Today's News Journal coverage included the
results of a new national study about the benefits of recess for our children.
Appoquinimink Schools are strong supporters of this philosophy and are
pioneering innovative new ideas for keeping kids healthy all day long. Brick
Mill Elementary School Physical Education Teacher Tammy Sumner is one of the
expert sources quoted in the story.
The enduring benefits
of recess
New study shows regular doses of activity
help elementary students stay alert, focused
By: KATIE
ROGERS/The News Journal
Posted: March
10, 2009
Forget tutoring,
extra homework and early bedtimes. The secret to helping your children succeed
in school and on state exams may be as simple as letting them
play.
A recent study
published by the journal Pediatrics showed that children who took a recess of
more than 15 minutes per day had better classroom behavior than those who
did
not.
The study looked at
11,000 children ages 8 and 9 and found this daily break from structured learning
was just as essential to a child's education as the math, science and
reading
lessons they received in the classroom.
The conclusion comes
at a time when some educators across the country -- strapped to find enough time
in the school day to teach all the reading, writing and arithmetic
needed to
pass standardized tests -- are cutting electives, physical education classes and
recess time.
John Ray, the
Delaware Department of Education's physical education specialist, has heard of
schools looking to cut recess to help students prepare for such tests, but
said such a
move may be impractical. Recess is an integral part of maintaining focus in the
classroom, he said.
"Any time you do
away with recess and physical activity as a part of studying, I'm just not sure
it would be as productive," he said.
Public school
students across the state this week began their annual Delaware Student Testing
Program mathematics exams. Reading and writing testing will follow later
this
month.
For students such as
second-grader Graham Harrison at Lombardy Elementary School in Brandywine
Hundred, recess is a needed part of the school day.
"When I'm outside, I
can move around and play," Graham, 7, said. "It's good for me, because I can get
all my wiggles out."
At Lombardy,
students are given a 30-minute recess each day with activities such as
hopscotch, kickball and jump rope, or they can play with friends as they choose.
Kim Whitehead, a
second-grade teacher at Lombardy, said it is important for her students to play
and socialize.
"In the age of video
games and TV, we have lost the value of what true play is," Whitehead said. "We
try to get them involved in as much as we can during the 30 minutes
they're out
there."
Whitehead also leads
her class in "energizer" stretches and activity breaks for five to 10 minutes
per day, which she said helps them perform better in class.
Eileen
Sohodski, a third-grade teacher at the school, said after her students return
from recess, she has them read silently at their desks to help them relax.
Sohodski said she notices a greater sense of focus throughout the classroom after
recess.
"It calms them for
the afternoon," she said. "Recess lets them release energy they can't always
release while in the class."
Playing and exercising during the day is beneficial for mind and
body, said Tammy Sumner, physical education teacher at Brick Mill Elementary
School in Middletown.
Teachers at Brick Mill take students out for daily recess and
also use "brain gym" stretches during class throughout the day, similar to
Lombardy's "energizers," she said.
"Its good to get their bodies moving," Sumner said. "Different movements
of the body send signals to the brain that help wake up and energize them. It
gets some adrenaline out and helps them to not be antsy during the
day."
According to the
Pediatrics study, 30 percent of the group studied was not being given any type
of recess throughout the day, which has become more common. In some
districts,
physical education and recess hours have been downsized to meet increased
pressure to raise students' scores on standardized testing.
"I would do
everything I could to stop it from happening," Sohodski said of shortening
recess time. "There's no need for us to cut into recess."
She said teachers
have time to prepare their classes for standardized testing all year
long.
For 9-year-old Ahsan
Qureshi, also a third-grader at Lombardy, recess is just a time to run free and
catch up with friends outside of the classroom.
"I feel good when
I'm outside," he said.
