Title of Bulletin Board: Trolls

Category: Motivation

Suggested Grade Level: 3-5

Materials: Bulletin board paper, construction paper Ellison

Description:

This bulletin board is a motivational board to encourage walking/running during daily recess for 2-5 graders. The activity encompasses the Chesapeake Public Schools Health and Physical Education Curriculum Overview 2.3, 3.3, 4.3 and 5.3 by Expressing a Willingness to be Physically Fit. Our school theme this year is “Trolls”.

We have a quarter mile course set up in the back of our school where students can walk/jog during recess. This activity is completely optional for the students. If interested, a student gets a Mileage Card. Each card has 20 markings “feet” on the card, (each foot represents ¼ mile,) an area for the students name and teacher. The cards are kept in an index file box, next to the recess doors. Some teachers keep their class cards on a ring binder to save time. Each time a student completes a ¼ mile their teacher initials a foot on the card. A completed card is 5 miles. Once they complete 5 miles they receive a foot charm, and their name goes into the “troll tunnel” at 5 Miles. Each additional 5 miles they receive another charm and they move to the next tunnel. If they complete 30+ miles they arrive in the “Happy Tree” and will receive a special prize at the end of the year. They love the charms, and the teachers like the fact that the kids are staying busy during recess. This is a great way to incorporate daily fitness for life, and the students don’t even realize it!

Additional Information:

To construct the “bulletin board” I made the background out of brown construction paper. I took a heavier roll of vanilla paper and drew tunnels, then labeled each tunnel 5, 10, 15miles etc. The School, grass, tree and cloud are all from construction paper. I made the trolls out of a “ribbon” Ellison Dye Cut and flipped it over to look like a troll. I pre-made the trolls from the student roster at the beginning of the year, so when a student completes a card I just find their name in their class list. The chart is updated weekly, and will run through the school year.