Educational gymnastics is balance, weight transfer, and travel. When we think of gymnastics, we typically think of the Olympic gymnast with a slender, muscular body and almost unbelievable skill and strength. We also envision parallel bars, rings, pommel horses, and vaults for men and uneven bars, balance beams, floor routines, and vaults for women. Watching these events causes both excitement and anxiety as the spectacular movements can take your breath away. This is the world of traditional gymnastics. It is a world of precision, in which quality is defined by perfect execution of the skills.
Not so for educational gymnastics. In educational gymnastics there can be as many responses as there are students in the class. Figure 1.1 illustrates this idea with balances on feet and hands. Educational gymnastics is open to all students, regardless of body type, size, or skill. With open-ended tasks and teaching by invitation, each child responds at their individual skill level, meeting the criteria of the task presented....
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