January 2019 Newsletter


Thanks to everyone!

As the new year begins, we would like to express our gratitude to all of the principals, teachers, and administrative assistants for all of your efforts with the PAAC3 study and your patience and participation during testing.

Ideas to get "ACTIVE"

Do your activity...

  • Right after school starts
  • Right before school ends
  • Before or after a break
  • Indoor Recess

Other recommendations

  • Assign a student helper to pick the two times in the day to do the activity
  • Compete with other classrooms to see who achieves the most minutes
  • Set a timer on your phone or computer to remind you to do the activity (try using an alarm sound that reminds you of physical activity)

Sign in for 10, 6 or 7 minutes is better than 5!

Many teachers have been signing in with the 5 minute videos thinking there won’t be enough time to do an entire 10 minute activity. We want to encourage teachers to sign in to the 10 minute videos, because 6 or 7 minutes is better than 5!

Are your students having a hard time doing the activities?

Some teachers have mentioned some students have a hard time doing certain exercises that are more difficult. Although the specific exercises are used for a reason, it is better for a student to be able to do an exercise instead of not doing anything. For this reason, teachers can modify certain movements to meet the student’s needs, ex: changing a jump to a squat; marching in place. As teachers you have the freedom to improvise when needed so that the students can get the most from the exercises when they are done.

Make sure all of your kids are participating!

Sometimes students will not want to participate in all of the physical activities done in the classroom. Here are some successful ways to get kids moving:

  • Move them to the front or have them lead the activity for the day
  • Start the timer; power walk around the building/go outside and come back before the timer goes off
  • Write exercises on ping pong balls and have a student pick the ping pong ball
  • Call out kids who are doing the exercises correctly to pick the next one

Physical Activity Guidelines

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition, (health.gov) issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services, recommend that children and adolescents do 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. Children can take part in a variety of physical activities and should accumulate 60 minutes over the course of the day and not have to cram it into one activity alone. Regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence is important for promoting lifelong health and well-being, as well as preventing various health conditions like heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

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Dr. Mark Thompson, Education Program Consultant – Health & Physical Education Career, Standards and Assessment Services shared that with the new model curricula standards released by KSDE November 2018 it is encouraged for PA to expand beyond the gymnasium and to make its way into the classroom. Your participation in our research study provides this resource and measures the outcome. Great Job!

If you have any questions or concerns please contact:

Jeff Honas (jhonas@ku.edu)

Kim Johnson (kim@ku.edu)