Engaging minds through physical activity
Working from home presents many challenges for teachers and parents. We are in unchartered waters of trying to continue to work while helping our kids continue to learn and complete school assignments. None of this is easy! While teachers are at home with their own kids, it’s still important to incorporate physical activity throughout the [...]
Monday Start with learning and teaching some beginner yoga poses. Here are a few to start with: Cat and Cow Pose • Begin on hands and knees --Hands beneath shoulders and knees beneath hips --Back flat, eyes looking at floor • Inhale and arch spine upward, tuck tailbone, bend neck, and look underneath body (Cat) [...]
Well, here we are. It is 8:30am on a Wednesday morning and I am sitting in my home “office” looking out a window listening to my kids racing through our home at an unprecedented speed. I am pretty sure my two-year-old just set a land speed record. These next few days, weeks—or dare I say [...]
COVID-19. Social distancing. Outbreak. R-naught. These buzzwords and phrases are new to all and scary to many in 2020. “Flatten the curve” is another phrase that you might be familiar with. The intent is for individuals to use smart self-care practices and self-isolate by physically distancing themselves from others. These practices are anticipated to reduce [...]
You may have tried the whole “activity break” thing and didn’t feel like it was successful, or that students acted crazier after their break than they did before. In many instances, especially if the idea of activity breaks is fairly new to the students, the novelty may excite them, and they will need strategies for [...]
Today, I am a brand manager. But, not so long ago, I worked in an education space. I think I still speak the language. I understand what drives change. Not surprisingly, the non-education world works about the same. Impact has to be measured and communicated so that people feel confident about the work we are [...]
Most classroom teachers don’t know the research surrounding how activity, such as Brain Energizers, can increase student achievement, improve behavior, and improve focus. I feel it’s our job to teach our peers the importance as well as how to implement these practices. There are so many ways to do this for our peers: Ask your [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
