Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/seeing-and-supporting-childrens-active-bodies-and-minds/5023954/
Yveline and her friends hung from the metal poles, kicking balls with their feet as they swung back and forth. Then Yveline had a new idea. With one hand on the pole, she put her foot on a ball and tried to stand upright. She quickly realized that the ball was too wobbly under her foot and she would need to try another way. This time she held on to the pole with both hands, steadied herself with her leg, leaned over and lifted herself up. She was upright for less than a second, landing on her bottom with a big thump. She looked up unfazed, smiled at me, and immediately tried again. This time she wedged the ball tightly against the wooden planter and tried to stand up. Still no success. Yveline continued her attempts, trying many different ways to approach this tricky balancing feat, each time she was unsatisfied with the results.
Still determined to find a way to balance, Yveline laid down on the ball, using her arms and legs to steady herself, and then lifted them to balance on the ball for several seconds. She did this over and over again, staying balanced for a longer ...