Description:
Get your School Active this Winter! Daily Physical Activity with a Winter Twist.
By Monica Marquis, Halton Region Health Department
Looking for ways to meet the daily physical activity requirement this winter?
Look no further. The Central West Public Health Physical Activity Promotion Network has developed a Winter Active Kit just for teachers. The Winter Active school kit was developed to help teachers implement the daily physical activity requirement and to help students meet the daily physical activity recommendation of 90 minutes a day.
Health Canada recommends that children be active for 90 minutes everyday. This prescription includes 30 minutes of vigorous activity, and 60 minutes of moderate activity. Recently, the Ministry of Education mandated 20 minutes of daily physical activity in schools. All the recommendations can be easily met. The Health Canada recommendation can be met in 5 to 10 minute increments, and the Ministry of Education mandate can be met in two ten minute increments. The Winter Active kit will support teachers in their efforts to provide students with 20 minutes of Daily Physical Activity during the winter months.
Wintertime is a time when activity levels drop off and a lot of people stay inside to avoid the cold. Winter is beautiful and can be a lot of fun as long as people stay active and are properly dressed for the weather. The Central West Public Health Physical Activity Promotion Network has made it easy for schools to help promote winter as a safe, enjoyable time to be active indoors and out. The Winter Active Kit is full of resources that can support teachers in their efforts to get students active, prepare students for winter, and have some fun. There are also send home resources that can support parents in their efforts to keep the family active during the holidays.
If you are looking for ideas to get students active this winter you will find it here. Look at what the Winter Active Kit has to offer. Each resource can be downloaded and used independently or all the resources can be downloaded and used to help the whole school to get active this winter.
Each resource in the kit was designed with the audience in mind and for a specific purpose. The kit includes the following resources for teachers:
Winter Fun For Everyone !
A calendar with active suggestions for every day of the month.
Use the calendar as a reminder to do something active with your class everyday. Let the students pick an activity they would like to do each day and challenge them to participate. Also, challenge students to do the suggested weekend activities.
10 Minute Blast Offs
Vigorous physical activities for the classroom/gym and outdoors.
The 10 Minute Blast offs are complete with instructions. Each activity is sure to get your class moving. You will find five activities for primary, seven for juniors, and seven for your intermediate students. Try taking them outdoors during a break for some active fun!
Gotta Move Word Search
The Gotta Move Word search is a sample of active literacy for your classroom . Use this activity to get students thinking about why they need to be active.
Winter Active School Announcements
Start every day during the winter months with a tip on how to be active in the winter. Use the ideas suggested in this resource to help students get active. As the winter progresses let the students think of more ideas that they can use for the announcements. Make it fun and challenge the students to be more active this winter by walking to school and playing in the snow.
Snow Games
Great game ideas for snowy active fun! Give the list to your playground leaders and watch the playground come alive. Or organize a winter carnival and use these great games to keep everyone active in the snow. It includes directions for eleven great games to play outside during recess or before and after-school.
WinterActive Book List
If it is just too cold to go outside, you will find some great books for your class to read in the winter. The WinterActive Book List can also be used as a handout to parents. All of the books make great Christmas gifts.
Here’s Where We Get Canadian
This poem is a fun way to identify with our unique weather conditions and appreciate our rugged nature and desire to be outdoors regardless of the weather. Canadians are known for their love of the cold temperatures!
Handouts for Parents:
Tips for Winter Safety
This handy take home hand-out will help parents dress their children for the cold winter months ahead and alert parents to safety issues that are unique to the winter months. Photocopy Tips for Winter Safety on one side and put Gift Giving Ideas, 50 Ways to Leave Your Sofa, or WinterActive Booklist on the other side.
Gift Giving Ideas
Looking for some great gifts that will help your family to stay active? This handout is sure to provide some active ideas anytime you need to buy someone a gift. The active giving ideas include winter fun, clothes for active fun, camping and hiking equipment, tickets and passes, and active at home ideas.
50 Ways to Leave Your Sofa
Send this handout home in February when activity levels drop off and/or use some of the ideas for your school announcements. Either way, there has to be something on the list that will help motivate parents, teachers and children to be active this winter.
Don’t hibernate…Celebrate and Participate
A calendar with active suggestions for every day of the month.
Use the calendar as a family and participate in an activity every day. Let your children pick an activity that they would like to do and challenge them to participate in an activity that the parents want to do on the weekend.
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