Camp Caesar PE Conference

Wow, it has been a long while since I posted some thoughts. I have actually been sharing quite a few things through my facebook page (www.facebook.com/ctriolet) but this might be a better way to share some thoughts with all.

Now, let's get to business at hand.....Camp Caesar PE Conference.Camp Caesar is a rustic 4H camp near Cowen, West Virginia. the conference is held over a weekend, usually at the end of May. This past year, I was invited to be one of the paid presenters along with two excellent teachers from Winchester, VA (Mac and JT) who presented together. We were given 4 presentation opportunities over the two days to share a variety of activities with the attendees. There were about 240 participants for the conference, interestingly enough about half were NOT physical education teachers (due to the fact the the University of West Virginia offers college credit for attending the conference.....smart!). It was a collection of classroom, special education, and resource teachers. There were even a couple of nurses.

What makes Camp Caesar special is the atmosphere. The rustic 4H camp gives the conference a more laid-back feel. The meals are held in a large hall with a huge collection of 12 foot tables and metal chairs. All the meals are family style and you know it's time to eat when you hear the dinner bell. Throughout the conference, there are opportunities to mingle and socialize (especially during "Social Fitness" which occurs nightly from 9p - 12a). There are break-out sessions, campers, a plastic duck race ("ducky derby"), a four-square tournament, campfires, and much much more. Along with all the fun, there were plenty of great sessions to attend and tons of ideas that could be taken back to any educational setting (I used about 10 ideas before the school year ended!).

If you are looking for staff development, college credit, and/or fun......Camp Caesar is the place to be!!

For more information about the Camp Caesar PE Conference, visit their website; www.ccphysed.org/301.html.


Chad Triolet
The "Noodle Guy"
www.noodlegames.net

2008 NCAAHPERD in Winston-Salem, NC - WOW!!!

What do you get when you use a spacious conference center and add over 50 vendors, and over 2200 physical & health education and dance professionals?? The best state AHPERD conference I have attended in the 2008!!!

Kudos to the NCAAHPERD Executive Director, Conference Coordinator, and the Board of NCAAHPERD for putting together a very professional and fun conference. During the conference, I was able to do three presentations (1-Noodle Mania, and 2-Omnikin). All the sessions were well-attended (of course, with 2200 participants that is not difficult to understand).

It was great getting to see my buddies from Socci (www.socci.net), Grant Scheffer and Dale Slear! Sadly, that will be the last time I see those guys until 2009. If you ever get the chance to check out their sweet multi-purpose 3-D goal, it'll blow your mind!

Unfortunately, I was unable to take a lot of photos. When I download them, I will be sure to post a few on this blog, so be sure to check back later.

Thanks again to NCAAHPERD and all the awesome professionals I met....what a great time!

Chad
www.noodlegames.net

NY AHPERD - Catskill Zone

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of traveling to New York for a one day mini-conference in Circleville, NY. This conference was sponsored by the NYAHPERD's Catskill Zone. There were over 220 participants at the conference. There were 5 presenters at the conference this year including Noodle Games. I had three presentation slots and was very busy. The teachers who attended the sessions were awesome and most participated during the presentation.

One of the teachers was kind enough to take some photos of the first session. Please look below to see a slideshow from that collection of photos.

For more information about Noodle Games/ Noodle Mania/ Noodle Madness, please visit my website, www.noodlegames.net.

Thanks! ~ Chad

Noodle Games in Norfolk, VA

Norfolk Public Schools asked me to present to their middle school and high school teachers during their in-service training day.

It was a great day with lots of teacher participation and fun. One of the critical points that I try to make during my presentations is the importance of student engagement and maximizing participation during physical education classes. According to NASPE (National Association of Sport and Physical Education) a quality physical education lesson has four main components; 1) all students are active and engaged in learning, 2) the teacher interacts with students giving instructions and feedback, 3) the teacher is continuously assessing student performance, and 4) there is a strong connection to lifetime health and wellness. Noodle Mania activities are designed to help teachers meet the requirements listed above. It is my hope that the participants at any of the trainings I provide will understand how important these concepts are when teaching and will be able to use some of my activities in a quality lesson at their school.

Why use Noodle Mania in Physical Education?

This is a question that people outside of physical education ask the most. So here is a simple list why Noodle Mania makes sense in Physical Education;

1. The equipment used (pool noodles) is inexpensive compared to other items used for activities (more bang for your buck!).

2. Noodle Mania provides activities that provide many opportunities to develop a variety of fitness related components (muscular strength, muscular endurance, aerobic capacity, and flexibility to name a few).

3. Instructors can use Noodle Mania to develop and important cooperative concepts (teamwork, communication, and sportsmanship).

4. The activities included can be used to teach and reinforce a variety of sport related skills using light/safe equipment.

5. There are a variety of health related activities included that can be used to teach or reinforce concepts (i.e. - nutrition, personal hygiene, fitness (heart health), etc.).

6. The concepts and activities provided are designed to maximize participation for all students. Many other activities and equipment does not allow for all students to participate at the exact same time because of the expense of the equipment and the safety of its use.

7. Students LOVE playing with the noodles. They come in a variety of colors, they are easy to grip, and they are durable.

My students are always excited to see the noodles out. They know they are going to have some fun and get some quality exercise. If you haven't tried them out, you don't know what you missing. If you'd like more information about Noodle Mania, please visit my website - http//www.noodlegames.net.

Enjoy Noodling!
Chad

Noodles and Wii Tennis

This past week we have been using Wii Tennis with our students in physical education class. As many of you already know, Wii Tennis is one of the activities included in the Wii Sports game that comes with the Nintendo Wii console. As a culminating activity for our racket skills/ striking unit, we (my teaching partner, Tristan, and I) decided to play Wii Tennis with our students. We used the Wii as a station and used 4 controllers so we could maximize participation. To encourage students who were waiting in line to "shadow play", we placed polyspots behind the individuals using the controllers and gave them each a foot-long noodle to use like the controller and practice their timing. It has worked beautifully and the students have really enjoyed playing the game as part of physical education class.

***Note - Using the Wii is a great way to discuss how to keep score in the game of tennis, how serving and serve receive works, and how to keep score (15, 30, 40, deuce, etc.).

Southwestern VA Physical Education Workshop

Well, I learned something new this week......Radford University is a LONG way from Chesapeake. In preparing to attend the VAHPERD sponsored workshop at Radford, I thought it would be smart to Mapquest my trip. When I typed in the information and hit enter, I was shocked to find out that it was a 5+ hour trip. How could this be?? I can get to Pennsylvania or South Carolina from here in 5 hours....how could it possibly take 5 hours to travel somewhere in our own state?

Anyway, it was a 5 hour trip, but it was well worth it!! I arrived on Thursday night just in time for dinner at Sal's. I joined the workshop's planning committee (Kathy, Mary Alice, Rose, Regina, and Susan) and my fellow presenters Betty, B, and Nancy. It was a nice time.

On Friday, we got up early and headed over to the university to get set up. There were over 120 attendees (almost double the number they had last year). I did two Noodle Mania presentations and then finished the afternoon with an hour + Socci presentation.

It was a blast!! I have never been treated better at any workshop I have attended. Everyone was so pleasant, motivated, and easy to talk to. The food provided (breakfast and lunch) was awesome. And, the planning committee was helpful and accommodating. I really can't imagine a better way to spend a Friday afternoon.

As an added bonus, after I got home, I discovered that the local paper (the Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com) wrote an article and took some video which has been posted on their website. Look below to view the video.

Howdy Ya'll

Howdy ya'll,

Just arrived back in Virginia late last night from an awesome trip to Fort Worth, TX for the 2008 AAHPERD National Convention. Thanks to anyone who attended my Noodle Mania session on Friday morning. There were over 250 spectators and I was able to get at least 80 of them up and moving during the session. I had so much fun..... I am already thinking about what I can do in Tampa for next year's convention.

For more information about me and Noodle Mania or Noodle Games, check out my website @ www.noodlegames.net. You can also contact me via email, noodlegames@gmail.com.

Chad Triolet
"The Noodle Guy"