Engaging minds through physical activity
I have wanted to create an active classroom for my health students for YEARS! Finally, I can make this dream a reality and included a SaddlED Active Desk Chair. My students loved using this chair, and at times they battle over who got to use it. Of course, I had to come up with a [...]
Look around your classroom at the types of desks your students sit in. Are they too big or too small? Are they confining? Do they clutter the space? Are they one size fits all? While you probably just take what you’ve been given when it comes to your classroom furniture, perhaps thinking outside the box [...]
Recent reports show that 1 out of 5 adolescents are now prediabetic, meaning they have high blood sugar levels, but not quite high enough to be diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes (Andes et al., 2019). Unfortunately, there aren’t consistent outward signs or symptoms for prediabetes, so until someone has moved to type 2 diabetes, [...]
As colder weather approaches for most of us, it is wise to think about ways we can still provide the activity and movement breaks that children inherently need and want, even if time outdoors is not an option during school time. Research supports the notion that children are more active during spring than winter, and [...]
Whether in the classroom or in the community, it’s very important to keep children physically active. An easy way to both get our kids active, and get involved in your community, is to become a champion for change. In the third blog of our interview series with Brooke Sydnor Curran, she explains the importance of [...]
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (2018) reports that 12 to 25% of children have anxiety disorders. That is one or more out of every eight children. This equates to potentially three or four students in your class who are carrying the weight of anxiety on their shoulders. Children with this disorder are considered [...]
Children need to move! Students cannot be expected to sit still in a normal chair for 4-5 hours a day. How can anyone expect a student to not fidget or move and learn? As a special needs teacher of students with Emotional Disabilities, I have chosen to provide my students with several seating options. Most [...]
The brain/body connection is not exclusive to elementary age students. In fact, it does not discriminate. This magnificent relationship is ongoing, extremely subtle, and critical to the teaching and learning process at all grade levels and content areas. Using thoughtful and purposeful physical activity is no less appropriate in a high school trigonometry classroom than [...]
I had a colleague that once said that the best way to solve problems was with creative writing.Matt Levine, Brand Manager Money does not grow on trees—because it is mostly cotton and linen, and cotton only grows into a tree if left unharvested. And since money is made, that means cotton was harvested, and you [...]
When it comes to introducing activity in the classroom, many educators often wonder where to start. Brooke Sydnor Curran, Founder and CEO of RunningBrooke, makes it her goal to assist teachers and principals as they incorporate more activity into their classrooms and schools. In the latest installment of our interview series with Brooke, she explains [...]
