The Huber Ridge Elementary fifth-graders in Kaylee Reese’s class celebrated their kindergarten buddies’ 100th day of school milestone with a weekly practice that has become special to them: yoga.
On Monday, the older students paired up with their kindergarten peers in Morgan Shawver’s class to practice stretches and yoga poses they’ve been learning from their Youth Yoga Project lessons.
“They wanted to use their unique skills to spend some time with their buddies,” said Huber Ridge counselor Amy Van Sickle, who along with mental health specialist Sheila Ebbrecht, have been teaching the yoga lessons with Reese’s students each week.
Monday’s event was the second time Reese’s and Shawver’s students met as part of a kindergarten buddies exchange they launched this year. The group first gathered in December just before the winter break, where fifth-graders read books, wrote letters and played games with their younger buddies.
Fifth-graders partnered with a kindergartener, guiding them through basic yoga poses and reinforcing breathing exercises as they moved. Afterward, they played Yogi Says, similar to the game Simon Says but with yoga poses. After the activity, the fifth-graders met with Ebbrecht in a circle to share their thoughts on working with their younger peers and being mindful.