Winterball

Teacher Survey
The 2010-2011 Teacher Survey

Winterball Introduction

• Winterball is a program launched by Baseball Ontario.  Baseball Canada, with the support of Baseball Ontario, has moved the program forward by delivering it across Canada.  It has the support of Sport Canada, Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Toronto Blue Jays in promoting and delivering this program to schools across the country. 
• The primary focus of Winterball is to introduce to children the fundamentals of baseball in a fun manner that is non-competitive and that provides a positive learning experience for all involved.
• Designed for students in grades K-6 (ages 6-12 years), Winterball progresses through activities set out in nine different lesson plans.  Lessons are taught in three sets (K-Gr.2, Gr. 3-4 and Gr. 5-6) to ensure students learn at an appropriate skill and ability level.
• Winterball is designed to comply easily with the Ministry of Education's current curriculum to ensure quality activities that measure students' progress.  The program includes complete and detailed lesson plans with warm-up activities, games introducing skill techniques, cool-down activities, as well as teaching tips, diagrams and a glossary.  The teaching manual included provides terminology that is applicable to students of both genders and designed to fit within the education system's guidelines.

 Goals and Objectives of the Winterball Program

• To promote an active and healthy lifestyle to children while encouraging them to participate in sport.
• Help increase participation in baseball locally, provincially and nationally by introducing the sport in a fun and exciting program.
• To teach the fundamentals of baseball while promoting a safe and non-competitive environment that provides children with a fun sport experience that is inclusive of everyone, regarless of gender or physical ability.
• To give students the opportunity of working in a teamwork setting, teaching them the importance of working together to achieve a common goal.
• To develop a program that helps students realize individual progress on a continual basis.

 Winterball Expectations

• All students following the teacher's lesson plans detailed in the Winterball program will exhibit proficiency in movement skills while gaining social skills by working and getting along with others.
• At the completion of each grade level (K-Gr.6), students will demonstrate Students will also use the principles of movement to acquire skills through body awareness, space awareness, effort and relationship.
• Children will also display social skills to cooperate with and respect others while demonstrating fair play, activity etiquette and group interaction.
• During the Winterball program, children will also benefit through the practice of daily participation, fitness activity and personal and group safety.

Sign Up to Play Ball !
When Winterball is over, there are plenty of opportunities for students to continue to develop their skills by playing baseball in your area.  All students, boy or girl, beginner or expert, young or old, can sign up with their local baseball league.  Click here for the contact information of your provincial association.

FREE School Equipment Bag
For information on how your school can receive a FREE Winterball Kit contact your provincial baseball orgranization.  Click here for the contact information of your provincial association.

2 Heavy Duty Tees
4 Foam Bats
1 Throwdown Base Set
4 Foam Blastballs (Softeball Size)
4 Indoor Baseballs
4 Safety Foam Baseballs
12 Baseball Size Whiffle Balls
12 Softball Size Whiffle Balls
36 Soft Gym Balls
1 Saucer Cone
1 Equipment Bag

Winterball Manual
Each Winterball kit contains 3 Winterball manuals. A Winterball manual includes hard copies of all items below; Lesson Plans for Kindergarten to Gr. 6, Techers Support Material, and Worksheets.

Kindergarten-Grades 1 & 2                            Grades 3 & 4                             Grades 5 & 6
Lesson 1                                                             Lesson 1                                    Lesson 1
Lesson 2                                                             Lesson 2                                    Lesson 2
Lesson 3                                                             Lesson 3                                    Lesson 3
Lesson 4                                                             Lesson 4                                    Lesson 4
Lesson 5                                                             Lesson 5                                    Lesson 5
Lesson 6                                                             Lesson 6                                    Lesson 6
Lesson 7                                                             Lesson 7                                    Lesson 7
Lesson 8                                                             Lesson 8                                    Lesson 8
Lesson 9                                                             Lesson 9                                    Lesson 9

Teachers Support Material
Throwing
Receiving
Fielding Ground Balls
Feilding Fly Balls
Hitting
Baserunning
The Strike Zone
Fair Play Code for Coaches
Fair Play Code for Athletes
Fair Play Code for Parents/Guardians 
 

Worksheets
The manual contains four "Baseball Worksheets' (two pages each) for Winterball students.  The worksheets teach some of baseball's fundamental rules and concepts through fun and interesting exercises in reading compredension, vocabulary, and math.  Please review the worksheets before copying and handling them out to students, as they may only apply to certain ages/grades.
Baseball Worksheet 1
Baseball Worksheet 2
Baseball Worksheet 3
Baseball Worksheet 4

Fan Guide
Each Winterball kit contains 200 Fan Guides.
The Major League Baseball Fan Guide is also a new addition to the Winterball Program.  The guide features great action photos of Major League players, an MLB superstar poster, breaks down the basic rules of the game, introduces students to the 30 Major Leage Clubs and highlights ways for studetns to keep track of the MLB season and become involved in the game. 
 

DVD
Each Winterball Kit contains 1 DVD.
"This is Baseball', Major League Baseball's introductory video to the game of baseball, is including in your Winterball Equipment Pack.  The 22-minute video explains the basics of baseball through footage and highlights of real Major League games and showcases all components of the world's premier baseball league. 

Teacher Survey
The 2010-2011 Teachers Survey

Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD)

What is LTAD?

Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) is a systemic approach being developed and adopted by Baseball Canada to maximize a participant's potential and involvement in our sport. The LTAD framework aims to define optimal training, competition and recovery throughout an athlete's career to enable him / her to reach his / her full potential in baseball and as an athlete.

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RBI PROGRAM - Reaching Baseball Ideals

What is the RBI Program ?

• Ensure that local baseball associations apply core common criteria to ensure that consistent good practice is in place
• To empower parents when choosing a local baseball association for their children.
• To ensure that RBI Accredited Associations are recognized through a common approach to branding.
• To provide a focus around which all baseball associations in Canada can come together to support good practice in working with children and young people.
• To promote and reward registration/membership within Baseball Canada, baseball's national federation of sport, as well as within the Provincial Baseball Associations.

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