school-based physical activity

Brain Break, a Misnomer…

I distinctly remember my first solo conference. While the focus was on physical literacy, I was inspired by the number of experts and attendees whose passion highlighted the impact of  movement and activity in the academic classroom space. I was a “newbie” to the world of academia and secretly intimidated to be in a room of researchers and experienced conference-goers. I had a decade of teaching under my belt and was in the process of earning a doctoral degree, and I was determined to soak up as much as I could.

I don’t recall the conversation, but I spoke those words: Brain Brain. The vehement response from my collocutor was one of the most impactful moments of my career…

Movement and physical activity is not a break for the brain…it’s a BOOST to the brain.

By using the term brain break, we are giving students the impressive that movement is less important or unrelated to other classroom activity. The evidence is clear: movement benefits learning, activity complements academic instruction, active students are better learners.

On this site, I’ve used the term “Motion Moment” because it aligns with “Classrooms in Motion”. (See potential daily schedule.) But you are encouraged to create your own appropriate and engaging moniker! Can you tie in your school mascot or district name? Perhaps your school is the Mustangs and you can implement Mustang Movement. If you’re the first to generate ideas, have your students brainstorm and propose terms! This will increase their ownership and support engagement.

Say yes to classroom physical activity – by promoting the critical importance of movement opportunities with an effective term to support academic achievement and holistic health of students.

Share

Summer PD in Colorado: July 19-21, 2023

The First Annual Active Schools National Summit will be held this July at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO.

“This summit will motivate and inspire you to integrate more physical activity into your daily practice and ensure that all youth are educated in an active school designed to enhance learning, health, and well-being. … The theme of this conference is A Mountain Worth Climbing. This theme was chosen because we recognize that creating and sustaining an active school culture is not always easy. Much like climbing a mountain, there can be challenges or obstacles that you encounter and must overcome.”

For information, click here. To register, click here.

Share

Online Education via Healthier Generation

Alliance for a Healthier Generation, whose mission is to “promote healthy environments so that young people can achieve lifelong good health”, offers an online Healthier Generation Training Center that is available with a free membership. One recently posted training, Fostering Belonging through Physical Activity, is a short 20-minute session where “participants will take away resources and simple strategies for integrating physical activity during transition time to and from out-of-school programming.”

Link to training: E-Learning: Fostering Belonging through Physical Activity

Share

PHIT America Grant Opportunity!

PHIT America – “Improving children’s physical and mental health for lifelong happiness”: https://phitamerica.org

From TX AFHK: “Help get your students on the pathway to being active and healthy for life! PHIT America’s AMPED school-based running/walking program amplifies education and provides qualifying schools with a free toolkit including a 3-year subscription to EZ Scan, incentivized lap tracking technology, speakers, banners, awards, program guide and more! If you are implementing AMPED, you can also apply for grants for PHIT America’s Play Tennis and Play Golf programs.

Link to grant application: https://form.jotform.com/211095174805050

Share

Fact Sheet for Classroom Teachers (by NCCOR)

The National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) recently published a quick reference document that addresses physical activity for classroom teachers. It is based on the Youth Compendium of Physical Activities, which addresses energy expenditure for various activities. While I am always excited when materials are created for classroom teachers regarding physical activity and support NCCOR for their efforts, I’m a bit disappointed in this fact sheet. There are a lot of words that overwhelm the document and detract from its visual appeal; plus the activities presented seem impractical for classroom learning environments. For those teachers who are interested and able to offer their students out-of-class physical activity, this is great! Regardless, it is promising to see yet another resource specific to physical activity and classroom teachers, as it supports a positive trend for holistic health and wellness among students.

More on release of fact sheet: https://www.nccor.org/e-newsletter/enewsletter_2020_january/#spot2

Download the fact sheet: https://www.nccor.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/NCCOR-Youth-Compendium-of-Physical-Activities-for-Classroom-Teachers.pdf

Share

Just Released: 2018 US Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

The National Physical Activity Plan envisions a day when Americans are physically active and live in a culture supportive of and conducive to physical activity. The first plan was released in 2010, and has evolved over the years. In 2014 and again in 2016, a report was published to “assess levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in American children and youth, facilitators and barriers for physical activity, and related health outcomes.”

The third iteration of this report is now available. It provides an array of information relevant to anyone working with children and shares the current status of physical activity engagement about American youth. Across nine highlight areas, the top grade was a C with the lowest grade earned in “overall physical activity” at a D-. This is a disappointing result, but speaks to the continued need for promotion of classroom physical activity and facilitation of a culture of movement in schools.

Link to 2018 US Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth webpage

Share

Action for Healthy Kids and Active Schools Combine

Let’s Move Active Schools, the initiative started by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2013, is now part of the Action for Healthy Kids organization. As per the announcement: “This partnership leverages the strength of our aligned missions and robust networks, positioning both organizations to activate even more schools and health champions and increase our impact in schools and communities nationwide.”

Read the press release here.

The vision of Active Schools fits with the mission of Action for Healthy Kids, as both strive to increase student health. Let’s keep moving!

Share

LiiNK Project as SXSW Session – Vote Now!

The SXSW EDU Conference & Festival, which “cultivates and empowers a community of engaged stakeholders to advance teaching and learning”, will take place in Austin on March 5-8, 2018.

There is a PanelPicker Community Voting process for speakers at this conference, which offers TED Talk type presentations. Dr. Debbie Rhea from the LiiNK Project, needs your vote to be able to share “Unstructured Play: The Ultimate Classroom”. The LiiNK Project “is a research-based intervention providing unstructured outdoor physical activity breaks and character development lessons to K-3 classrooms”.

Watch a video on the LiiNK Project and vote now…

http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/74462

Share

Let’s Move Interactive Infographic – Great Resource!

Let’s Move! Active Schools, the initiative to engage American youth in the recommended levels of physical activity at school, has recently released an interactive infographic that compiles resources, programming, training, and funding opportunities for all five realms of school-based physical activity: physical education, before and after school activity, staff involvement, family and community engagement, and, of course, during school activity.

The programs and resources listed in the “Physical Activity During School” component link to external sites, so that teachers can easily access information. While most of the listed programs and materials require purchase, it is a nice overview of available resources. (More of the resources are available at no cost than the programs, although some programs offer samples.) In addition, the options may spark ideas for increasing student movement that teachers could independently modify and implement in their own classrooms or schools. For those teachers who are interested in implementing activities that require funding, there is also a list of available grants to increase school-based physical activity.

This infographic is no longer available, as Let’s Move has been archived and replaced by Active Schools. For great infographics, check out the Active Schools “Tools to Make the Case” page, linked here.

Share