Happy hearts in physical education

As an elementary physical educator, Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite days of the school year. My students will celebrate their “happy hearts” today, feeling their heartbeats accelerate as they engage in a variety of cardiorespiratory activities.

Sixty minutes of heart-healthy play each day is recommended for all of our children to build strong bones and muscles, improve strength and endurance, and reduce stress and anxiety. In addition, there is a significant connection between a fit, active body and improved academic performance.

We’ve all heard the grim obesity statistics. Over the past 30 years, national obesity rates have tripled for youth, with nearly 35 percent of 6- to 19-year-olds beyond a healthy weight. Here in the Mat-Su, the percentage of children who are overweight or obese has dropped by 19 percent over the past seven years. The trend is positive, yet a challenge remains. Statistics collected in the Mat-Su Borough School District during the 2009-2010 academic year indicate that 26 percent of students in grades kindergarten, first, third, fifth and seventh are considered overweight or obese. The data also revealed that as our kids get older, this percentage expanded from 22 percent of k/1 students to 34 percent of seventh-graders.

Elementary physical education (PE) classes are where our young students learn the fundamental movement skills and patterns that form the basis of future sport and recreational pursuits. It is where they experience the thrill of victory when they reach their goals and determine new strategies when their efforts fall short. In PE, our students learn the concepts of physical fitness and discover how their own bodies work. Most importantly, they develop a joy of movement and a passion for play.

Our young students come to us with an innate desire to play. They learn best through doing and are hard to keep still. As they get older, they will spend more time in front of a screen — whether it’s a screen on a computer, a video game, a television or a smartphone. The challenge is to keep our kids, and ourselves, on the move. The earlier we can start our kids on the road to healthy behaviors and help them develop the confidence that results from early successful movement experiences the better.

Physical education is different from what many of you may have experienced. Goose Bay students have spent these snowy days exploring the winter world on snowshoes and learning to carve turns on their snowboards. Machetanz students have been using Flip cameras to record and improve their gymnastics skills. Big Lake students are learning the skills for dog mushing, with a special focus on navigating trails in our beautiful Alaska landscape. Swanson students have been developing their rhythmic grooves through social dance. Iditarod students have been hitting the trails on their cross-country skis. Larson students show up before school to inline skate.

This year, make it a point to stop in the gym and visit with your child’s PE teacher during next week’s parent-teacher conferences. You will be amazed to learn about the fun, exciting and challenging activities that your children perform in that wonderful space. You may even decide to come back the following week to participate.

In the meantime, today is Valentine’s Day. You probably already bought the chocolate hearts and candies, but may I offer another heart-felt suggestion? This year, consider celebrating Happy Hearts Day by playing with your child. Head outside and embark on an epic snowball fight. Enjoy a scavenger hunt in your neighborhood. Grab those sleds (and helmets) and fly down a local hill. Whatever it may be, go have some fun and make your heart happy.

Nancy Blake is the physical education teacher at Goose Bay Elementary School. She has been teaching and coaching in the Mat-Su Borough School District since 1995.