A personal note from Dr. Martha Eddy

 

"Hello, I’ve dedicated over 30 years of my life to learning and teaching how movement and education can effectively work together. In this video I’m going to be your personal coach guiding you through this innovative program. I’m going to share with you the essential lessons learned from my experience working directly with children who have diverse physical and emotional disabilities as a consultant in independent schools and with the NYC Department of Education.

I’m going to be sitting behind my desk giving you one on one coaching between each exercise because I’d like you to be as successful as possible with EYE OPENERS in your classroom. It is a joy to share something with you that I know works. Feel free to reach out to me with your questions and success stories on our blog.  Together, I know we can make a difference."

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The EYE OPENERS exercises can be used for:

• • quick interventions in classroom management

  • short educational breaks to refocus students

  • core concepts for developing full lesson plans

  • professional development for individuals and groups.

 

EYE OPENERS exercises is a kit of attention building skills that kids love to do.

 

EYE OPENERS EXERCISES AND THEIR CONNECTION TO CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

 

- EYE OPENERS games encourage self-awareness, teamwork and they energize. 

- Improving focus helps to keep students on task. 

      

          BENEFITS of INDIVIDUAL EXERCISES

 

PALMING

- Relaxes the eyes

- Calms the nervous system

- Helps with visualization/imagination

- Each child creates “My Quiet Space” in which they can calm down and this supports a

 peaceful classroom.

 

             EYE-HAND COORDINATION: LETTER WRITING

- Fun way for kids to connect with each other

- Builds community for learning names

-Teaches letters

- Practice writing

- Helps eye tracking (for reading)

 

EYE-BODY COORDINATION: QUICK ATTENTION SHIFTS of ATTENTION

- Quickly mobilizes the eyes in all directions

- Involves both eyes getting as much info as possible

- Good for perceptual flexibility – breaking stuck  patterns

 

ATTENTION WARM-UP: NAME CATCHING

- Following a moving object (tracking)

- Assists in reading

- Helps balance eye muscles

- Great way to engage kids – community building

 

 POSTURE AND VISION: BALANCE YOUR HAT

- Postural alignment

- Core body strength assists stamina in sitting at school

- Good posture helps with all types of EO exercises

 

FILTERING OUT DISTRACTIONS: BLINDERS - CENTRAL VISION

- Good for getting specific

- Color and line detail

- Helps with distinguishing letters and numbers

- Helps learning 

- Helps children to distinguish what’s important.

 

SHIFTING FOCUS – NEAR AND FAR

(20 feet is the normal relaxed distance)

- Teaches accommodation – focusing close and shifting back to relaxed visual focusing

   distance. Helps guide student’s eyes from ‘NEAR’ to the ‘BLACKBOARD’

- Shifting near to far away – and far to near is a type of flexibility

- Helps with reading

 

PERIPHERAL VISION: AVOIDING BUMPING

- Seeing what’s to the side

- Avoid bumping

- Aware of someone moving

- This exercise can help teach noticing and taking in information without necessarily

   getting overly stimulated.

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