Classroom Exercises for the Body and Brain and Health and Biomedical Science for a Diverse Community share title of 2007 Outstanding Innovative Project Award Winners

Classroom Exercises for the Body and Brain,
HealthMPowers, Atlanta, GA

The Body and Brain Classroom Exercises resource is a school based project designed to: 1) increase awareness among staff and families of the importance of physical activity during the school day and 2) to increase physical activity among elementary school aged children. The program includes resource materials for educating students, staff and families on the link between physical activity and health as well as academic achievement. The materials reflect some of the latest research on movement and the brain and make the case for use of the exercise DVD in the classroom for brain breaks during the school day and rainy day recess. The exercise DVD was created for elementary students using elementary students and is designed so that all students can participate.

The program has been highly successful in helping classroom teachers increase physical activity among students while also providing them with a brain break. Of thirty schools surveyed this year, sixteen schools reported using the DVD with a total of 266 teachers reaching approximately 5550 students. Sixty-nine percent of the schools reported that it did improve student concentration, seventy-five percent reported improved student behavior and seventy-five percent reported reduced student stress.

Health and Biomedical Science for a Diverse Community
Hall of Health, Berkeley, CA

The ultimate goals of Health and Biomedical Science for a Diverse Community are to make science interesting and relevant to children who come from ethnically diverse, low socio-economic environments, to help them and their parents understand the relationship between science and health, to foster their interest in science so that they may consider future opportunities in careers related to biomedical science, and to give them information and tools to help them live healthier lives.

The primary project activity is the development of a novel, interactive biomedical science curriculum for 4 th and 5 th grade students. In addition to the classroom activities, the project includes teacher workshops, family events, field trips to the Hall of Health, and a new exhibit at the Hall of Health on social and genetic factors in health. The curriculum-which specifically addresses minority health issues, includes four five-lesson instructional units for 4 th grade, and four five-lesson instructional units for 5 th grade. The students develop scientific inquiry and problem-solving skills needed to succeed in science and healthcare careers.