I have been trying to remain active during lockdown as physical and mental well-being are interlinked.

This is a time where I think people rely on physical activity as it is a means of taking a break from work/school work and a way of getting out of the house. I am someone who can’t tend to sit around for too long and therefore like being active.

I have been going for regular walks with my partner and our dog, I have also been going runs (I took part in the Run 5k, Donate £5, Nominate 5). I have also done some home workouts (mainly circuits or HIIT). These have all kept me active during a very different time.

During the Covid-19 lockdown I am sad to be missing out on my usual sports and dance classes during the week, but I have found other ways I can keep fit and healthy. I have been taking part in online zoom classes with my cheerleading squad at Storm Evolution Allstars 2/3 times a week to keep my fitness up through taking part in conditioning classes as well as working on my flexibility and maintaining/learning new skills through stretch classes. I have also been enjoying pushing myself through the Chloe Ting programmes published online, these are great hit work outs that I really love doing. These definitely are on the harder side, but I really enjoy the challenge. I also decided running was something I wanted to get myself into, I’ve never been the strongest at running but thought it could definitely be something I could work on, for the first three weeks of lockdown I was running a mile every morning to try and build on my stamina before increasing the distance. I then slowly began increasing the distance to allow me to run 5k in support of the NHS challenge donating £5 at the end. Just today I ran my longest distance of 11.21k something I am extremely proud to have achieved and hopefully will keep building onto this.

We have all made made great advancements in online learning during the lockdown.  Within Bo’ness PE this has been predominantly within our theory work.  One area we are keen to address is setting practical challenges for pupils.  These will always be in the form of skill development and we wanted to share one quick and easy way for you to put your video together.  If you have an iPhone or iPad you can use Clips.

🎬Want to use the #classroomclips app to teach your students how to create “Show what you know through a video” projects? This tutorial is for you! @AppleEDU @Mattbaier1234 #EveryoneCanCreate #ForTheLoveOfLearning #AppleClips #AppleEduChat #iPadED #appleteacher #ADEdu pic.twitter.com/l6sIw3Vh6B

— Kristen Brooks #PhysicalDistancingNotSocial (@KristenBrooks77) March 31, 2018

Here is another excellent tutorial video on YouTube:

This is on the agenda for our next team meeting but what this should do is give pupils some ideas for creating clips of them performing skills and techniques. We look forward to posting some of your creations on our department twitter page.

These are difficult times for everybody and whilst the most enjoyable part of PE is definitely the practical we have been so proud of how our pupils have adapted to working online.  The work we are seeing through Teams is a credit to all pupils.

As of week commencing Monday 4th May all work being assigned will have audio descriptions throughout so our pupils will be getting more than just a powerpoint.  However, we are aware nothing beats being able to ask your teacher for help if you are a little bit confused.  We are also offering mini lessons on Microsoft Teams to all pupils who would like it.  All you need to do is get in touch with your teacher via email and ask to set up a time in groups of 3 or more.

We will also be investigating ways for pupils to send in practical performance videos on certain skills and techniques and we will be offering feedback and advice for those who would like it.

Lastly, we are really keen to hear how all of you are getting on especially if you are doing something exciting.  We have been contacted by pupils who are raising money for the NHS and we would like to use this PE blog to tell their stories.  Please get in touch with your teacher.  The more who do this the better as it is good to keep in touch.

The PE Department