The JumpStart Blog » sports

BroomBall is Coming Soon to Windy Hollows!

JumpStart — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:00:23 +0000

Update: BroomBall is now available in Windy Hollows!

If you’re child’s Jumpee has been longing for more magical competition in JumpStart, they will be excited to hear that BroomBall is arriving soon in Windy Hollows!

This enchanting twist on a classic game is coming soon to Windy Hollows!

Once your kids enter the arena, they will be assigned to a team- red for the Dragon team or blue for the Unicorn team. Up to six players can be on each team, but they only need two to play. Make sure your kids check out the tutorial before playing – competing against other high-flying Jumpeez is harder than it looks!

To collect points, your kids will fly over an orb to collect it, then shoot it through the opponent’s hoop to score – one point for the big hoop and two points for the smaller hoops! For defensive game playing, your child’s Jumpee can bump other Jumpeez to make them drop their orbs!

Tell your kids to fly through the hoops or shoot the orb for points!

The unicorn and dragon statues hold canisters where they collect points. Your child’s team wins when they fill up the canister, or if they have the most points when time runs out!

The canisters at the bottom of the arena collect your child’s points!

The Windy Hollows decorators are hard at work putting the finishing touches on BroomStick Arena, but they should be finished soon. Are your kids excited to play BroomBall?

Filed under: Behind the Scenes

Mini Olympics

JumpStart — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:00:35 +0000

Hosting a play date? Getting ready for a birthday party? Here is a great idea to keep the kids entertained, active, and exhaust their energy to ensure proper nap times! You’re your own Olympic Games in the comforts of your home, at a park, or in the backyard! These little games will surely boost their competitive spirits and get them exercising all day.

Opening Ceremony
Create a mini relay where everyone passes an ice cream cone to the right. To make things fun and fair, pass enough cones for everyone to have one and let them celebrate the beginning of the Mini Olympics! According to what kind of ice cream they receive, will determine the team they are on. (Strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and mint for example)

Gymnastics
Place a plank of wood on top of 3 bricks to imitate a balance beam. Have each team walk across the piece of wood and do simple tricks. For example, have them do lunges, walk sideways, or step one foot in front of the other.

Hold a mock floor routine! Put on some music and let your kids dance around. To make it a little competitive, play “Freeze Dance.” Let them dance and then stop the music. When the music stops they need to freeze! If someone moves they get eliminated. Whoever lasts the longest wins the competition.

Make sure to keep score of who is winning each competition so you can award the correct winners at the end of the competition!

Track and Field
Create a relay obstacle course for all the contestants to race through! First, make a line of 4 laundry baskets and have them hop from each basket. Second, place a cone about 10 feet away. Give them a spoon and place an egg on the spoon. Have then put the spoon handle in their mouth with their hands behind their back. The challenge is to walk to the cone and back without dropping the egg. (Hard boiled eggs may be a cleaner option) Lastly, set up a soccer ball and a goal. Encourage your Olympians to dribble the ball to the goal or kick a straight shot into the goal.

To make a long jump, mark a starting point and have the contestants stand behind that line. When they jump, mark their jump length with a piece of tape with their name on it. Sprint or long distance races can be fun, especially if you mark the finish line with ribbon and let the runner run through it!

Closing Ceremony
I find that the easiest way of doing this is by carrying out the ceremony on the stairs. This way you can imitate the three levels of winners without anyone sinking through cardboard boxes or laundry baskets! Make a celebratory announcement to honor the ice cream flavors that won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, but also congratulate the rest of the teams. Have them stand on the stairs (1st highest, 2nd a level lower, and 3rd a level lower) and place medals around their necks. Just make sure to remind them that they are all winners, and this is a competition among friends- to keep with the spirit of the Olympics!

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Posted in Just for Fun!

Teaching Good Sportsmanship

JumpStart — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:42:00 +0000

We’ve all heard about the horrors of “that parent” who chews out the referee and shouts criticizing remarks to his kid or the opponents on the field. With more than 50 million kids in the United States taking part in some sort of organized sport (U.S. Census Bureau), teaching your kids how to be a good sport is an invaluable lesson that should be taught early on in life. One of the easiest ways to teach this lesson is exposing your kids to organized extra-curricular activities. This experience allows kids to grown physically, socially, and morally while learning all sorts of life lessons. According to the American Sport Education Program, participation in sports and other extra curricular activities:

Develops a positive self-image
Teaches kids how to be part of a team
Develops social skills
Teaches kids how to manage success and disappointment
Teaches kids the important value of respect

These benefits only come when a child practices good sportsmanship while playing. Respect is the cornerstone of being a good sport. Budding athletes should have respect for themselves, their opponents, and their coaches and officials. In addition to respect, there are quite a few other components involved in stellar sportsmanship skills.

Kids Guide to Sportsmanship:

Follow the rules of the game- Know the rules and play by them no matter what the circumstance or what others around you are doing.
Avoid arguments- Anger gets in the way of performance and won’t help you improve your game. Manage your anger and use the energy in a positive way.
Work as a team- Be a team player. Your behavior represents the entire team. Respect your teammates and their performance. Be positive about everyone’s efforts. Offer encouragement and cheer on your teammates no matter what’s happening in the game.
Play fair- Cheaters never win. Cutting corners and breaking rules is no way to get ahead. In the end, victory won’t be as sweet knowing you broke the rules to get there.
Listen to the coach- Even when it seems like the coach may be making the wrong decision, remember that he or she calls the shots, right or wrong. It’s important that you respect his or her authority and judgment.
Accept the officials’ calls- No one’s perfect. Even if it seems like the referee may have missed a call or saw things differently than you, in the end, their call is the final call and sometimes you just need to live with it.
Be a gracious winner and loser- Don’t gloat or rub in a victory and avoid making excuses and complaining about losing.
Learn from mistakes- Encouragement goes a whole lot further than criticism. Tell yourself you’ll do better next time based on what you learned this time and chances are, you will

Since the first example of being a good sport is seen at home, it’s important that you set a good example for your kids early on- even while watching competitive events on TV. While your kids are on the field here are some other important tips to consider.

Parents Guide to Sportsmanship:

Teach your kids the rules of the game and ensure that they follow them- Following the rules is a fact of life. Sports are a great opportunity to teach kids that rules are not meant to be broken and that they’re in place to foster fairness and safety for all.
Equally encourage and support all the players on the team- It can be difficult to restrain yourself when it comes to protecting and providing what’s best for your kids. However, while on the field, your instincts to provide and protect your kids can only go so far. The best ways to support your child is to be supportive of all players in a positive way.
Control emotions- Although the championship game may seem more important to you and your child than Super Bowl Sunday, remember in the end it’s just a game. Control your emotions, your language, and your actions and set the example of being a good sport.
Treat officials, coaches, players, opponents, and fellow parents with respect and your child will do the same.
Use the game to teach- Valuable life lessons often stem from instances in a game. Use these examples to teach your kids important lessons they’ll use throughout life.
Set Consequences- If you catch your child partaking in some not-so-sporty behavior, make sure you have a consequence in place.
Cooperation not competition- Be sure to stress cooperation more than competition. Finding leagues that have this as their philosophy is always a good place to start.
Stress the ‘fun’ aspect for your kids- Participation should be voluntary and your kids should be having fun. If they are not having fun, it’s not worth it for you or for them. Forced participation has a counter effect and will end up being no good for everyone.

Follow these guidelines to ensure good sportsmanship skills are on schedule for you and your kids this summer season!

Posted in Learning Tips