Keeping Kids in Motion
Building a community where fitness and play are the foundation for all families.
Is there Puppy Guarding?
The year was 1995, my first year teaching. I was at Hyde Elementary School in Washington, DC. While on recess duty, monitoring a game of Capture the Flag, I noticed a fifth grader approaching me with a full head of steam, taking very heavy steps with an even heavier scowl. “Alex is puppy guarding.”
“Alex is what?” I responded.
“I was standing in the safety zone and Alex wouldn’t let me out. There’s NO PUPPY GUARDING!”
According to urbandictionary.com puppy guarding is when a person guards a “safe” or “base” spot during a game of tag, forcing the person at the base to get tagged when they come out.
Puppy Guarding Defined by the Experts
I had never heard this before. In my four years of college, studying everything PE, my professors neglected to mention anything about puppy guarding.
Throughout the remainder of my rookie season at Hyde, I would hear the term puppy guarding regularly. Anytime I would introduce a new tag game, inevitably a hand would go up to ask, “Is there puppy guarding?”
For the five years I spent at Hyde I assumed puppy guarding was unique to the school. I thought some clever, puppy loving student coined the phrase and introduced it to the rest of the school.
Fast forward to the year 2000. I began my second teaching job about 5 miles across town at a small independent elementary school. Low and behold, on the very first day of school, during my first class, a hand shot up like a rocket as I was introducing the closing activity. “Is there puppy guarding?”
What-what-WHAT!! Puppy guarding must be native to Washington, DC much like Go-go music, I thought.
Jump ahead to 2007. My next stop was Atlanta, Georgia, more than 600 miles south of Washington, DC. “Is there puppy guarding?” Oh my! There it was again the very first time I introduced a game with a base. WHOOOAAA!
So apparently, puppy guarding is commonly used up and down the east coast of the United States. I can’t help but wonder if it’s a national phenomena or even global. Just how far does the expression puppy guarding reach? Where was it first used? When was it first used? Do any of my colleagues or fellow PE teachers remember using it as a kids?
Somewhere throughout my twenty years of teaching, I’ve added puppy guarding to my vernacular. Now, many of my explanations of games will include whether or not puppy guarding is permitted, in an attempt to beat my students to the punch.
So when playing your next tag game, make sure you don’t break the number one rule – with the most mysteriously cute name: puppy guarding.
Oh yeah, and why puppies?
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January’s High Intensity Fitness Challenge
For the month of January, students will have a choice of four high intensity interval workouts. Each workout can be adapted to fit the level of each student. *Some students may be inclined to go through a chosen workout more than once while others may need to do partial workouts or lower the intensity. This is the first challenge where students will use a stopwatch or a clock to time their workout. Parents are encouraged to help and even participate.
Students write down their specific workout on their workout calendar each day. At the end of the month, they will turn in their calendars to receive an award.
*Many students will find it difficult to complete an entire workout. If this is the case, their goal is to improve throughout the month. Students should give themselves credit for completing a workout as long as they give their maximum effort. I explain this to the students each month and also notify the parents.
Click Januarys-high-intensity-fitness-challenge for a copy of the challenge.
Stay health, stay active, and stay fit over the holiday!
If you enjoyed this post, consider following my blog to receive future posts.
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/justybubpe.
Check out my Facebook group called Keeping Kids in Motion!
December’s Holiday Fitness Challenge
For the month of December, students have the freedom to choose any physical activity lasting at least 20 minutes. I’ve provided several options, however, it’s perfectly fine if they come up with their own ideas. I’m hoping parents and family will also take part in many of the chosen activities since much of the challenge takes place over the holiday. Students write down their specific activity on their workout calendar each day. At the end of the month, they will turn in their calendars to receive an award. See October’s Fall Fitness Challenge for an example.
Click holiday-fitness-challenge for a copy of the challenge. Feel free to modify it for your students.
Stay healthy, stay active, and stay fit over the holiday!
If you enjoyed this post, consider following my blog to receive future posts.
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/justybubpe.
Check out my Facebook group called Keeping Kids in Motion!