SCHOOL ACTIVITY ENVIRONMENT
ENACT STRATEGY: Diverse Activities
Provide various physical activity options that reflect the interests and diversity of program attendees (from team sports to dancing and in-between)
Most adults can remember traditional physical education classes which focused on team sports with winners and losers, and lots of students standing around while a few participated. Many schools are taking a new approach to physical education by emphasizing movement over team sports skills, and designing activities so that all kids can participate. Exposing children to the incredible variety of ways to be physically active can inspire them to make it a habit not just for gym class but for life.
Nutrition and Fitness Data for California’s Low-Income Multi-ethnic Youth (PDF)
For further fact sheets broken down into ethnic groups click here and go to the section, CANFit Fact Sheets.
The California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program
“The California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit) launched the Promoting Healthy Activities Together (P.H.A.T.) Campaign in 2002 to improve the nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors of African-American 10-14 year olds participating in after school programs in the San Francisco Bay Area.”
Incentives Increase Physical Activity Opportunities in Pitt County Schools (PDF)
“In search of ways to increase the level of physical activity for young people, the Pitt County Council on Physical Fitness and Health developed an incentive program for school classrooms. The mission of Project YEAH! is to motivate students to participate in more physical activity and health related active.”
Forsyth County’s Neighborhood and African-American History Walking Trails (PDF)
“The Be Healthy Coalition of Forsyth County increased environmental support for physical activity in Winston-Salem by developing two walking trail maps. One of the maps featured 10 interconnected trails… The other map, ‘A Walk through African-American History in Winston-Salem,' consists of 6 walking trails.”
Gym Class Renaissance: In the “New PE” Every Kid Can Succeed, Not Just The Jocks
“Seattle Public Schools is far ahead much of the rest of the country in reforming its physical education curriculum, and test scores show them to be some of the fittest young people in the nation. At a time when American youth are less fit and more fat then ever before, educators make no apologies for using fun to motivate kids to get up and get moving – not just for gym class, but for a lifetime.”
Sports4Kids
“We are pleased to be able to offer the Sports4Kids Curriculum free of charge. The curriculum units each give an overview of why the subject matter is relevant, a vocabulary list to help focus planning and discussion and a set of games or activities to teach the subject. Additionally, the curriculum offers suggestions and sample documents that will help with the program's successful implementation.”
Kids Walk to School
“To support the national goal of better health through physical activity, CDC's Nutrition and Physical Activity Program has developed KidsWalk-to-School. This is a community-based program that aims to increase opportunities for daily physical activity by encouraging children to walk to and from school in groups accompanied by adults.”
PE Central
“Our goal is to provide the latest information about developmentally appropriate physical education programs for children and youth. To combat the high obesity rate, we offer programs like Log It and Get Active Stay Active where teachers register their schools and then students register so they can participate.”
Grounds for Action (PDF)
The authors analyzed information from 59 elementary schools in Canada and found that greening school grounds can promote physical activity by increasing the range of non-competitive, open-ended forms of play. Compared to conventional school grounds, green school grounds appealed to a wider variety of interests and offered more opportunities for students of all ages and abilities to be active.
Anne Bell and Janet Dyment. Grounds for Action: Promoting Physical Activity through School Ground Greening in Canada.
