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ACTIVATE (5,7,9 and 11)

by Val Sabin 2005

The ACTIVATE activities are designed to help children become better co-ordinated, more balanced and more confident in movement as their neurological systems also become better, fitter and faster.

The various Activate programmes have around 200 repetitive movement activities to music carefully placed in progressive and developmental schemes. Activate is designed to be used for approximately 10 minutes first thing in the morning before lessons start formally and for approximately 5 minutes after lunch before afternoon lessons start.

To view an example of a ACTIVATE activities click here

As teachers go through the “Start of Morning” programmes they will notice that the activities are repeated and developed within progressive modules utilising the best movement principles that are possible in the restricted space of a classroom.

Each Activate manual (5 or 7 or 9 or 11) contains 36 week whole-class programmes of repetitive activities with music, embedded in progressive and developmental schemes.

Activate moves whole classes of children through a comprehensive 3-dimensional movement with music programme within the children’s personal space. The tempo and rhythm in the movements are varied through changes in the music.

There are four Activate programmes, Activate 5, 7, 9 and 11 for different age groups in Primary School and three levels in each progressive programme – frogs, rabbits and kangaroos!

The three levels of speed and complexity are:-

Frogs - repetition and slow progression
Rabbits - repetition and steady progression
Kangaroos - repetition and fast progression

This is a suggested guide for using the three different levels on each programme, or if preferred teachers can choose the speed of progression appropriate for their class.

ACTIVATE 5

Frogs - Special needs groups
Rabbits - Nursery classes
Kangaroos - Reception classes

ACTIVATE 7

Frogs - Special needs groups
Rabbits - Year 1
Kangaroos - Year 2

ACTIVATE 9

Frogs - Special needs groups
Rabbits - Year 3
Kangaroos - Year 4

ACTIVATE 11

Frogs - Special needs groups
Rabbits - Year 5
Kangaroos - Year 6

Each Activate Pack (5 or 7 or 9 or 11) comprises:-

1 manual containing three 36 week programmes
3 DVDs (or videos) showing each of the programmes
1 DVD (or video) showing the complete set of activities
3 CDs of music.

The Activate programmes have been developed over three years of research and development. From her provision of over 3,000 gym, games and dance activities to choose from, modify and add to, Val Sabin has worked with others to produce patterns of movement in programmes that children at different levels can cope with and enjoy whilst improving physical competence.

Briefly, the benefits of Activate are:-

1. Helps children to establish good lifetime habits for the regular exercise element in a healthy lifestyle.
2. Develops balance and co-ordination on both sides of the body.
3. Increases stamina and fitness.
4. Helps children become stronger, more agile and confident.
5. Helps children have full neurological development.
   

Acknowledged influences inspiring the development and direction of the Activate schemes are:-

• the pioneering research work of Harold Levinson who in 1973 reported on the significance of deficiencies in the cerebellar and vestibular systems found in people with dyslexia.
• the pioneering work carried out by Peter Blythe and Sally Goddard-Blythe of INPP on primitive and postural reflexes links with neurological developmental delay and its remediation.
• Winford Dore and the DDAT organisation for widely publicising the benefits of a repetitive physical movement therapy to restart neurological development - “helping the systems of dyxlexia, dyxpraxia, Attention Deficit Disorder, ADHD, learning and behavioural difficulties and under achieving at school”.
• the effectiveness of sound therapies arranged by Alfred Tomatis has been kept in mind during the design and selection of our activities to music.
• ideas and elements in the Dennison’s “Brain Gym” approach, various martial arts training movements and other approaches have also been found to be useful.

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