Do you have school age kids

wells0707

I just wanted to say that I think if kids are going to have to take a gym class then they should be doing "real" exercise. Why put something like cup stacking during the physical fitness part of the day? I would like to see kids do more physical activities. Why not have them do a real workout geared towards their age group...or play real sports that burn calories? Lets teach them young about how to stay fit and active.

Any thoughts??

BattyMama

My son is happy to get to try roller skating in PE, I remember when we "played" games jumping jack race, scooter races, crab walking races and things like that. I do the same thing with my kids at home. What happened to having fun running and playing?

Aleciajones

This probably isn't directed at me but I DO have school age kids-who are homeschooled. I completely agree with you though which is why I wanted to respond. As many complaints that I hear about kids watching to much tv, and the get up and move compaigns going around I can't imagine WHY gym isn't the first place to get the kids up and moving.

dirtbikegirl5

When I was in elementary and middle school, we had PE and learned every sport.
I remember when my son was in middle school, he only had to take PE for a portion of the year and then nothing in high school.
Now that my girls are in elementary school, they have PE 2 days one week and 3 days the next week, and so on. They don't do much, mostly activities that don't involve them to physically exert themselves.
I am for more physical work in physical education. This whole healthy movement has not included picking up the pace for PE.

rockerbabyy

i have a daughter in kindergarten, and she gets PE once a week for 20 minutes... im not sure i expect more from that age group but if its that way its going to be as she moves on ill be a bit upset. my kids are active anyway, we always walk to the park and have races and they "exercise" with me... but i think its important for every kid to learn active lifestyles as early as possible.

sexforjaffacakes

when I was at primary school (about 7/8 years ago now), we didn't even have "PE" we had "Gym time". Which meant we had use of the gym hall. Which sometimes we used for real exercise, games, circuits etc etc....but often was used for drama, rehearsing for plays etc etc.

We had "gym time" once a week...

daffodilsoup

As someone who went through high school gym not too long ago, I have to say that that's not where the majority of the work has to happen. Firstly, I used to have gym class at 7:30am - and if I would have given it my all, I would be sweaty and disgusting in all my classrooms until 2:30pm. In elementary and middle school, this might not be a problem, but in high school it was a huge issue - how are you supposed to sit in a whole days worth of classes without showering after running or playing volleyball? Especially for teens who most likely already have problem skin.

Also, I feel like the emphasis on health and fitness has to start at home. It doesn't matter how much a kid participates in gym if they don't eat well or lead active lives outside of school. I mean really, consider the options that most schools offer for lunch after gym class - mine offered pizza slices, chicken patty sandwiches and french fries. School gym class is really just to meet curriculum requirements, the emphasis on health and fitness has to come from the home.

honeysprinkles

I hated gym as a kid. I was a little chubby and not athletic at all so it was never fun for me. Even in high school when I was thin, I still hated it. I think I could have done better by knowing more about a healthy diet, because even if we were required to do real exercise, I would have found a way around it!

Equinata

Yes, I do and my daughter has PE once a week so I take it upon myself to get her moving more... (dance classes, bike riding, roller skating, etc.... at least 3x week. I don't want her to struggle like me when she gets older.

Chagama

I definitely feel that my kids don't get enough Education in Physical Education. It's more like sample a variety of activities at whatever degree of participation they want to put into it. I would like to see more activity that requires actual activity (moving around) and some education; teach them about healthy choices, how to properly exercise and work out, the importance of being in shape and being healthy.

rextcat

I just wanted to say that I think if kids are going to have to take a gym class then they should be doing "real" exercise. Why put something like cup stacking during the physical fitness part of the day? I would like to see kids do more physical activities. Why not have them do a real workout geared towards their age group...or play real sports that burn calories? Lets teach them young about how to stay fit and active.

