Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Exercise in Schools
Last Friday I went to lunch with my niece. She is a kindergartener at Morning Star Elementary in Bozeman. She was very excited to see me. Her lunch consisted of spaghetti, carrots, orange slices, apple slices, and chocolate milk. After watching Tony Oliver's Food Revolution and seeing how horrible the food is that schools are feeding our children, I was impressed with the food. The most amazing part of my lunch date was that as soon as lunch was over 95% of the students ran or walked laps all recess long! (30 mins) This is a huge step toward reaching the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)recommended weekly activity for children. The kids are given beads that look like feet for every mile they walk or run. When the kids reach 100 miles they are given a larger prize and a large foot bead. All the children were waring necklaces of little feet beads. They still have gym and other recesses. When my nephew and niece get home from school, they are begging their mom to go on a walk with them. I think this is an excellent program, and all elementary schools should implement it. Above the great miles program, Morning Star feeds their kids mostly healthy food. Parents should look into what schools are feeding their kids and try to walk a mile with them after school.
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This is an excellent post and really shows us who don’t get the chance to visit younger schools how they eat and interact during recess. One very important factor about primary school is that they always have a good quality of food. Though, a few years ago at Anaconda Dwyer Primary, there was an issue that children could only got up for seconds and if they were still hungry they couldn’t go back in line unless everyone else has had enough to eat as well. I personally think that if the child is still hungry they should be able to eat more but then it also leads to our other discussions such as child obesity.
ReplyDeleteI do think that recess or P.E in school is a major factor that needs to be done every day. After kids sit in the classroom for over a certain amount of time they start losing interest in what is trying to be taught to them. I love hearing that when children get home from school they run up to their parents and what to share with them the glory parts of their days, even if it’s a walk with their parents. You made a great point as to what is going on in our younger schools.
I learned in previous classes that childhood obesity, which leads to adult obesity is due to the way the parents allowed their kids to eat. It was not necessarily the type of food that was the primary factor that led to obesity, but was the rules parents made in regards to eating and foods. In many households, children have to clear their plates in order to play or advance on to other activities, even if the child was not hungry at the time. This teaches the children bad eating habits, where they think they have to clear their plate, hungry or not. This leads to adult obesity, because the children learn to ignore their body cues about when they are full, and when they are hungry. Therefore, parents should listen more to their children about when they are hungry, and feed them appropriatly. Formation of bad eating habits early is life is detrimental to later lifestyles. That was a little off topic, but it brought up a topic I find interesting about child obesity.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it isn't just schools trying to get kids to exercise more. There are many other corporations out there looking to get kids outside more. For example, Nickelodeon now has a series of commercials explaining the benefits of playing outside and encouraging children to spend at least an hour a day playing outside. Nintendo has also been joining in the movement by combining being active with their video games. The latest game in the Pokemon franchise has a step counter that gives you in-game bonuses for walking/running/playing with it on. I am a huge supporter of getting children active, it's a big step in fighting obesity.
ReplyDeleteThis program or a sort of gym class should be implanted in all schools. This is a way of relieving stress for the child, and for most kids a fun time. Also, it goes a far way in battling obesity.
ReplyDeleteHowever, to be fufilled the parent's need to implement this in the home. They need to excersise with their kids, and make food that is healthier for the child. Instead of the processed frozen meals, and hours in front of the television.
This is a great plan! I know with my little brother his biggest argument about gym is that they don't do anything fun, but giving them an incentive is a great idea. I feel that reccess is good but so many kids waste it doing nothing. Also the fact that they are trying to get them while they are young is very benificial, I think. The fact that the you niece and nephew are trying to get their healthy habits to spill over into the home really does show you what a great job their school system has done.
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