Current Professional Development

Yoga with Kim.

 

Lady Gowrie Maryborough Community Kindergarten has been working with Kim following her yoga program for eight weeks and the children really look forward to the sessions each week.  The children ask each morning if we are doing yoga today.  Nearly (apart from one or two) our whole group join in with the yoga experience.  They engage with Kim, listen well, and concentrate on learning the new and different poses each week.  They can remember the previously learnt poses and seem proud to share that they can remember how to correctly create the pose.  During the yoga session the children are fully engaged, they listen extremely well, they relax and seem very calm.  At the end of the session some children seem reluctant for it to end.  

The children seem to enjoy having their own little yoga mat. The mat really provides the opportunity for the children to have their own space.  This is certainly a resource that we will be sourcing for our kindergarten. 

At the end of the session, Kim often places a little rubber duck on the children’s bellies to help them relax and focus on their breathing.  The children seem to really enjoy this part of the program.  I took the idea and used it during our rest period.  I had a little knitted kitten which I placed on the belly of one of the students.  I observed him focus on keeping the little cat in position which allowed him to slow down and relax.  I sourced some additional knitted kittens so that more children could use them.  We had a new little friend start with us at kindergarten and mum explained that she didn’t have day sleeps and found resting difficult.  I placed the little knitted kitten on her tummy, and she slept!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Yoga program with Kim.  The way that she presents the program is with a calm but focused manner. I know the children are going to miss her when it comes to an end.