the positive, and incorporating more cooperative learning opportunities. But, I want to mix it up, and add a real element of fun to our day. Enter GoNoodle!

GoNoodle is new to me. I heard about it through some of my blogger friends at Primary Chalkboard, and signed up for an account. I had some trouble signing up because my school wasn't listed, so I emailed their support staff, and within an hour I had heard back from Emily, and she had me all set up! Woohoo! I love excellent Customer Support!

So the first thing I did was play around with the Demo Class for teachers so I could familiarize myself with the site. The first thing it asks you to do is choose a classroom champ. I chose Freckles Sinclair!

Mrs Rios Teaches: Fun, easy, and (mostly) free technology tips, tools, and apps for the primary classroom. | Go Noodle

Then GoNoodle gives you activity choices to complete. Each activity moves your class further along on your brain break journey. This is the next couple of screens that I saw.

Now you can't tell from the screenshot above, but there were over 30 Brain Break themes to choose from. I was only able to get a screen shot of the first six! I really liked that each activity is clearly marked with how long it will take, so that I can plan accordingly. I chose FLOW to start with. Then, chose 2nd grade. I like that is grade level specific, don't you?

Ok, then I really started getting interested, because it said this…

What? Helping kids learn to cope with stress, and improve their attitude? Yes, please!

I chose ATTITUDE! Because attitude is everything, right?

We did the Chin Up activity on Monday morning. It was calming and emphasized being positive. What a great message for students.

I loved this and can see starting our day with this before we settle in for Read to Self. Many students come in feeling sleepy, tense from a difficult morning with mom or dad, worried about what will be expected of them for the day. I love this calm and soothing way to release tension, and focus on the wonderful possibilities each new day brings.

At the end of my little exploration, Freckles Sinclair shows what my class has accomplished, and how much further we need to go.

I also loved that my parents can preview these activities at home, too. GoNoodle provides a letter in English AND Spanish (Yes!) that includes a class specific code so that your parents have access to preview the site.

I can also have GoNoodle send me daily reminders to get our Brain Break going on! This is a good thing, because once my day starts, I go into "Go, Go" mode, and would probably forget.

GoNoodle also sent me a link to some cute little printables: Hall Passes, Bathroom Passes, and VIP Awards with our favorite champion on them. There was also a link to this cute little certificate.