Presents a collection of lessons, exercises, and games to provide healthy breaks for elementary school children throughout the school day to boost concentration and reduce stress.

This new edition is a compilation of the authors work in movement- based learning. It demonstrates how physical movement relates to the mastery of cognitive skills and can enhance learning.

Drawing on cutting-edge research, this inspiring book shows how to integrate movement with classroom instruction, providing hundreds of activities that improve attention spans and student learning.

The e-book for Healthy Breaks allows you to highlight, take notes, and easily use all the material in the book in seconds. The e-book is delivered through Adobe Digital Editions® and when purchased through the Human Kinetics site, access to the content is immediately granted when your order is received. We live in a “cupcake culture” that celebrates everything with food—often food that’s not good for us. That’s one of the reasons that the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for children ages 2 to 5 and 12 to 19 in the past 30 years, and more than tripled for kids ages 6 to 11 during that same time span. Jenine De Marzo is out to change that culture. She provides all the tools you need to do so in Healthy Breaks: Wellness Activities for the Classroom. This book is filled with teacher-tested 5-to 10-minute activities that take little preparation time and can be done in the classroom, not just in the gym or outdoors. Healthy Breaks promotes healthy lifestyles, beginning with daily wellness activities in the classroom. The activities supplement the physical education and health education programs by promoting natural activity throughout the day. De Marzo also provides suggestions for using these activities in place of the food-centered celebrations that occur throughout the school year. Healthy Breaks presents the following features: • Tools for kindergarten through sixth-grade classroom and health teachers to promote wellness and provide health-related activities in the classroom • Activities for before- and after-school program leaders to increase physical activity and wellness • Clear and concise instructions that make it easy for any teacher to engage students in physical activity and academic learning • Tools for meeting objectives of national wellness policies set by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Schools are uniquely positioned to influence students’ health and wellness. With this resource, classroom teachers can easily integrate activities in their daily schedule. Not only are the activities fun, but they also address the problem of childhood obesity that is rampant in North America. They also aid in meeting objectives of wellness policies set by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Healthy Breaks can be used as a supplemental guide for classroom teachers who want to integrate health, wellness, and movement within their classrooms, as well as an additional guide for physical educators who have limited gym space and resources. And, perhaps best of all, the resource can be used in transforming our “cupcake culture” into a health and wellness culture. Adobe Digital Editions® System Requirements Windows Microsoft® Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 4, Windows XP with Service Pack 2, or Windows Vista® (Home Basic 32-bit and Business 64-bit editions supported) Intel® Pentium® 500MHz processor 128MB of RAM 800x600 monitor resolution Mac PowerPC Mac OS X v10.4.10 or v10.5 PowerPC® G4 or G5 500MHz processor 128MB of RAM Intel® Mac OS X v10.4.10 or v10.5 500MHz processor 128MB of RAM Supported browsers and Adobe Flash versions Windows Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or 7, Mozilla Firefox 2 Adobe Flash® Player 7, 8, or 9 (Windows Vista requires Flash 9.0.28 to address a known bug) Mac Apple Safari 2.0.4, Mozilla Firefox 2 Adobe Flash Player 8 or 9 Supported devices Sony® Reader PRS-505 Language versions English French German

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

There are plenty of books that help you use or create games that develop children’s physical skills, and it’s now widely accepted that physical activity can have a positive effect on academic achievement. But this is the first book that shows you how to tailor physical activity games specifically to enhance children’s cognitive abilities. Enhancing Children’s Cognition with Physical Activity Games, written by three authorities in teacher education, exercise physiology, and sport science, shows you how to apply current concepts in child development, cognitive science, physical education, and teacher training to create movement-based learning experiences that benefit children both physically and mentally. You will be guided in creating environments that lend themselves to cognitive development and enhanced academic achievement. And you will understand not only how to create games to foster cognitive development but why such games are so useful in developing the whole child. Enhancing Children’s Cognition with Physical Activity Games offers the following features: •Two chapters of sample games, one for preschoolers and kindergarteners, the other for elementary school children •Expert guidance in creating your own games for children ages 3 to 12, with an emphasis on developmental ranges of 3 to 7 and 7 to 12 •A practice-oriented model of teacher education that shows you how you can best develop and implement physical activity games that support both motor and cognitive development The book contains a running glossary to help teachers and students understand the terms used. It also discusses several models of 21st-century learning, highlighting the role that physical activity games play in a comprehensive education. Enhancing Children’s Cognition With Physical Activity Games is equally useful for teachers working with children in school, before school, or after school and for program directors working with children in community programs. The authors link their application to research, creating a practical reference for professionals in the field, whatever their setting. The book is presented in three parts. Part I grounds you in the research that shows how physical activity affects children’s mental development. You will learn how physical activity benefits children’s cognition and academics, how movement games help children think and learn, and how to create a motivational environment where children want to learn. Part II helps you translate research into practice. You will explore how movements create mental maps and affect mental health, how to engage children in playful learning, and how to incorporate physical activity into your teaching and enhance your teaching models. You will also consider how to assess children at play—how to collect data and know when your program is being effective—and how to apply physical activity games in both the home and the community. In part III, you are supplied with games for preschoolers, kindergartners, and elementary school children. You’ll find games that emphasize three principles: contextual interference, mental control, and discovery. Each chapter concludes with practical implications for teachers, helping you to put into context the information you have come across in that chapter. Enhancing Children’s Cognition with Physical Activity Games helps educators create, design, implement, and evaluate problem-solving games that foster children’s mental engagement and thoughtful decision making. Kids are highly motivated by problem-solving games, and the cognitive skills they develop in solving those problems can be translated to their academic success.