Walk This Way: Health Benefits Galore!

This month I have been thinking about how The Walking Classroom provides extra health benefits for my class. So many ideas jumped out! My class loves Tuesdays. One of the reasons is because that is our Walking Classroom day! If the weather is inclement, we walk on Fridays as our back up day.

Podcast as Preview for Complicated Topic

With our exceptionally warm winter, we have had few disruptions to our routine. This week we were learning about The Constitution as part of our government unit. This is a heavy topic, but when you can walk, and listen, you can work out even complicated things. I used the U.S. Preamble and Constitution (4-#58, Complete-#72) podcast in advance of the lessons, so kids would have an engaging preview of this essential document.

What’s Not to Love?

The students came back from this particular walk talking about what they had learned. They also really like the health tips included in each lesson, and this particular podcast included some “essential” health benefits as a bonus!

The sunshine, the walking lesson, the engaging topic – shared in a fun way? What’s not to love?

Lessons Learned More Deeply

Our regular walking route is about a half mile loop. Kids thrive when they can learn in a variety of ways. Lessons are learned more deeply when kids can walk and talk.

The list of supporting documents, games, and other resources is really rich on the Walking Classroom website. The Walking Classroom makes it easy to extend the learning experience in so many ways!

But as always, let’s hear what the kids had to say:

• “A great way to exercise while exercising your brain!” ~ Leo
• “You get to listen to good podcasts and get exercise.” ~ Zakaria
• “It gets your heart beating!” ~ Miles
• “I think the health benefit is just seeing the great outdoors and getting some fresh air!” ~ Noelle W.

Until next time!

Toni Lehman
Fourth Grade Teacher
McDougle Elementary

Look for more Friday posts to follow Mrs. Lehman and her students as they walk, listen, and learn through the school year.

And, be sure to check out how the program is being implemented by three other teachers in future Friday posts!