In my own life I do a lot to stay healthy like exercising, eating well, drinking lots of water, and getting enough sleep (well at least trying to!) (This week I have been having trouble sleeping due to jetlag, but yesterday I enjoyed a 4 hour nap and a good night's sleep thanks to my friend Ambien!)
Obesity has become an epidemic in the US and as teachers, we play a role in educating kids about how they be healthy (especially since many kids do not have healthy role models at home). Sadly, there are many overweight/obese children in our schools and as an individual who places personal health in a high regard, I am all for taking steps to encourage healthy behaviors in the kids I teach.
At most grade levels, there are health standards that we need to teach, but there are other steps we can take to increase awareness of what kids can do to be healthy. The May/June issue of
Instructor magazine included an article with 15 ideas for better health at schools. I have changed some of the wording and included key points, but these ideas all come from the Instructor article...
(my comments are in italics)
1.
Walk the Walk--Walking is a simple way to make a difference in students' health and it's free! Use pedometers for educational purposes. Set a goal of how many steps you want to take as a class. Start the school day with a 10 minute walk.
2.
Get Creative with Rewards--Steer away from using candy or treats to show kids they've done a good job. Instead try offering pencils, stickers or special privileges such as being the leader or picking the music for dance time.
3.
Avoid Linking Punishment to Physical Activity--Disciplining kids who act out by making them sit out during recess deprives them of a needed physical outlet. Physical activity actually improves behavior and should be promoted in school as a regular, enjoyable activity.
Do you use loss of recess as a consequence for poor behavior? I do, but it is always something I struggle with. Should I? or Shouldn't I???
4.Curb Cupcakes--Have students each make a card for the birthday child or have all kids sign a special T-shirt for the birthday child. Consider celebrating all of the month's birthdays at once (this sounds especially good for 1/2 day Kinder since we don't have a lot of time in our very short schedule).
How do you celebrate birthdays in your classroom?
My first grade team asked students to bring a favorite book for their birthday and then we sang to them. We wrote the words to Happy Birthday on sentence strips and then cut them apart. The birthday boy/girl got to pick a friend and mix up the birthday song. Then, we sang the silly mixed up version. We always had a good giggle and no cupcakes were involved!
5. Offer New, Healthy Foods--Give kids a chance to taste new foods. (have you seen Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution?) Cafeteria food tends to be less than nutritious. Make changes. My school in OR started a school garden and kids get to eat fresh vegetables that they helped to grow! How cool is that??
6. Take a Break to Move--Take physical activity breaks throughout the day. (I like to take wiggle breaks and I do love a good dance party or game of freeze dance)
7. Incorporate Physical Activity into your Lesson Plans--Kids don't need to be seated at desks to learn and brains work better when there is blood flow. Remember that kids have different learning styles and those who learn best from "doing" and from movement need their share of lessons that promote their unique type of learning. Also, what class does not like to get up, move around, and be active?
8. Give Healthy Homework--Challenge kids to try a new fruit or to do some healthy activities and report back. Track progress on a chart.
9. Weave Lesson about Nutrition Across Disciplines--some examples...talk about nutrition in science, make a graph of favorite vegetables, learn about the culture of various foods, or write poetry about fruit. Health does not have to be limited to Health class.
10. Go Outside--Plant a garden and then chart the growth of your produce. Do math problems with chalk on the playground. Take an environmental walk.
11. Raise Funds without Food--Steer away from unhealthy food sales to raise money. Try selling wrapping paper or magazines or have a car wash.
12. Say Cheers to Water--Let kids bring refillable water bottles to class. It's a responsibility and source of pride for kids to have their own water bottles.
13. Ask Kids to Keep a Food Log--Post the food pyramid in the classroom. Have students write down what they eat and then analyze their diet for quality and for eating all of the recommended food groups.
14. Fuel up at Snack Time--Ask kids to bring a fruit or a vegetable for snack time. Healthy food is costlier than junk food, and not as convenient as buying large quantities of animal crackers or pretzels so it could be tough to "require" this, yet I do like the idea.
15. Be a Role Model--"When you spend 6-8 hours with kids, there are lots of ways teachers can do some positive modeling and reinforce healthy living."(Sarah Krieger). I think this is one of the most poignant points of this entire article.
There are some things from this list that simply won't be feasible for some schools and/or some teachers. Not all schools can grow their own garden. Making district wide changes in cafeteria menus is not a simple task (just ask Jamie Oliver!!) and is not always plausible. I do think, however, that if we are personally invested, we can start with making some healthy changes in our own classrooms and hopefully our healthy attitudes will be contagious!!!
What is your favorite idea from the list?
