Students Moving and Learning with Walkabouts Program
In an effort to continue encouraging healthy habits, Greenville County Schools is implementing Walkabouts by ActivEd in prekindergarten through second grade classrooms. Made possible by generous grants from Hollingsworth and Symmes Foundation, Walkabouts are online adventures that integrate physical activity with math, language arts, and reading content. Not only does this dynamic platform help students of all learning styles engage subject matter, but research also shows that combining movement and learning can enhance student achievement and reduce behavior problems.
The Department of Health and Human Services advises that children between the ages of 6 and 17 should exercise for 60 minutes each day, so Greenville County Schools is working to ensure students have access to opportunities to move. The district is focused on providing teachers the tools they need to help improve student health in various ways. This includes technology like Walkabouts. With the recent increase in childhood obesity, Greenville County administrators and curriculum experts are committed to integrating innovative solutions that keep kids active in the classroom. This, combined with the academic and behavioral benefits, makes Walkabouts an important addition to Greenville County Schools’ curriculum.
“We are so excited to have the Walkabouts program in all of our elementary schools and child development centers,” said Melissa Patterson, Greenville County’s Academic Specialist for Health and PE. “Students love being active and moving, and the Walkabouts programs allows all of our students to do that while learning.”
Walkabouts were developed based on the research of Dr. Julian Reed, an Associate Professor of Health Sciences at Furman University in Greenville, SC. Through extensive research, Dr. Reed has confirmed the ties between student health, academic growth, and behavior. Dr. Reed understands that, “Kids who move with their content learn better, behave better, and are more engaged.”
Using Walkabouts in elementary classrooms will provide many benefits for our students.