I have always been an advocate of daily physical education in our profession, but I have been there for 14 years and there has been no move toward adding another physical educator. This program really helps. It sends shivers down my spine when I go from classroom to classroom each morning and see 650 students exercising at the same time. This is the third year for Fit for Life at Triton Elementary School. In that time we have done some tweaking to improve the program.
Students still participate in the morning exercise program daily.
Monday - Thursday the videotape is used and on Friday mornings the audio tape is played over the public address system. The fourth grade students create the videotape as a class project each year. I divide each classroom into 4 equal groups and as a group they decide on appropriate warm up, cardiovascular, strength and endurance, as well as cool down exercises. I then dub their selected music with their chosen exercises onto a audio cassette. Then, they memorize their routine and this is videotaped.