MATERIALS
- The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
- Marble toes supplies
- Paper
- Markers
- Tape
- Imaginations by Carolyn Clarke
SHORT DESCRIPTION/TOPIC:
Children will learn all about feet and how yoga helps us have strong, healthy feet.
DISCUSSION POINTS:
Our feet are a very important part of our body. What are some things you do with your feet? They carry you around everywhere you go, so it’s very important to keep them healthy. Go over the class rules and YogaKids Pledge.
POSES AS PATHWAYS
L is for Left – Extend your legs and look at your feet. Flex/point/wiggle toes. Your brain is sending your toes a message to do a certain action. Yoga helps us understand the mind/body connection. Make slow circles in one direction (clockwise), then the other (counterclockwise). Body Benefits
Mountain – Stand on our feet and raise the toes off the ground. Do you feel arches lifting on the bottom of your feet?
Ankle/Heel/Toe Walking – Let’s try different ways of walking on our feet. There are 26 bones in the human foot. The toe bones are called “phalanges.” There are 33 joints and over 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments. And that’s not all! There are 250,000 sweat glands in our feet! Awesome Anatomy
Heel Sitting – The heel of the foot is the round part on the bottom. Curl your toes all the way under to make a seat out of your feet. Sit up as tall as you can. Awesome Anatomy
Bow & Arrow – Hold the big toe of your right foot with your fingers and draw your right arm back like a bow. Now shoot the arrow (leg) in a diagonal line. This pose strengthens your brain too. Body Benefits
Up Uppity Up Dog – As you find the back arch, press the top of the feet into the mat. Can you lift your legs up away from the mat?
Butterfly – Place the bottoms of your feet together. The bottom is called the sole. Our feet rest on the outside edge in this posture. Can you find an arch in the sole of your foot now? Awesome Anatomy
Pedal Laughing – Lift your feet into the air and let’s go for a fun ride!
READING COMES ALIVE WITH YOGA
The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
L is for Left: (pages 1-3) Teach (review for older kids) right and left directions, and tap feet to rhythm of the rhyme.
L in the Air: (pages 4-5) Feet are ‘high’ above, back is resting on mat and feet are extended up. Point the right foot, then the left.
Down Diggity Dog: (pages 6-7) Press your paws into the mat and lift your tail up. What does a happy dog sound like?
Tightrope Walking: (pages 10-11) We will practice trick feet. With arms out to the side for balance, place one foot directly in front of the other walking forward on the mat. Can you walk backward the same way? Try not to look down!
His & Her feet: (pages 16-17) Who has ‘his’ feet? Who has ‘her’ feet?
Birthday Candle: (pages 18-19) Support your back with your feet in the air!
Foot Mandala: (pages 20-21) Sit in with legs in a ‘V’ shape, connecting with your neighbor the outside edges of your feet. Count the number of feet, and/or skip count by x2 depending on ages.
L is for Left: (pages 25-26) Let’s look at the fantastic feet before us and say thank you feet for all of the hard work you do for us every day!
WE ALL WIN
Marble Toes
VISUAL VIGNETTES
Michelangelo’s Drawing with Feet
QUIET QUESTS
Loving Kindness from Imaginations by Carolyn Clarke