Health and Fitness Expo

At our school we have back to back classes of 4th and 5th grade students for a total of 3 hours. We have invited all other classes in the school to choose a 15 minute block of time during that 3 hours to come to the gym and visit each station that will be demonstrated and hosted by a group of 4th or 5th grade students. There are 10 stations in all. Each class that visits will have 15 minutes to have each student try all 10 activities. At the end of the 15 minutes, that class will leave and a new class will arrive and go through the same 10 stations. The 4th and 5th graders will stay through their normal PE time (30 minutes) and then leave. The next PE class will arrive and then take over their designated station.

As each class arrives, each student will get a heart with the numbers 1-10 on it. They must go to each labeled station and complete the activity, then have it stamped by a host student. The must continue this pattern until they have a stamp on every number. This keeps them moving and not spending too much time at one station. At the end of their 15 minutes, all students should have all numbers on their hearts stamped.

We have done a practice day so that all 4th and 5th graders know exactly what and wear to be at their stations. These stations include:

1. Jump Rope - 2 volunteers turn the rope and see how many jumps in a row a student can get until the miss. 2 attempts each.
2. Heart Rate monitor/check - Students are shown various ways the check their heart rate. Heart rate monitor, neck wrist using two fingers.
3. Dynabands - Students are shown how to use dynabands to strengthen different muscle groups.
4. Fruit sample station - Students can try a small piece of fruit (banana, apple slice, orange slice, or grapes).
5. Veggie sample station - Students can try a small piece of raw vegetable. (carrots, snow peas, bell pepper sliced, or broccoli)
6. Obstacle course - Students will be timed against themselves to see how quickly the can navigate the obstacle course. 2 attempts per student
7. Food toss - Using a tic tac toe board taped to the wall, one student will play against another by throwing, one at a time, a yarn ball trying to hit an empty box. One student decides ahead of time if they are fruits or if they are vegetables. When they hit an empty box, they put a picture of either a piece of fruit or veggie in that box, depending on what they are. Then the other student takes their turn. If they hit an empty box, they fill it with a fruit or veggie. Play until someone has 3 in a row or spaces are filled. They pictures are just pre-taped and stuck to the board.
8. Rapid sort - Using sortable plastic fruit and veggies, students must sort them into the correct bucket in the fastest time. Fruits in the fruit bucket, veggies in the veggie bucket. Each student gets 2 attempts.
9. Food pyramid bowling - Small pictures of various food are taped to bowling pins. Students must roll their bowling ball, one at a time, and continue to knock over pins. Pins that have been knocked over are then placed on a giant food pyramid poster, in the correct food group, that is on the floor. The goal is to knock over all the pins AND place them in the correct food group. A guide poster will be near by to help with correct placement.
10. Safety posters - Students earlier in the week were choosen to make safety poster on all kinds of things including: Bike, fire, bus, water, tobacco, drugs, playground and pollution. It is up those students to decide what the poster will look like. This station is just for looking and answering questions.

Jump ropes, pedometers, posters, stickers,footballs have all been donated to give away. One boy and girl from each class will receive a door prize. A packet of nutrition activities and games (14 in all), will be given to each student as they leave by 4th and 5th grade students.

Certificates are then given to those students that have hosted the stations that say "You have made other students in this school more healthy! Great Job!"

Every student in the school will have either taught a healthy station or participated in one.

Variations:

It is recommended to extend it over 2 days if you can't fit it into one day. The 15 minutes is a short time for classes to complete all the stations so if you are able to coordinate a longer time frame that would benefit the students.

Teaching Suggestions/Tips:

Plan ahead. Most items needed to be prepared well in advance. Check with the school nurse for any possible student allergies.

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