Dear Families:

We are thinking of you all! Here are some fun activities you can do as a family for next week! Send us videos and photos of your activities, challenges, as we keep active during this time.  Miss you all! Stay healthy and safe! GymJam Staff #happyhibernating

Meditation Monday

We want to teach you how to control your breathing and help you relax

Try “take 5 breath” where you inhale for five seconds, and exhale for five seconds through your nose. Use your fingers to count to five as you breathe. Slowing your breath will slow down your mind. Can you feel your heart rise and fall as you breathe? Can you feel the breath enter and leave your nose? Try to do this twice a day.  After you wake up and before you go to bed.  Do together as a family activity, where you can all sit in a circle and have your quiet time together.

Twirl Tuesday

We are going to do a jump full turn 3 second “freeze” challenge. Standing straight find any object to look at on the wall, your room, tv, etc.  you are going to look at the object before you turn and look at it again after you turn.  Arms up by your ears.  Count one, two, three, jump and turn and freeze for 3 seconds.  Meaning you have to land your jump full turn and not move your feet for 3 seconds.  Challenge your parents/siblings who can freeze the longest.  Whomever doesn’t “freeze” after each time has to do one frog jump. Repeat 10 times or more if your having so much fun!!

Hump Day Wednesday

Crab walking while we work on those tummy (core) muscles: Crab walk with a ball, blown up balloon, small pillow, etc under your shirt like a camel hump. The challenge is to crab walk for one minute without touching your booty or losing your ‘hump”.  Make sure you have your tummy pushed up straight as if you are having a tea party on a table. If your booty touches the ground or you lose your hump your one minute starts over. 

Hot Potato Thursday

Use a rolled up sock and lets have fun learning hand/eye coordination.  Start the music and pass the object in a wide circle.  When the music stops, whomever has the sock stands up and throws the sock in the air 5 times and catching it without it hitting the floor. Sit back down and Continue the game.  Challenges for the person who has the sock when the music stops: Throw the sock in the air with eyes open, try standing on right leg, try standing on the left  leg, throw in the air and spin in a circle then catch, try throwing the sock with eyes closed. 

Freaky Friday

Switch places at home with mom and/or dad for an hour.  This would be fun!!

Dress like each my parent/child: Lay out clothes you want your parents to try and put on and same for parents. Ex: socks, hats, jewelry, hair ties/bows, shirts, pants, jackets, shoes, etc. you have 60 seconds to dress like each other.  Winner has the other team do 10 jumping jacks.

Bed making: Have mom/dad or both make your bed, and you make your parent(s) bed you have 30 seconds. Winner has the other team do 10 push ups

walk the plank: mom/dad hold a push up position for 30 seconds while the kids walk next to or hop over mom/dad with kids hands on their parents back.

Help! Lost my keys! Parents, since we misplace our keys, you will hide your keys and kids have to find them. Kid(s) have 2 minutes to find them. If they can’t find them in two minutes kids have 10 sit ups, IF they do find them, parent has 10 sit ups

Wacky Weekend

Lets work on posture. Balance a plastic piece of Tupperware/bowl  on your head for 60 seconds.. stand up nice and tall, squeeze your muscles, head straight. 

Nature walk. Go as a family and Take your pet if you have one. Go for a hike or walk around your neighborhood look for natures gifts.  Take a bag and collect different color shapes of leaves, flowers, rocks, sticks, etc.  When you get home lay out all that you collected.  Categorize each item in their own pile, EX: starting with leaves.  What looks different on each one, what looks the same. repeat with each item you’ve collected.

Design your own leotard.  Paper, crayons, colored pencils, craft jewels, glue any crafts supplies you have at home. have you or mom or dad draw a leotard on a sheet of paper.  Decorate it however you want.  Be creative! Color, glue, draw flowers, animals, butterflies, stars whatever you want. 

Don’t forget to join in our Live events on Instagram and Facebook!

Thank you,

Your GymJam Coaches

Wallers’ GymJam AcademyPhone 661-251-3390Fax 661-251-9968www.gymjamacademy.com

Hello GymJam Families,
Finally some nice information and not an e-mail about what has been taken away.
We have many homeschool/charter students who use their school funds to do gymnastics. Since it looks like we will be closed for a while, the schools have requested that we finish the month’s classes online/virtually.
Below is the workout for this week.  However, even if your child is not a homeschooler, this is probably useful for all our members or siblings.  Team members have also been getting additional plans from their coaches.
In addition, we will be doing Instagram/Facebook Live events and having the coaches make work out videos.  Please tune in today for our first Instagram Live at 4:00pm, where two-time Olympian and GymJam’s Optional Girls Team Coach, Stephen McCain, will be talking about nutrition.  Go to wallersgymjam on either Instagram or Facebook.
Thank you and Happy Hibernating 🙂
Cindy Waller

Hello families, 
We hope you are all well and adjusting to this current “normal”.  We are truly missing all of your smiling faces and enjoying the amazing energy of the children.  Please see the lesson plan below for some ways to keep the students gymnastics ready as we navigate this situation.  We realize without equipment and proper mats it may be tricky to work on certain skills, but we can choose to see this as a great opportunity for our young athletes to work on strength and shaping. All of the activities have been done previously in classes.  Please feel free to reach out to if you have questions and we will pass them along to your coach.

If weather allows, do these outdoors for some fresh air and Vitamin D!

Warm ups – one minute each

Run (in place if necessary)

Jumping jacks

High knees runs

Bear crawls forward and backward

Skips 

Stretching – Hold each for a slow count of 8 

Standing straddle – reach with straight legs to right foot, left foot, middle 

Slide down, maintaining straight legs to sitting straddle position.

Reach to each foot separately with two hands, maintaining straight legs. 

Reach to center, aiming for a flat pancake. 

Pull legs into a pike position, then fold over. 

Reposition to stomach for a seal stretch.  Have your student keep legs, feet, heels together.  

Slowly move-upper body towards floor and back up 3 times.

Mermaid stretch, legs reaching towards back of head, knees together.  

Go to hands and knees position, rocking to stretch wrists.  

Stretch back into cat stretch, chest should be to floor, arms straight in front. 

Splits – focus on straight legs,not so much how far down to go, front toes pointed slightly our, keeping back toenails on the floor.

Bridges

Light tumbling drills

Find a safe place (carpeted floor?) – Wall handstands

Stand with back to the wall facing away.  Place hands on floor, climbing with ties up into a handstand position.  Have gymnast look at her/his toes to avoid the banana shape. This helps to engage their core muscles which are crucial for balance.  Advance this activity by having them walk hands toward the wall and away from the wall (please only do this if you have a spotter who can catch you if your hands slip).  This will encourage flexibility and strength in shoulders.   

Using the same area, backbend drills. 

Measure the correct distance by facing the wall and positioning yourself arms length from the wall.  Now turn around so your back is facing the wall, lean back with straight arms, chin towards chest and walk hands down the wall, then back up (again, please only do this if you have a spotter).  Do not have the athlete go down all the way, the goal is strength and flexibility, not the full backbend to the floor. This helps the athlete to develop strength and flexibility needed for backbends, finishing handstands to bridge, and progressive skills. 

— 
Thank you,
Wallers’ GymJam AcademyPhone 661-251-3390Fax 661-251-9968www.gymjamacademy.com