It’s time for state-wide testing in my neck of the woods. Even though we are not allowed to have computers on during the test, you might want to consider using GoNoodle after the test, particularly for students who have been sitting for awhile. They also recently added a feature called, “Flow,” which helps with stress.
I mentioned GoNoodle a while back in a post I did on “Physical Ways to Survive the Week Before Winter Break.” Shortly afterward, I started meeting with my new Kinder GT students twice a week. On Fridays, they miss Kinder Cafe (when the students go to the gym once a week to dance to different songs) to come to my class. Last year, the students didn’t seem to mind. But, this year I nearly had a mutiny on my hands. Even though, they only meet with me for an hour on Fridays, and we barely sit down the entire time, it was clear they needed a “Brain Break.” So, I thought I would give GoNoodle a try.
GoNoodle is free. You can register your class (no individual student names necessary) and then get started. It’s a fun way to gamify being physical for your entire class. I usually choose a student randomly with Class Dojo to pick that day’s GoNoodle activity. (“Let it Go” and “Everything is Awesome” are huge favorites.) There are lots of videos to choose from – some including more physical activity than others. Go Noodle keeps track of the time spent on the video, and gives the class points toward the next level.
The students enjoy the goofy looking characters and the silly pieces of trivia they offer. But, of course, they enjoy the music and dancing the best. Admittedly, not a lot of dancing goes on with “Let it Go.” It’s actually more of a sing-along with dramatic magical gestures 🙂
If you are wondering about the appeal to older students, you might want to check out this post from @TechNinjaTodd about the way he uses GoNoodle with 5th graders.
Note: If you are in a district that blocks YouTube, you may have some trouble accessing some of the videos. Our district allows us to log-in, but the first time I tried to go directly “Be Happy” through GoNoodle without logging in, I had a group of very disappointed Kinders!
