Our Village junior master chefs have been busy making gingerbread houses – and what a great effort! Well done to all of you – your gingerbread houses looked fantastic, but sadly no one offered me a piece….

For several years now we have included gymnastics in our sports program. Each week we take a group of children to Glitz Academy in Lilydale Industrial Park where they get to experience an Olympic sized sprung floor, an in ground trampoline, a double mini trampoline, two foam pits, 4 balance beams, 2 sets of uneven bars, a swinging trapeze, two ceiling high ropes and a jumping castle- just for fun! The reasons behind choosing to do gymnastics lie in the physical and emotional benefits that our students gain from this activity and the obvious enjoyment they get out of it.

Marissa, the gym teacher is very popular with the children. She understands the need for the children to have time to free play with the equipment while still providing a structured program that enables them to increase their strength and their balance. They all take the warm up sessions seriously and without exception they are all actively involved for the entire hour. Over the term it is satisfying to see the improvement that each child makes without needing coercion or discipline. Marissa also records the gymnastic levels they attain and provides the class teacher with a copy of this.

Gymnastics is an ideal activity for encouraging children to push their physical and emotional boundaries in a safe and fun-filled environment. Working with the instructors on the gym equipment is not always easy and involves resilience to keep going. Students take risks in order to achieve personal challenges and learn to cope with fears. They also learn to focus and practice self-discipline in order to have successful outcomes. They learn respect for themselves, one another and the equipment. They develop listening and action skills, which help them across the board whilst developing physical skills of balance and strength. They focus on cooperative behaviour and team challenges whilst learning to tolerate and accept their own limitations and those of others.

Most important of all, the success and enjoyment that the children experience in these sessions also helps build their self-esteem. But let’s not forget the other bonus that every child knows about and anticipates throughout the term. At the last session of the term, they get to bring spending money and buy lollies!

Mary