At Namaste Charter, all students have one hour of physical education each day, as well as a structured, 20-minute recess. And on top of that, there are movement breaks interspersed throughout the day.
During recess the day we visited, first and second-graders were free to choose among stations featuring running, basketball, four-square, and calisthenics. “Flames (Namaste’s mascot), fire up!” teacher Vanessa Acuna exhorted through a loudspeaker.
The school has three full-time physical education teachers, a gym, a yoga center and a physical education room, which has more than two dozen spin bikes and elliptical machines.
During a first-grade P.E. class students danced and leapt about exuberantly to a video featuring electronic and hip-hop style music. Some mimicked the moves of the animated figures on the large flat screen. Others freestyled. All were getting a lot of exercise.
The premise is simple: Healthy, active kids do better in school.
Read More: Keep Your Preschoolers Moving