In terms of ways we help to stay fit, we have come a long way since Richard Simmons introduced us to Sweatin’ To The Oldies and Olivia Newton-John implored us to “Get Physical.” Of course, these were all 1980’s fads that have come and gone, like so many others. Fitness technology has come a long way since then and interactive…
The Decatur YMCA has recently made steps to strengthen kids and youth fitness at their facility. Among other equipment the Exergaming equipment includes the Fit Interactive 3 Kick, CardioWall Verticals, and Railyard Conditioning Course. These machines are the extra push some kids need to get involved in the game, or to just get moving in general. The Railyard Conditioning Course is…
The United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth at Capitol Hill was released on April 29. The report card evaluated the physical activity of the nation’s children. Not surprisingly, the report card gave the physical activity of children a D-. Why? Because as the report showed – only 1 in 4 children ages 6-15 get the…
Oftentimes, after implementing an Exergaming lab in the school setting, we seldom look back and see what the impact has been. Last fall, Motion Fitness installed an Exergaming lab that could accommodate 20 students at Lincoln M.S. in FortCollins, Colorado. Our goal in conducting a survey six months after the installation was to capture student and faculty reactions regarding the…
In 2012, North Crawford SchoolDistrict in Wisconsin was one of the lucky schools that won the Carol M. White Physical Education Program Grant (PEP)award. The PEP grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Schools (OSHS)and gives schools the funding to enhance Physical Education and Nutrition programs. North Crawford chose exergames as a way to keep…
The problem was clear. The challenge set forth was daunting but vital. How can fitness be introduced to children at an early enough age to change the course of the childhood obesity epidemic? The answer seems simple enough: more access to fitness opportunities and healthier eating alternatives in order to instill healthy habits at a young age. But the obstacles…
A brand new place just for teens was the final step in completing the Tony Bettenhausen Recreation Center addition. “The Pit Stop” Teen Drop-in Center has a brand new look post-construction, as the new room in the bottom level of the Rec Center is now open and ready to welcome new teens in grade 6-12 to come hang out with…
As childhood obesity grows, steps taken to get kids moving Eighth Street Elementary School student Aubree Grubbs furiously peddled a stationary bicycle one recent evening at the Frank DeLuca YMCA Family Center. Holding a video game controller, Aubree looked up at a television screen and guided a bicycle along a virtual course. The 6-year-old was not there just to get…
By Dan Lawler, Ph.D. This school year a Title I teacher in Colorado will beintegrating into her teaching both effective practices in literacy instructionand current research on how exercise prepares the brain for learning. She is a strong literacy teacher, longgrounded in strategies that have been supported by research in readinginstruction. This year she is excitedto add this new dimension…
One of the long standing professional strengths of educators is their willingness to share ideas and programs that are working with other teachers and principals. This professional courtesy has helped thousands of other schools and children to benefit from the original school’s hard work and success. For example, if a school is getting great results in reading the school and teachers…
By Dan Lawler Ph.D. Every teacher in every classroom eventually faces the dilemma of how to motivate the uninspired student. Often teachers look to utilizing positive rewards as a means to increase desired behaviors. Some traditional strategies, especially at the elementary level, include longer recess, special seats, positive phone call home, lunch with the teacher, and positive verbal feedback. Extrinsic…
We always tell our customers that the products and solutions we provide serve more than just one population. In a school setting, a PE class, fitness class, special needs kids, and the sports teams can all get a tremendous benefit from the Exergame products. The key is how they use them for each population. Below is a great article from…
