Fun Through Fitness Day

Our 7 elementary schools participate each spring in "Fun Through Fitness Day". On three separate days, students in grades 4-6 are bussed to the High School track where they participate in different types of activities involving fitness, teamwork, co-operative games, etc. Over 1500 students participate each year. Our 15 elementary physical education teachers with the help of many parent volunteers run this special day for the students.

The day begins at 9:30 with the opening ceremonies and parade around the track. Each class is paired with another class of the same grade level from another school in the district. They participate in events such as:

• 50 yard dash


• cup of water relay


• beach ball buddies


• atomic blast


• hoop pass


• clamming for marbles


• team ski, etc.

Here are some more details about some of these activities:

Clamming Relay: You will need kiddie pools with sand and or water, marbles, pails or cups to hold the marbles after you get them out of the pool, shovels or spoons to dig for marbles if you don't want the kids clamming with their feet. You can have one pool for each team and time the event or you can have them run to the pools as a relay race. They can either clam with their feet or spoons.

Atomic Blast: You will need a spackle bucket with holes drilled in the edge and clothesline to string though the holes. Drill the whole around the perimeter of the top. Make the lengths of rope all the same. You need a whole bunch of tennis balls to fill the bucket. The idea is for the kids to transport the bucket of balls a certain distance without tipping the bucket over and losing the balls.

Cup of Water Relay: Cups or sponges (very small), big garbage pails filled with water for filling stations, one liter soda bottle for the kids to fill. I usualy have six teams with a water pail between every two teams. The first person on each team fills their cup or sponge, runs to the soda bottle and deposits their water and then runs back to the team to hand off. First team to fill up the bottle wins. This can also be done as the waiter or waitress relay with the kids carrying their cups on trays.

NO score is kept and no winners are declared. The students rotate to a different event every ten minutes. Participation at each event is not mandatory.

At approximately 11:30, the students have a picnic lunch and return to their schools by 1:00. This has been a tradition in our school district for the past 8 years and replaces a track meet that only allowed for 30 boys and girls per grade level. It is an excellent PR event for our discipline.

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