Editor's Note: The Times launches its annual series of Class Acts stories today, which focus on educational activities happening at Bay County schools. To suggest a story, call Times education reporter Patti Brandt at 894-9673 or send e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.org.
Reading, writing and arithmetic are still the basics of any elementary school classroom, but so is running around and burning up all that energy that children seem to have in boatloads.
This week some kindergartners at Essexville-Hampton Bush Elementary School were learning a new game, Dogcatcher, which had them chasing each other across the wooden expanse of the gymnasium floor.
At the end of their 45 minutes they were lined up calmly at the door, red-faced and sweaty, but ready to go back to class.
Kristin Lothian, who is in her eighth year as a teacher - her second teaching physical education, divides her time between all three of the district's elementary schools, spending one day per week with every classroom for 45 minutes.
All elementary students will spend another two days in gym class with their classroom teachers, for 45 minutes each time.
The benefits of physical activity are clear, Lothian said. In addition to giving them a cardiovascular workout, children learn gross motor skills, teamwork and cooperation.
And there are other benefits.
"Sitting in the classroom they get kind of antsy," Lothian said. "So when they come here they get to release some energy."
And when they go back to class, they're ready to learn, she said, with research showing that when children get some physical activity their ability to concentrate improves, as do their test scores.
The obesity epidemic in children has been well-publicized. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity in children ages 6-11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years, from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 17 percent in 2006. For those ages 12-19 the rate has more than tripled, from 5 percent to 17.6 percent.
Many of those young people are at risk for heart disease, diabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as low self-esteem. They also are more likely to become overweight or obese adults and more at risk for associated adult health problems.
Starting physical activity programs for children as young as those in kindergarten has long-lasting advantages, Lothian said.
"If you teach them at a young age they'll continue it for a lifetime," she said.
They'll also learn that getting their hearts pumping is fun and they'll find fun ways to stay active through their lives.
"They get one heart in their life. They need to take care of it."