Physical activity rules

MICHELLE DODEK

The average child at a public elementary school sits for about six hours, with breaks for two short recesses and a longer one for lunch. At Jewish day schools, the school day is even longer, clocking in at seven hours. There is, of course, time allotted for formal physical education, but that is for a maximum of three blocks a week, totaling fewer than 100 minutes a week spent exercising, unless the child takes part in other sports activities. However, many children are picked up from school and either driven home or to some lesson requiring more sitting, like a music class or tutoring. By the time they eat dinner and do their homework, it’s likely time for bed. Fitting in more physical activity can be a challenge.

Based on the Health Canada recommendation “that children and youth [need to] achieve 90 minutes of physical activity a day to ensure optimal growth,” the B.C. Ministry of Education has implemented the Daily Physical Activity (DPA) program, which mandates that children in grades K-12 participate in physical activity during every school day. The idea is that encouraging an active lifestyle at school will engender a love of exercise outside of school.

With that hope – that children will engage in more activity than the DPA requirement – “Schools will provide 30 minutes of daily physical activity for students up to Grade 7,” states the Ministry of Education website. “Effective September 2011, schools will have the flexibility to provide 30 minutes of daily physical activity for students in grades 8 or 9, or provide students in these grades with options to engage in a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity per week.

“Students in grades 10 to 12 will engage in 150 minutes of physical activity per week as part of their Graduation Transition program.”

Schools have come under scrutiny in recent years for offering unhealthy food choices for students, along with declining participation in intramural sports and organized games at recess. Many school playgrounds are used more for groups of students huddled around handheld gaming devices than for exercise. However, there is a growing body of evidence (forgive the pun) that there are terrible risks to the type of lifestyle so common to many children today. The Ministry of Education websites notes, “Three out of five school-aged children in Canada are not active enough for optimal growth and development. One in every four children in B.C. between the ages of two and 17 is overweight or obese.”

In addition to the well-known physical health risks, such as diabetes and heart disease associated with obesity, there are also mental health issues that can go hand in hand with inactivity. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, one of the best treatments for anxiety and low mood is physical activity. Once a person is obese, it can become difficult to enjoy the moderate physical activity that can be tremendously beneficial if mental health issues arise.

This is not merely a physical health or social issue, but also a spiritual issue in Judaism. According to Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt of Congregation Schara Tzedeck, Judaism includes the responsibility to take care of our bodies. As a rabbi and as a marathon runner, Rosenblatt walks the talk. With regard to children specifically, he mentioned that parents have two main responsibilities: to provide a Torah education for their children and to equip them with the skills to make a living. Although not spelled out formally, the concept of encouraging a healthy lifestyle through well-informed food choices and exercise falls within these two obligations.

Schools help parents fulfil one or both of these obligations. Richmond Jewish Day School has trained teachers to use a Ministry of Education program called Action Schools! BC, and Vancouver Talmud Torah provides its teachers with a professional development day using Action Schools materials, which include a kit dedicated to ideas, lesson plans, music and DVDs to promote activity.

VTT teacher Lisa Romalis does activities with her class on the two days each week they do not have physical education. Activities include chair aerobics and obstacle courses outside on fair weather days. She also uses stretching to music and relaxation yoga before class to promote focus on seatwork or a test. Especially when teaching two academic blocks in a row, she finds that a little bit of movement gives the students the energy they need to learn more efficiently.

Grade 2 students at Sir James Douglas Annex are treated to exercises every day they see their teacher, Tamara Ball. She incorporates a variety of activities, usually for five minutes at a time to help students relax, refocus or rejuvenate.

“Sometimes I put on a CD I have with children’s soul music,” said Ball. “It’s super groovy fun music and we follow each other’s dance moves. We also have ropes, giant dice, balls, bean bags and scarves all provided by Action Schools. We use this equipment for all kinds of activities. The kids love it.”

The benefits of all these activities, according to Ball, are improved cognitive function and focus. “After a story and before instructions for a writing activity, I’ll get my students to do some of the more low-key exercises and it works like a charm to refocus them,” she said, adding that her school uses physical fitness as a community builder, too. Douglas Annex has the entire school run what Ball called a “mini Terry Fox Run” every Friday before dismissal.

It takes a community to raise a child and part of childhood is enjoying physical activity. At the opening assembly at VTT this past September, Judaic head Rabbi Matthew Bellas quoted the sage Hillel: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when?” He used these words to remind students that they must take responsibility for their health and for each other. If not now, when?

Michelle Dodek is a freelance writer living in Vancouver.

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