EXERCISES
The Top Dog Day.* It takes everyone involved to motivate students. One person that all elementary school kids know is the 'top dog' on campus - the Principal. Either the entire school can have a "Top Dog Day" or each class can designate its own "Top Dog Day" in which the principal is invited to join the kids in their daily walk. (Easy)
Can't Be Broke.* How many days in a row can students log activity? Major league athletes are always in the news about consecutive streaks. If students make it several days with consecutive activity, they will be more motivated to keep extending this streak. Even motivate them by having several of the students competing for longest winning streak; for example design a bulletin board with the information available. (Easy)
MATH
Claim Your ¢enses.* "Claim your ¢enses" is an activity to monitor childrens' physical activity. Perform activity at various points during the program (e.g., at the beginning and then at the end, OR beginning middle, and end of the program). On a ¼ mile (440 yard or 400 meter) track, students will walk at their individual pace, gain one penny reward for every lap completed. Teach children to calculate their earnings and how to compare improvements along the way. It is important to make sure you conduct this activity for the exact same time period everytime, and blow a whistle to terminate the activity. (Easy)
Graph Greatness.* How long will it take your class complete in the program (e.g., many total minutes and/or hours)? By using various data on the students' weekly totals, the class can graph its physical activity performance. Most interesting would be the trends in physical activity (is your class improving or falling off pace?). Graphing "InMotion Time" on a weekly or monthly basis would let everyone see trends through the 12-weeks. (Easy)
Detemine Best Exercise.* Not all exercises are as "good" as others. This activity can help you evaluate various exercises using the 4 evaluation categories below. On a scale of "0" to "10" have each student rate each category and total all evaluations to determine the sore for each exercise. (Moderate)
Safety. Is your exercise a safe one? Does "it" treat your body with respect. Is the potential for injury?
Enjoyability. Do the student enjoy doing this activity? Or is just to "stay fit"? What's the students' "Fun Factor"?
Practicality. Is it easy to do on a daily basis? Does the exercise require large commitments of time or expense?
Conditioning. How well does your exercise improve the body?
HISTORY / SOCIAL STUDIES
Walk with the Soldiers.* History involves the learning on battles fought and the movement of troops in those battles. Students can learn how long it takes to travel the distance soldiers walked by the teacher marking off the distance on a track and having the students complete that distance over time. In some instances, it might take students a week to walk the distance. (Easy)
Other Games and Exercises:
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* Ideas came from Robert Sweetgall, "Walk the Four Seasons".
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