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Adventure To Fitness: Keeping School Kids Active
– Reported, May 15, 2013
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Nine million American students are packing on too many pounds, but just as kids are being told to exercise more, theyre finding fewer opportunities to break a sweat during the school day. Teachers have found a free program to help move the scales in the right direction.
The physical education classes of the old days are disappearing now.
Unfortunately with budget cuts, our P.E. instruction time has been cut, Tiffany McGinley, Kindergarten/First Grade Teacher, told Ivanhoe.
Only six states require the recommended 150 minutes of elementary physical education a week, and just three states have 20 minutes of mandatory recess a day.
At this school for autistic children, theres one P.E. teacher for all 160 students. This is helping the kids stay active.
‘Adventure to Fitness’ is a free interactive workout for kids that exercises students bodies and minds.
Marc Loyd “aka” Mr. Marc, is the Adventure Leader for ‘Adventure to Fitness.’ He leads adventures for 60,000 teachers in 11,000 schools. These adventures get kids running, hopping, squatting, and leaping for 30 minutes straight.
Were never telling our adventurers, is what we call them, to do a jumping jack, but there is always a reason behind why you might do jumping jacks in one of the episodes, its because youre cold and your down in a cavern so you need to do jumping jacks in order to get warm, Mr. Marc, told Ivanhoe.
Luis Hernandez is the lone gym teacher for 800 kids. He says, the program is making a difference.
The kids are more active, theyre more willing to exercise and do things they wouldnt try before, Luis Hernandez, P.E. Teacher, told Ivanhoe.
Besides losing gym classes, kids are giving up on sports and playing outside. According to the C.D.C., more than 60 percent of kids ages nine to 13 do not participate in sports, and worse yet, 23 percent dont engage in any free time physical activity at all. ‘Adventure to Fitness’ has a home version to get kids moving at night, on the weekends, and over the summer. Its 30 dollars for three 30 minute episodes. You can find out more at www.adventuretofitness.com