My thread on beanie critters got me thinking.

What other props do you use when teaching young skaters?

I've heard that blowing bubbles work well.

One coach from Canada told me that when he was learning to skate, his rink had a wooden house kids would skate in and out of. Also used a sheet that the kids would hold and duck in and out of.

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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau

bubbles are great; the kids forget about being scared as they chase the bubbles & try to catch them before they hit the ice. Even the most timid will smile when you blow bubbles all around them.

I could not live w/o my markers--I draw all kinds of things & make sort of "obstacle courses" for the kids to follow & do different things along the way--draw a frog, so they hop on the frog. Draw a ladder for them to march up, a "slide" to glide down. Draw a dot for them to "erase" (snowplow stop scraping). Draw a "tornado" (just a swirl)--they have to turn around when they hit the tornado. I just use my imagination, & they love it.

And, of course, the afore mentioned beanies. Armed with those three things I'm good to go. Without them, I wouldn't even dream of teaching a tot class!!

My coach's son used to love playing with "traffic cones" on the ice - they weren't actually traffic cones, but were and are used to cone off part of the rink when there is a class going on. Anyway, young O used to push the cones around and pretend they were trains.... he had great fun!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I use an old hockey stick (no blade; tape the end for safety) for a bunch of things.

It's good for kids who are only doing the group lessons to get to hockey clinic. Have them hold it in front of them and they suddenly stand erect. Pretend you're a tightrope walker and they can balance with their arms up. If nothing else, it's a motivator.

But, the best use for it is in teaching beginner 3-turns. Have the student hold the ends, you hold the middle. Now you skate alongside them in a sort of tango position. Then, give them the verbal cues to set up a two-foot turn: feet together, turn your head, bend the knees, SWISH, bend the knees again, glide backward. You only need to use it once or twice, just to get the rhythm and the feel of changing direction.

You control how slow/fast; they don't get whipped around on a curve; and they really have to work in order to fall.

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I have a friend who said that at her rink they had a bunch of toy shopping carts and toy food. The kids would have to push the carts around the ice and "go shopping" for the food; i.e. let go of the cart, bend down, and pick it up. I'm going to suggest that to our director in the fall.

Has anyone else seen those bubbles that don't pop when you touch them? The kids love them because they can actually catch them. They get a kick out of seeing them stick to everyone's head too. I think they sell them at Toys R' Us.

I personally am also a big fan of Beanie Babies. I have the kids do swizzles over them, do slaloms around them, and of course on the first day we just throw them out and pick them up. I have like 100 of them from when they were popular collectibles, and I love to point out to my parents that they DID prove to have an actual use, LOL. I've found with my classes of mostly boys the reptiles and amphibians are very popular.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

Mr. Sketch Markers (the ones that are scented) are fantastic!

I also use plastic Solo cups for swizzles, rocking horses, and tons of other things. When the kids fall on them just slide out or crush so the little ones don't get hurt. I've actually had a skater fall directly onto a plastic cone and that is the LAST time that I used them.

I know this isn't new, but it is to me!!! My coach had my daughter skate her field move exercises with a beanie baby on her head. Boy, it looked hard and I daresay it did fall off a few times. I hope she doesn't try the same trick on me when I have my lesson tomorrow!!!

Nicki

my dd coach uses gloves on her hands for stroking and gloves on her head as well.