Brachiation Joy (Physical Excellence Friday)

Hunter loves brachiating.

Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

He could do this all day.

Too bad right now he can only do it at the park. But we're working on that, hopefully by Christmas, we will finally have one (a brachiation ladder) in our house again.

Because it's not only a really, really good upper body exercise. The cross pattern motion is good for your brain, too.

"Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant..." 

2 Samuel 2:7

Hunter is 5 years, 7 months old

Hanging Bar

We miss our brachiation ladder. To be completely honest, it wasn't even up for a couple months before the move. (My bad. I took it apart to alter it and never put it back together).

But still. We miss it.

Thankfully, though, we got our first piece of "physical excellence" equipment a little while ago. It's technically adult workout equipment (a pull-up bar) but it works nicely for its intended purpose of a Doman-style "hanging bar".

In the physical excellence book they refer to a simple exercise for toddlers and babies (and kids, and adults for that matter) to develop their strength and grip by hanging from a wooden dowel for short periods of time. Some fun things I learned are that

Hanging from a dowel...

• Stimulates a baby's grasp reflex and aids in the development of voluntary hand release
• Helps kids develop hand control and strength
• Builds fantastic upper body strength
• Strengthens the necessary palm durability and muscle strength needed for brachiation, an excellent brain-building, body coordinating, fun activity.

Plus, it is really fun (if done the right way, of course).

Hunter can only hang for about 15-20 seconds right now. But, considering that we haven't done this exercise in a long time, that's not too bad.

We're having fun counting who can hang the longest, and also practicing hanging and brachiating at the park nearby whenever we go for a run (there is no brachiation ladder at the park by our yard). Our goal is to be able to hang for one minute by the end of the school year (maybe). We'll see how it goes.

"...then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong." 

2 Samuel 16:21

Hunter is 4 years, 8 months old

Try, Try Again

Hunter has been really into doing brachiation on his own this spring. Ours has been out of commission for several weeks now, but several times when we have gone to the park he has tried out his hand at doing brachiation, and has actually gone a few rungs on his own.

I got these pictures at the park today. He had already done them a few times and his hands were getting a little tired, but his self-motivated perseverance was shining through!

"For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief."

Proverbs 24:16

Hunter is 4 years, 1 month old

Tarzan Rope

In a moment of randomness, I went out to the backyard tonight and grabbed a knotted rope that was once part of a jungle gym set. I looped it over the top of the brachiation ladder and - violá! - a climbing rope! I've wanted to install one of these for a while, and now I finally have.

Hunter, as you can tell from this picture, already loves it. And what kid wouldn't? He probably jumped off of the bed and flung himself into the air, swinging triumphantly three dozen times before calling it quits. Later, when we did brachiation before he went to bed, he complained about his hands hurting. "From the rope?" "Yeah." Well, it's no fun to have your hands hurt but in reality that is a good thing: it means he's building strong and sturdy hands which will help him brachiate, and a hundred other things.

Swinging on a rope is a fun way to build upper body strength and strong hands. I know having this will speed up the time before he will be able to brachiate on his own. And climbing and swinging on a rope stimulates the brain in a different way than brachiating does. And if you're new to all this stuff - movement develops the neural pathways of the brain and improves all areas of human function. Specific cross-pattern movements, such as crawling, running, and brachiating, strengthen the connection between both sides of the brain and grows the cortex. And all these activities strengthen the overall health and wellbeing of a person.

I realize my room has turned into quite an interesting sight with all this "playground" equipment, but I really don't care. Mobility plays such an important role in our lives and I want to give Hunter the best opportunity possible to develop not only his body but his cortex (brain). This is my idea of a "child-friendly" room, and I would much rather have the "unusual" children's things that I have in my room than what the modern picture of "child friendly" is, with toys, a computer, TV, video games, a couple books maybe. "Child friendly" usually means more friendly to the convenience of adults (keeping them occupied and out of the way) than it means friendly to the development of the child (the best environment to learn and grow).

So, here's to my crazy, truly child development-friendly room. I love you Hunter: you only deserve the best!

"They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:"

Joel 2:7

Hunter is 3 years, 4 months old

Brachiation Ladder is Up!

Hunter's glad to be back brachiating again. I had been working on it up until just a couple days before we left, and I realized that I never posted a blog about it or took pictures of it.

It's still not completely finished. The braces aren't cut so it's not as sturdy as it will be. It doesn't have all the holes drilled in it because my drill bit wore out (Argh. Long story.) It needs some adjustments so that the height can be more easily adjusted. But all in all, it's usable. And more importantly, we've been using it.

It is a bit short, just eight feet long (the suitable length to fit over a mattress). Since my room is not very big this works nicely. It's positioned over my bed for a soft landing should he fall. The height is set so it's just high enough for him to be able to do it independently on his tippy toes.

But, yes, he is loving it, and wanting to do it all the time. He has not quite figured out the rhythm yet, but we will get there very soon.

To read more about the importance and benefits of this simple tool, read our post from a few weeks ago.

"For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm... that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel..."

1 Kings 8:42-43

Hunter is 3 years, 4 months old

Brachiation!

bra·chi·a·tion [brey-kee-ey-shuhn]

–noun Zoology.
locomotion accomplished by swinging by the arms from one hold to another.

Yesterday we finished the first portion of our long-awaited, much anticipated brachiation ladder. After several months of saving the money I am finally able to create this wonderful learning tool for my son. I altered the design so that it can fit over our bed to save space in our 150-square-foot living space.

"Brachiation ladder" is another name for a set of monkey bars. Glenn Doman began using brachiation as a therapy for brain-injured children several decades ago at the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential. Brachiation is a very powerful and extremely beneficial tool for the growing brain and body, as it builds the lungs, strengthens the upper body, and coordinates the brain in such a way as to build the necessary skills for writing, reading, and violin playing. Children on their physical excellence program have ALL been able to write stories, do gymnastics, and play the violin superbly by the ripe old age of three years old, and a large part of that program is brachiating. To say the least, we are very excited about the opportunity to finally make one of these.

Assembling the ladder was very easy even for a wanna-be handyman like me. The next step is building the frame and then we're ready to go! The lumber is fairly inexpensive and I believe the cost is generally less than $150 to make one. And of course, the benefits and fun are priceless!

I am documenting our project with video and pictures so I will have a how-to video and download-able instructions coming soon.

"...and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob"

Genesis 49:24

Hunter is 3 years, 2 months old