-Classroom Based Activity

Classroom Management - Scheduling "Juggle-Breaks" - The Juggling for Success program is a physically active learning program run by classroom teachers, not a physical education program . A physical educator may initiate the program at the building level, but if juggling only takes place in p.e. class, the program will not work as it is designed. Juggling gets trivialized in the gym and becomes just another skill to learn, or not learn, depending on the student's self confidence, coordination and motivation and on the PE teacher's experience and instructional ability.

With Juggling for Success, classroom teachers must become involved for the program to work. Once the Juggling for Success Consultant has visited your school and "jump-started" the program for you, all of the subsequent instruction is in the form of videos and audio tapes, and our 575 page book, The Complete Juggler, so no teacher needs to know how to juggle or how to teach juggling. Classroom teachers who want their students to participate simply use juggling throughout the day to provide both scheduled and spontaneous three to five minute activity breaks. As one Hazel Dell teacher said, "classroom management isn't automatic, but it is pretty simple."

Juggling breaks - There are several types of juggling breaks that teachers can permit. Each student has their own juggling equipment safely stored in a zip-lock bag in his or her desk. Every time there is a major subject change the teacher can elect to declare a juggling break, based on student participation or deportment in the previous class. "You kids did a great job in math so you get a four minute juggling break before we start spelling!" Of course the threat of missing a juggling break can help immensely with student behavior. When you have a project that students can complete at their own speed you can say, "As soon as you finish the problems and have checked your work you can get out your juggling equipment and juggle quietly in the back of the room."

On rainy days, or whenever students cannot go outside for recess, juggling is a natural alternative activity. It is in these longer sessions that you can show parts of the instructional videos, or let students use one of the books. It is a good idea to let them check out books and videos overnight and over weekends, in order to work at home on their own or with friends. Reinforce the idea that juggling can be a great substitute for watching TV or can even take place while watching TV.

Of course students can juggle before school or after lunch, in the hallway or on the playground. If you have an after school care program please let the care givers know about the juggling program and ask them to let students juggle if it fits in with their curriculum. Some of your physically active learners may even respond well to the idea of reciting their spelling words or repeating their math tables aloud while juggling, and you may be very surprised at the positive results.

Peer Teaching and Promotion - Another key to this program is the use of student energy to teach juggling to classmates and to cross-age peers. A teacher can schedule her fifth or sixth grade Master Jugglers to teach juggling to other students in the school in a one on one relationship. The peer coaching and review process helps to create positive interactions that can be felt school-wide and extend far beyond the juggling program.