As a Board Member of AYCO and Chair of the Advocacy Committee , my charge has been to support circus arts practitioners and educators by raising awareness about the role circus arts can play in enhancing student learning , health , safety , and well-being .
BY CARLO PELLEGRINI
For the past 10 years , I have also been a steering committee member for the Rockland County Department of Health ’ s “ Steps to a Healthier Rockland ” program in Pomona , New York , chaired by Carrie Steindorff . Our primary initiative was to create a Physical Activity Workgroup in the hopes of addressing the rising rates of obesity and to help make children more active during the school day . Because the program included circus activities , and because it provided a potentially novel perspective on physical activity and academic work , I would encourage other circus educators to consider its model .
The hypothesis of the program was simple : children learn better and retain knowledge in a more useable form when they are physically active inside the classroom during regularly scheduled class time . This activity can take many forms . A program called Instant Recess , for example , employs popular music and physical moves in 10-minute bouts throughout the
AL school day . The Energizers program allows students to get moving for 10-minute intervals using grade-appropriate , teacher-led activities .
There are many reasons that such programs are becoming more popular . Generally , of course , there is substantial evidence of a relationship between physical activity , fitness , and improved cognitive and executive functioning , and physical activity
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