School Ditches Recess For New Health Program

A local elementary school is trying to build stronger minds by building healthier bodies. It is a new program that is only offered at Tulsa's Anderson Elementary School. News On 6 education reporter

Friday, November 9th 2007, 5:00 pm

By: News On 6

A local elementary school is trying to build stronger minds by building healthier bodies. It is a new program that is only offered at Tulsa's Anderson Elementary School. News On 6 education reporter Ashli Sims reports the motto is simple, eat well, exercise plenty and students will excel.

Anderson Elementary, located at 1921 East 29th Street North in Tulsa, is expanding the three R's reading, writing, and arithmetic, to include the three E's, eat, exercise, excel.

"It's not a change in curriculum. It's simply a change in the way that we do things," Anderson Elementary principal Brenda Anderson said.

Principal Brenda Anderson says they have changed the mid-day free-for-all known as recess and replaced it with healthy activity time, or HAT. HAT is part of Oklahoma's only Eat, Exercise, Excel program.

"The premise behind it is, by the time they get back to the classroom all of that excess energy they had has been used up in HAT time. And they're more focused and ready to learn," Principal Brenda Anderson said.

Even though Anderson Elementary students are not on the playground does not mean they are not getting out. With 30 minutes of healthy activity time a day, they are probably more active than when they had recess.

After the kids get their exercise then the other â€˜Eâ€™ rolls their way. Students eat in the classroom with their teachers. Those with parent permission even get an extra nutritional boost from a multi-vitamin. Teachers say under the program students are getting along better and there is more of a sense of community.

"They will tell each other now about manners instead of screaming across the cafeteria,â€ said Anderson Elementary teacher Amber Gibson. â€œThey'll turn to the person next to them sometimes and say 'will you chew with your mouth closed.â€™â€

Anderson's principal says since they have adopted the three E's discipline problems have been sliced in half.

"Happy teachers, happy students, and kids tell me all the time they love school and they want to be at school,â€ Anderson Elementary Principal Brenda Anderson said. â€œAnd that makes me happy."

Anderson got a $48,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Education for the program. Outside of Kansas, Anderson Elementary is the only program of its kind in the area.

Watch the video: Working For Healthy Minds And Bodies