Click here for Brain Break - Warm up Video Brain Break - Warm up Video 1. Brain Button 2. Marching 3. Hand to opposite knee (cross crawl) 4. Step touch cross 5. Elbow to opposite Knee 6. Ankle touch behind 7. Bend and reach –Windmill 8. Hook up - Breathing

 Increased oxygen and blood flow to wake up the brain  Helped develop cross neural pathways by crossing the midline and connecting the left & right brain  Reduced fight or flight hormones/chemicals  Released serotonin to relieve stress “Physical activity and learning are inextricably interwoven.” John Ratey MD

“Exercise is like Miracle-Gro for the brain, it puts the brain of the learners in the optimal position for them to learn.” John Ratey, MD Harvard Medical School

 Our early ancestors predominately consisted of hunter-gatherer types ensuring the “Running Man” as a standard of fitness for their survival.  If you did not run, you did not eat.  Individuals who could out-run & out-plan their peers would survive.

- Are a learning readiness sequence that prepares students for optimal learning. - Brain breaks wake the brain from the rest and digest mode that occurs every minutes. - Calming Activities are used to relax and focus before a test, after recess or returning from lunch. - Proper hydration is vital to increase electrical activity, oxygen delivery, and nutrition.

 Fingers 1 & 2 Fingers 1 & 2  Fingers 2 & 5 Fingers 2 & 5  Fingers 3 & 2 Fingers 3 & 2  Nose & Ear Nose & Ear  Pointer Thumb Pointer Thumb  Pinky Thumb Pinky Thumb  Opposite Arms Opposite Arms  Gotcha Gotcha  Triangle Square Triangle Square  Head Pat Belly Rub Head Pat Belly Rub Cross Lateral Exercises:  Hand Elbow Hand Elbow  Elbow Knee Elbow Knee  Hand Foot Hand Foot  Combination Combination Calming:  Hook Up Hook Up  Hook Up with Finger Point Hook Up with Finger Point Click links for video demonstrations

Click to play videos  Pinky and thumb Pinky and thumb  Triangle and square Triangle and square  Dr Spock Video Dr Spock Video  blog site = For more videos search Brain Gym or Brain Breaks on You Tube

 Concentration & Complex Thinking  Memory  Auditory Processing & Listening  Language and Communication  Speech  Vision  Academic Skills: Reading, Writing, Spelling & Math's  Creativity and the Generation of New Ideas  Coordination and Athletic Performance  Stress Release  Positive Thinking and Self Esteem

After 17 minutes of sitting the body switches to rest and digest (sleep mode) After aerobic activity learners are able to focus better because of the increased blood flow and oxygen to the brain For every 3 minute Brain Break you get approximately 30 minutes of focus from students Brain Breaks are effective with every type of student directly effecting their academics, social skills, and motor skills blog site = MOVEMENT IS THE KEY TO LEARNING GET MOVING!

Repetitive gross motor movement strengthens secondary dendritic branching (the part of the neuron that remembers details). Daily exercise cements the details learned in the last 48 hours, making a case for daily physical activity. Neurogenesis: Growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus (learning and memory center of the brain) BDNF (brain derived neurotropic factor) causes neurons to fire more efficiently. Oxygen and glucose (brain fuel) get to the brain faster.

The vestibular system is activated for better balance enabling the student to better read numbers and letters left to right on the page. Crossing the midline integrates and energizes the brain for better focus and retrieval of memory. Exercise activates brain chemicals that reduce stress and elevate self esteem. Basic motor skills lay the foundation for other learning. What makes us move is also what makes us think. The brain needs time to consolidate new information to take learning from short term to working memory to long term memory. Exercise helps anchor the new information.

Tell Me, I Forget Show Me, I Remember Involve Me… I Understand!

Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head by Carla Hannaford. Salt Lake City: Great River Books, Ratey, J, (2008): The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain [Little, Brown and Company (January 10)]. - Jean Blaydes (go to links and pdf) “Exercise is the single most powerful tool you have to optimize your brain function.” John Ratey, MD

Christopher Jackson: Dean Boronyak: Beth Frisco: “Movement is the Key to Life”