Any thoughts??

their doing the "cup stacking" to work on their hand eye coordination, wich they will need for more phyiscal activitys like basketball ball, foot ball and volleyball, wraket ball, ect, and honestly small kids get more of a work out on the play ground than running laps in the gym...just saying

kaetmarie

I work at a school for kids with pretty serious behavioral/emotional challenges...like end of the road kids, and we most definitely have have them exercise A LOT ! Our kids do running/walking a twice a week for 30-45 minutes and then the other two days they play sports (basketball, baseball, football, etc.) for an hour or so ...which actually we use more as a social experience/sensory outlet, but it's also a good way for them to exercise and let off steam. I know it's not like this in public schools though!

hiswifetheirmommy

My kids are in 2nd grade & kindergarten and their gym class is very structured. They do things at the beginning such as pushups, running, planks, situps, etc. and then the 2nd of half of their gym time is spent doing a fun game where they run around (tag, kickball, etc). I just wish they had gym DAILY instead of only twice per week.

BPayton27

My son's elementary school is very fitness oriented, thankfully. They play the classics like kickball, dodgeball, and soccer, but also do jump rope training and that kind of thing. Sometimes gym is dedicated to teaching the kids about their bodies, such as how their heart works and why it is important to take care of it.

Be thankful your child's school still has it! Schools in record numbers are dropping elective classes like gym for budget purposes.

TigersFanHoosierMama

Hmmm... my daughter has p.e. here in middle school 3x a week (and did in elementary school also) and they play sports and games, and if they choose not to participate in the sport they have the option of walking the permiter of the gym (provided they walk briskly, if teacher thinks they are goofing off they lose that choice). My daughter only likes about 2 sports so most times she chooses to walk and her and her friends walk/jog and chat. I think it's wonderful

They also go outside a variety of times throughout the day to stretch and exercise depending on the weather, in elementary school they had two recess times - 20 minutes before lunch and 20 minutes later in the day (along with their gym time).

These are public schools in Northern Indiana - so far I'm very impressed. Granted, nothing beats the fact that my kids play outside from sun up to to sundown on non-school days. Normally they cry and pout when they have to come in for dinner!! (and in the summer we just cave and have dinner outside on the picnic tables too lol).

misslissa121

May be where you are. Our school meets the standards for the state. They actually do exercises for part of the gym class (only once a week for an hour for elementary aged kids) and then play a game the second half. I know it made all the kids mad when the standards changed and they had to start doing actual exercises. They thought it was because of the new teacher and didn't like her. Our kids also have to change out starting in 4th grade. My high school boys were required to have 2 credits of gym to graduate and then a health class which was 1/2 credit.


They also are outside for recess unless it is raining or 10F or lower with windchill, if they can't be outside then they are in the gym for recess.

firstjog11

The schools here bump it up by age level. My son in high school has 1.5 hours every other day doing workouts, running hurdles, etc. My kids in Jr. High were doing mountain climbers, burpees, planks, runs, etc. Even my 3rd grader had to do the mile run at school and practice for it 3-4 times a week (which I didn't have to do until 7th grade). I do live in a district where the school prides themselves on their physical fitness as well as academic achievement though. All of my kids are extremely fit, so I don't really push exercise on them. We are pretty active normally, play basketball, go on walks, head to the swimming pool, play Just Dance, etc. Fitness if part of life and fun for them. I hope they keep up the habits all their life, but really that will end up being up to them and not me.

frosty73

My son is in middle school (6th grade) in Illinois and the class is doing the P90X workout! I coudln't believe it when he told me that. They have gym 7/8 of the school year, with the other 1/8 being a session of Health. Their gym teacher has made them run a mile, climb a wall, do circuit training, etc. My son is very action-oriented but complains it is too hard....

bikermike5094

I blame it on the democrats. they should focus more on grade school pe than raising taxes!!

MrsLVF

Mines in HIgh school & they're doing old school weight training & aerobics. squats & lunges even..

fasttrack27

I can't really complain about how much PE our 3 kids have at school, but I'm shocked at the outdated info the teachers are using. They should teach the kids the RIGHT way (form, etc). They stretch cold muscles first but no stretching after. Competitions doing full sit ups so the kids are pulling so hard on head/neck to go fast they miss the intent of the excercise and could create injury. Etc, etc.

