Slow Motion Animals
What you need
- a clear patch of floor space
How to do it
- Lie side by side on the floor and pretend to be sloths, reaching very slowly for a leaf above you.
- Take turns calling out a slow animal, like a tortoise, a snail or a sleepy bear, and move like it as slowly as you can.
- Try a fast animal in slow motion too: a cheetah running, a frog jumping, a bird flapping, all at half speed.
- Finish curled up small like a hedgehog, breathing slowly, then uncurl bit by bit until you're standing.
Why it matters
A sloth in slow motion needs more balance than a cheetah at full speed, which makes this a calm way to use a busy body.
What they're learning
- Slow control
- Moving every part of the body slowly on purpose.
- Holding a balance
- One foot up like a heron, very still.
- Pretending
- Being the animal, not just moving like it.
What to look for
Notice their breathing slowing down along with their body.
A tip
Soft music in the background helps everyone slow down.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: you call every animal and they copy you
Harder: freeze halfway through a move and hold it while you count to five
