Whether you called it PE, gym class or phys ed, the class was always a part of the day for kids in public schools.
But how do home-schooled kids get a crack at it?
At Colorado State University-Pueblo, home-schooled kids are moving, learning about fitness, improving their coordination, building strength and enjoying their physical selves in a variety of ways.
BLOOMINGTON — Spencer Harrison, 12, and his classmates kept balloons in the air by using their hands, fingers, feet, thighs, elbows, heads and noses and then learned to pass Gator Balls to each other using volleyball-style passing and catching.
Immediately after the physical education class, Spencer checked his pedometer to find out how many steps he took and to see how much of the class time he spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
“I think it’s a really neat factor,” Spencer, of Shirley. “I like to check it at the end. I like to get higher numbers than the last time because it means I’m getting more active.”
Spencer Harrison, 12, of Shirley, keeps a balloon in the air during a home school physical education class at the Bloomington-Normal YMCA. YMCA has taken the program to a new level this year as students wear pedometers to count their steps and how much time they spend in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Photo by Lewis Marrien, the Pantagraph.