By

Courtney Pryor ,   Weld Central Middle School

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In order to promote moderate to vigorous activity at recess with students, we provided playground equipment such as balls, jump ropes, hula hoops, Frisbees, etc. By providing this equipment, students have more opportunities to be physically active during recess. At our school, we have “Brain Breaks”, which is our middle school version of recess. Moderate to vigorous activity rates increased when we introduced the loose equipment. We have seen a drastic improvement in activity levels at Brain Breaks in total. We hope to see a decrease in student behavior issues, increased focus, time on task and achievement. Breaks reduce stress and anxiety, as well as helping with memory, concentration, attention, alertness, and motivation. We also know that this active break with help children achieve the recommended sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day. Needless to say, the equipment used at Brain Breaks is a hit and here to stay. Thank you Fuel Up to Play 60!

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

Funding for the equipment. We used old PE equipment for now.

How did students and adults work together as a team?

Students are in charge of handing out the equipment and collecting it each day.