By

Alicia Uhl,   Ridgewood Middle School

Play:

Topics:

Physical Activity Participation, Student Leadership,  Success with Funds

Last year our school won some funding from Fuel Up to Play and we purchased some sports equipment. In the middle school, the kids no longer get recess and they still need a break from school. The kids and teachers teamed up to come up with a solution. All of our classes are 43 minutes long, except for 5th hour because lunch makes the class run 1 hour. We decided to allow the kids to take a break before or after lunch for about 15-17 min. We take the equipment we earned last year outside and play games like kickball, football, 4-square, and other fun activities. Both students and teachers have found these breaks to be successful because the kids get to work off some of their energy and the teachers get to have some bonding time with the kids.

How did students and adults work together as a team?

Yes we worked together to come up with a plan to get some exercise added into our day.

How do you plan to make this Play last during the school year and beyond?

This plan will definitely last throughout the year and beyond because both the teachers and students had input in the ideas. Everyone feels that their ideas were taken into consideration and a compromise for all was achieved.

What improvements have you seen at your school?

We have seen that the students are more engaged and active in the afternoon classes, where as before they were sluggish and uninterested after lunch time.