In Just Three Steps
By Jeffrey Crupi

For students to reap the maximum benefits of exercise, it's important that physical activity be conducted in three stages: the warm-up, the main event and the cooldown.

The warm-up

The purpose of the warm-up is to prepare your body for physical activity and to prevent injury. Warm-up activities should last a minimum of five minutes. There are various warm-ups that you can do with your students. Some possibilities include marching in place, backward and forward arm circles, jumping jacks, windmills, jogging in place, etc.

The main event

The main event is the focal point of the day's physical education lesson. While your students are engaged in the main event, their heart rates should increase and major muscle groups should be utilized. Some examples of main event activities include:

• Sharks and Minnows: This is a fun one for younger students to play outside. Divide the class with half of your students playing sharks and the other half minnows. Next, divide the blacktop in half – sharks on one side and minnows on the other. Each side should have a five-foot area on their turf called a "safety net." When everyone is ready, call out "Sharks!" and all the sharks will then try to tag the minnows. If the minnows make it to the shark safety net, they are safe. If a minnow gets tagged, he or she becomes a shark.
• Jump Rope Relay: Divide your class into two teams. Each team is presented with a jump rope. All members of each team jump rope for one minute. While a person is jumping, the other teammates count how many times he or she jumps rope. Once a minute is up, the jump rope gets passed to the next teammate. The team with the most jumps wins.
• Run and Pop: Divide the class into two teams and ask each team to form a line. The first student at the front of each line will run with a balloon to a designated spot on the sports field. The student will stop at the spot, sit on his or her balloon and pop it. Once the balloon is popped, the student runs back to his or her team and the next teammate repeats the process with his or her own balloon. The team that finishes first wins.

The cooldown

The main purpose of the cooldown is to gradually reduce one's heart rate. Students should perform five minutes of cooldown activities. Possible cooldown activities for both elementary and middle school students include static stretching exercises and walking. Have fun!

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Jeffrey Crupi is the owner of Peak Fitness Gym in Westport, CT. He is a certified fitness specialist with a degree from Marymount Manhattan College.

March, 2006, Vol.36, No.6