In defense of the schools, if they up'd PE then other groups would cry about not having enough of something else. I'm sure finding that balance is tough, and states vary in mandatory ciriculum. They may be doing all they can while still meeting other minimums.

AdrienneKaren

I know my daughter spends a set amount of time running during each PE class. Her puts together fast beat songs to keep the kids going. I think they focus on being pretty active during PE. That makes me happy. They did do the parachute thing yesterday that doesn't require much other than standing. I remember being distracted by the pretty colors.

MB_Positif

It sounds hit or miss at my son's school. He's in kindergarten, they have it once every 6 days and they definitely haven't really played any sports, but they have done some games where they are up and moving around he said they've done push ups, etc. I have a feeling gym class is just going to be phased out. It'll be up to us to determine our children's phsical activity. I am trying to do my part by asking my son to try some workout DVD's with me. He's gone jogging with me a few times and even done a 1 mile race The other day he wanted to jog on the treadmill and lift weights. I have to keep a tight leash on that stuff though, since he is still pretty young and small!!!

NKF92879

I just wanted to say that I think if kids are going to have to take a gym class then they should be doing "real" exercise. Why put something like cup stacking during the physical fitness part of the day? I would like to see kids do more physical activities. Why not have them do a real workout geared towards their age group...or play real sports that burn calories? Lets teach them young about how to stay fit and active.

Any thoughts??

In most states, PE standards include fine motor skills. That would be where the cup stacking comes in. Physical Education is about more than exercise.

wells0707

My son is in middle school (6th grade) in Illinois and the class is doing the P90X workout! I coudln't believe it when he told me that. They have gym 7/8 of the school year, with the other 1/8 being a session of Health. Their gym teacher has made them run a mile, climb a wall, do circuit training, etc. My son is very action-oriented but complains it is too hard....

Wow! Thats awesome. That does sound intense for an ordinary kid, but its right along the lines of what we need.

wells0707

I have no complaints about the high school gym curriculum here. My daughter does alot of varieties of sports and health education. Its more junior high and elementary school that disapoints me. I just feel with the growing number of obese children..and the number of people on this site even that it would be great to nip this problem in the bud.

Lets teach our children the correct way to exercise. Let them complain a little. There are plenty of fun games to play that get you moving. I think it would be great to get kids into staying active and erase the fitness myths that we all learn so young.

IndigoVA

My daughter is in kindergarten, and I was pretty shocked to find out that she only has gym twice a week. Even in gym class, they rarely do anything too physically active. The only real physical activity they get is daily recess, and that only lasts for 10-15 minutes. So yes, I definitely think they need more physical activity, especially for young school-aged children. What bothers me even more, is that every school fundraiser is revolved around selling cookie dough, selling candies, pizza parties, ice cream parties, etc. It's as though they're constantly promoting unhealthy food. For the 100th day of school this week, the teacher gave each child a bag with 100 pieces of candy in it. Seriously! My daughter is actually very thin, but no 5 year old needs 100 pieces of candy!

cmhickey616

Honestly, coming from someone who had to do PE for her whole life in school (I just graduated college), it is kind of a joke to the kids (at least all the kids I knew). I still agree that it should be part of the required curriculum because if kids don't have healthy parents they need to learn about health/physical activity somewhere, but basically everything I learned I learned from my parents setting a healthy examples (my mom is an aerobics nut and my dad does triathalons). I love working out and taking care of myself, but I despised PE from kindergarten until my senior year of high school. I even took an extra "advanced health" course to get out of PE my senior year. Especially when you're a girl in high school you don't want to do a workout at 11 am when you have to be in school until 3 pm. Plus, in junior high, my memories of PE consisted of our morbidly obese gym teachers riding around in golf carts yelling at us to run faster and have a healthy happy heart. It's really all about taking the time as a parent to set a healthy example for your kids rather than relying on PE. I agree with you that it would be awesome if kids could get a real workout in, but that's really not the reality especially for older kids. My workouts came after school when I ran cross country.