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One Hour of Exercise for Smarter, Healthier Iowa Kids

Originally published April 16, 2018 in the Public News Service.

By Roz Brown, Public News Service, Iowa

The American Heart Association recommends 60 minutes of daily physical activity for school-aged children. But most Iowa kids aren’t meeting that goal.

That one hour of activity is known to help keep weight off and improve kids’ mental and emotional health – which in turn can improve academic performance. But Iowa schools don’t require recess periods, where kids might get that exercise.  Read More

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Boone family honored for impact on Humble ISD physical education

Originally published April 18, 2018 in the Houston Chronicle.

By Melanie Feuk

When their children were attending Pine Forest Elementary School, Steve and Paula Boone created a program that has lasted more than 25 years in Humble ISD.

Their program, called the Marathon Challenge, focused on two purposes — introducing children to the concept of marathons and encouraging the development of long-term goal setting. Read More

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CVES Fun Run raises money for new technology

Originally published March 16, 2018, in the Alabster Reporter.

By Amelia Kortright

ALABASTER – Students at Creek View Elementary School got some exercise while raising funds for their classrooms at the school’s annual Fun Run on Friday, March 16.

According to CVES Principal Charissa Cole, money was raised through pledges from the students’ families and will go toward adding new technology, like Chromebooks and iPads, to classrooms. By 9:30 a.m., Cole said the school was close to completing its goal of raising at least $20,000, and would most likely reach it by the end of the day. Read More

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Keeping the physical in physical education

Originally published Feb. 26, 2018 in the Richmond & Twickenham Times.

By Ciara Cannell, Ursuline High School

‘Intensive exercise improves the academic performance of teenagers, according to new research’ says the BBC, which is only one advantage of sport. The release of serotonin regulates mood and sleep patterns which is beneficial to a child’s life inside and outside of school.

The British Heart Foundation stated nearly a third of children in Britain are overweight or obese, yet 79 percent of parents with an overweight child do not recognise that they are. Attitudes towards sports in schools may need to change, or future generations could suffer the consequences. Read More

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ACG Schools: Does sport make kids smarter?

Originally published April 11, 2018 in the New Zealand Herald.

Sport in the digital age is even more crucial for New Zealand school students, a leading Auckland secondary school educationalist believes.

Daniel Mathie, year 11 dean and a physical education teacher at ACG Parnell College, says because young people spend a lot of their time online many are less active than children were in the past.

Parents are understandably more cautious about letting their kids out to play,” he says. “They are only trying to protect them, but in earlier times when there was no internet kids were more active and outside playing tag, chasing each other on their bikes or climbing all over jungle gyms. So to me, sport is more crucial than ever before.” Read More