Where in the World is All
the Healthy Stuff? - Overview
Kids love a mystery, a scavenger hunt, a hidden treasure or a race to discover something cool. They love to be "out of the classroom," whether it is on a virtual or actual field trip. Your current history, social studies or geography curriculum can hold the key to rapt attention - and great fitness.
"Where in the World is All the Healthy Stuff" gives it all a jump start. For the purpose of this overview, let's pretend that your are studying Florida and will keep your exploration limited to the Sunshine State.
- You can begin with a whole class demonstration of the FootPOWR logging functionality and the miles and steps that are collected.
- Students can play a "high volume step game" like AstroPop or Chuzzle. Have the students look at how far a player went (by checking the log-data on steps and miles) in 10 minutes.
- Have the students compute the speed in miles per hour of an average student playing AstroPop or Chuzzle.
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Armed with that information your students can decide if they
want to work as individuals or teams in trying to collect
enought steps to "travel" to a particular location in
Florida.
- For example: If you are traveling to the State Capitol to speak to legislators about adding more fresh items to the cafeteria lunches at the school, a distance of 30 miles could be do-able for individuals over a semester. If you are 250 miles from the capitol students could decide that it would be best to work in large or small teams.
- This calculation is an important early activity in "Where in the World is All the Healthy Stuff"
- Basically, the goal is to determine a location to visit via Footgaming steps and determine a reason to visit that location that includes a "healthy food reason."
- It is important that the class develop their locations, purpose and project design collectively. Student engagement soars when the task is meaningful to them. If they want to visit an orange grove - great! It's a place full of healthy food. If they want to visit a fast food chain headquarters in the state and then e-mail their questions or concerns - also great. Perhaps there is an organic farm within 100 miles of the school. Virtually "visiting" via FootGaming steps and e-mail communication could raise awareness and impact daily habits and choice.
Where in the World is All the Healthy Stuff? -Introduction| Procedures | Geography Options | Lesson Plans
