Week 18

This week we started our Pickleball Unit! This is a great unit to start after ping-pong because they are so similar. The students had a great time with the ping-pong unit, but there is always an extra jump of excitement when we start pickleball! For those of you who do not know what pickleball is, think of tennis and ping-pong, and put them together. Pickleball is played with wooden paddles, a whiffle ball, and on a tennis court which resembles a very large ping-pong table.

K-2

We started this unit off just like ping-pong. The students were introduced to the paddle and the ball. We looked at the differences in each of the equipment compared to ping-pong, and talked about how the differences made the game harder or easier. We then worked on ball control. The students really enjoyed this. Many found it easier than ping-pong, but many found it much harder. "The ball does not bounce very high", "the ball is so heavy", "the paddle is heavy" are all comments I heard when they were practicing. We also had a chance to hit the ball over a pickleball net, and play some pickleball wall ball  this week!

Some things you can ask/do with your child(ren) this weekend:

• What is the "ready stance"?

• When do we get into the ready stance?

• What does a pickleball ball look like and why is it called pickleball?

3-4

We started with the grip, ready stance, and ball control this week. The students did a great job showing me their ready stance and getting into their ready stance after each hit. The students had fun practicing their hits over the pickleball net and learning the correct serve. Along with the serve, they got to practice a very popular hit called the "dink". 

Some things you can ask/do with your child(ren) this weekend:

• Why is it important to be in a ready stance at all times?

• Play ping-pong on a tennis court or use wooden paddles and play tennis.

• What is a "dink hit" in pickleball?

 

 

5-8

The middle school students really enjoy the pickleball unit! They know it is time to get ready for the CHPCS Pickleball Tournament. This tournament is only open to 6th-8th graders, but the 5th graders this year will get an advantage from previous years. They will learn all the rules earlier, get to practice more with the 6th graders, and learn more strategies to get ready for next year. The students learned the correct serve this week, all the rules to the game, and have had many days of practicing the rules. Next week they will learn strategy and the many important hits such as the overhead hit, backhand, forehand, dink, and lob. 

7th grade is also learning how to do the jitterbug. This is a fast paced swing dancing style that fits right into their core knowledge unit. Please ask them to teach you some of the steps so they can practice. It is a great couples dance that can be danced to a variety of music!

Things to ask/do with your child(ren) this weekend:

• Play tennis with some wooden paddles.

• Watch some pickleball games online.

• Why is it called pickleball?

Have a great weekend and remember to keep moving!!!!