By

Laura Spelic,   Anderson Elem School

Play:

In-Class Physical Activity Breaks

Topics:

Access to Healthy Foods, Community Involvement, Physical Activity Participation, Student Leadership, Success with Funds,  Teamwork

Anderson Elementary created a club during recess time which we call Fox’s Fun Time Club. Once a week, 4th grade students that completed an application to be part of the club, along with a parent recommendation, come to the gym to participate in a movement activity that typically isn’t allowed during a regular recess time, due to a lack of adult supervision. These students also work towards completing different plays. Once a month, we head to the computer lab to report on the different completed challenges and plays to earn points. Thirty-two students make up the club and they continue to spread the word about Fuel Up To Play 60 and encourage participation in the all-school plays of Snacking Smarter at School and Getting Moving in the Classroom.

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

At the start of the club in the fall, I had students scheduled to come to the gym one day a week and then the computer lab later in the week. Seeing that this club met during recess time, teachers started to notice those students that would come to the computer lab were not making the best choices for the rest of the day. Our club needed to be movement based and computer lab time was decreased (once a month). Students were encouraged to access the website from home.