Case Study on Exergaming for Kids with Behavioral Issues – Preliminary Report
May 6th
In schools today students who engage in antisocial behaviors are a real challenge for teachers and administrators. Too often these behaviors diminish a student’s ability to learn and often interrupt the education of others. Many times teachers and schools apply restrictions to privileges, more seat time, anger management strategies, and suspensions as a remedy for these behaviors. A few months ago I assisted a middle school with initiating an alternative to these traditional approaches for serving kids with a history of emotional, behavioral, and compliance issues. The strategy was based on recent research showing that targeted exercise and More >
North Crawford School District Gets Their Group Dance Class On
Apr 1st
North Crawford School District Gets Their Group Dance Class On
North Crawford School District in Wisconsin gets students moving in physical education classes with Exergaming. Exergaming, or interactive gaming as some would call it, is technology, gamification, and fitness combined. It is a better way to educate the importance of fitness because it makes the fitness experience fun, and keeps children engaged. They have been playing videogames all their life, so shifting sedentary screen time into active game play, and reinforcing that within schools teaches the importance of activity and movement in health and wellness.
It is difficult for many school districts More >
The Best Way to Postpone Dementia is with Exercise
Dec 6th
What’s the best way to stay mentally sharp well into old age? According to a recent study by experts at Edinburgh University, it’s not brain games. Turns out exercise may be the most effective way to keep elderly minds as big and functional as possible. More so than brain teasers and social interaction, exercise was associated with the biggest boost in brainpower.
What can you do to be around for your grandkids?
The study tested 638 Scottish 70-year-olds by having them fill out questionnaires about their exercise habits, engagement with intellectual activities (like crossword puzzles) and socialization. Three years later, when the participants were More >
HEALTHY Armstrong, Incorporating Technology into Physical Education
Nov 19th
In 2004 the state of Pennsylvania mandated all school districts to measure and track students Body Mass Indexes(BMI) and develop a Wellness Policy for students. Armstrong School District, located an hour north of Pittsburgh, has taken this initiative and created a coalition to address the problem of childhood obesity in Armstrong county. The coalition, called HEALTHY Armstrong, which is an acronym for Healthy Eating Active Lifestyles Together Helping Youth, has maintained excellent health in the district schools with 35% of the students BMI measurements above the 85th percentile in the nation. In December the school will be taking their physical More >
New York Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Conference
Nov 15th
Yesterday marked the first day for the 75th annual New York State AHPERD conference. The NYS AHPERD event, which is an acronym for the Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, spans across four days and draws hundreds of physical education professionals from all across the state. The conference is designed to educate PE professionals with new models and methods of fitness to implement into their respective schools. As the world begins to turn their attention to the issues of obesity, innovation is occurring at the very same time. Innovation in the fitness industry will help tackle the problem. More >
7 Minutes of Physical Activity
Nov 13th
7 minutes a day is all it takes, according to a new study published by University of Alberta medical researchers. Children at a minimum need seven whole minutes of vigorous physical activity each and every day in order to stay healthy and fit.
With a sample size of over 600 children, researchers attached physical activity trackers to each child for a period of 7 days. Monitoring activity, weight, and blood pressure, researchers found that 70% of the day children were in a sedentary state of physical activity. 23% of the day the children were in a period of light physical activity, More >Nov 13th
7 minutes a day is all it takes, according to a new study published by University of Alberta medical researchers. Children at a minimum need seven whole minutes of vigorous physical activity each and every day in order to stay healthy and fit.
With a sample size of over 600 children, researchers attached physical activity trackers to each child for a period of 7 days. Monitoring activity, weight, and blood pressure, researchers found that 70% of the day children were in a sedentary state of physical activity. 23% of the day the children were in a period of light physical More >
Motion Fitness at Games for Health Europe 2012
Oct 31st
The first week of November will be a busy week for us here at Motion Fitness. Part of our team will be in New York for the Suffolk Zone Professional Development Conference 2012 event held at Sachem School District, and another part of our team will be overseas in Amsterdam at the Games for Health Europe 2012 Conference. Games for Health is a series of conferences that showcase the health and research implications of video games. Back in the spring, Motion Fitness was a sponsor at Games for Health USA which was hosted in Boston and we are proud to More >
Suffolk Zone 2012 NYS AHPERD Professional Development Conference
Oct 30th
The state of New York is facing some serious weather right now, but next week if the state survives the New York AHPERD will be hosting their annual Suffolk Zone conference where over 800 physical education teachers, school administrators, and fitness industry personal will get together and showcase the latest methods at bringing children into healthy active lifestyles. This year you will find the Suffolk Zone event at Sachem School District which has made some huge advancements in their physical education program by incorporating Exergaming. Exergaming takes interactive video game experiences and crosses them with fitness, creating a fun and More >
Exergaming as an Intervention for Students with Disruptive Behaviors
Oct 23rd
By Dan Lawler, Ph.D
This week I am introducing aerobic exercise as an intervention in a program for students with moderately disruptive behavior. The kids in this program account for nearly 25% of the office referrals because they so frequently interfere with both their own learning and that of others in the class. While the teaching staff strives to have these kids included in the regular classroom, they often find it difficult because of the disruptions they create. The resource teacher works with these students, and, traditional interventions (e.g., positive rewards, corrective feedback, work detail, after-school detention, out-of-school suspensions, parent conferences,) More >
