Primary and intermediate Conemaugh Township school students (Somerset County, Pennslvania) are being offered videogaming as a supplement to the school's physical education program. Health and physical education instructors have taken advantage of Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge grants to purchase a variety of equipment, software and game systems to help fight childhood obesity.
The grant awarded the school district approximately $20,000 for the purchase of multiple Nintendo Wii consoles, videogames like Dance Dance Revolution and new sports equipment. Health and physical education instructor Carl Keifer thinks it is a good idea and wants to extend the program even more.
"This is their entertainment," he said to Ourtown.biz. "Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, I thought it was best to use what they were already into, but in a positive way."
The district received grant money two years ago which helped kick start the videogame-enabled fitness center at the intermediate school. The new money will extend the program to more schools and to more age groups.
The intermediate school received four XaviX systems, which feature martial artist Jackie Chan. Playing as Chan, students jump over barriers and dodge ninjas to win the game - and when they are done - the system tells the user how many calories they have burned. The selfsame fitness center features “Dance Dance Revolution and four Cateye Bikes (stationary bikes that can be plugged into a Sony PlayStation).
At the beginning of the school year and in the Spring, the school nurse measures each student’s body mass index (BMI) to track progress made throughout the school year. As an extra incentive schools post the high scores of the students to challenge them and get them excited about taking part in this fitness program. But beyond the videogames, the school supplements the program with advice for healthy living that kids can take with them long after the school year is over.
Keifer intends to purchase three Nintendo Wii consoles, another Dance Dance Revolution game, five new XaviX systems and a 3 Kick - timed interactive game machine with the new grant money.
Comments
Excellent approach!
I'd say this is a very good approach indeed. Now that I think about it, it would probably be even cheaper and more effective for the school to buy a whole slew of USB DDR pads, set aside several older school computers to install stepmania, and purchase a bunch of songs to be used with it (stepmania's system requirements are pretty low and could easily run on hardware that is even five or so years old).
Re: Conemaugh Township Extends PE Videgame Program
getting kids interested in exercise is good.
Here are we -- and yonder yawns the universe.
Re: Conemaugh Township Extends PE Videgame Program
A little problem, You spelled Video Games Wrong
Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights
Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights