Asserts that meaning is inherent in physical activity and does not have to be constructed. Suggests that some students will not easily discover the meaning inherent, but should be challenged to connect meaning to broader life experiences. (Contains 24 references.) (NB)

The priorities in education continue to be on the development of the mind, often to the detriment of the body. A balance between both entities appears to be a logical goal since both are needed and used throughout one's lifetime. This article discusses the use of GEAR (Getting Energized and Recharged) activities at one school. These are physical…

Recreational games can be incorporated into physical education programs to encourage play and activity among students during their leisure time. Students can play their own games during recess, before or after school, during intramural programs, or in their neighborhood with family and friends. This article describes five such games namely:…

In this paper, the authors present reliability and validity information for the Netherlands (Health Education Project) Physical Activity Questionnaire (NPAQ), a global proxy report of children's everyday activity preferences (Montoye, Kemper, Saris, & Washburn, 1996). In this study, the authors examined the measurement properties of a global…

In the wake of the recent headlines and research on obesity, schools have an obligation to teach students about fitness and to provide a format for students to become and remain fit. Last year, such an opportunity arose at Davidson Middle School in Southgate, Michigan, when the school decided to incorporate some of its newly purchased technology…

This study was designed to analyze the significance of the recess period and "the effect of its duration" on children's daily physical activity. Thirteen pupils attending school in a rural area were monitored with accelerometers during the study weeks. The intervention consisted of modifying regularly scheduled recess period for a month.…

Background: Despite the benefits of physical activity (PA), a significant proportion of youth remains inactive. Studies assessing differences in the correlates of PA among urban and rural youth are scarce, and such investigations can help identify subgroups of the population that may need to be targeted for special intervention programs. The…

Alberta Education has prepared this school handbook to help teachers and administrators select age-appropriate activities that can be done almost anytime and anywhere. The Daily Physical Activity (DPA) school handbook is designed to provide information, ideas and inspiration for developing a successful DPA plan. The handbook is divided into four…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical activity (PA) patterns of children. Forty-four 7th-grade students (19 boys, 25 girls) recorded pedometer data for 2 consecutive weeks. Separate 2 x 3 repeated measures analyses of variance were used to examine differences in total steps/day between boys and girls and between after-school…

This paper explores the prospect of genetic tests for performance in physical activity and sports practices. It investigates the terminology associated with genetics, testing, selection and ability as a means towards a socio-ethical analysis of its value within sport, education and society. Our argument suggests that genetic tests need not even be…

This article provides an overview of medicine ball training. Specifically, it describes "Medicine Ball for All," a physical activity program designed to provide children and teenagers with a meaningful learning experience that is consistent with their developmental needs. The article focuses on developing a safe, successful, and inexpensive…

This article describes how the author creates and implements a "recess" program entitled Physical Activity Time (PAT) to address behavior problems of children at school. The program aims to decrease discipline issues that occurred or began during recess time. The author discusses the strategies in implementing the program which came in two parts:…

This paper draws on data from a year-long ethnographic study of a group of 12- to 13-year-old girls that explored the processes through which they negotiated gendered physicality within the context of physical education. Bourdieu's concepts of habitus and social fields and McNay's extension of his work underpin a discussion of three contexts where…

This monograph presents descriptions of various exercises and athletic activities with a kinesiological and biomechanical analysis of the muscle systems involved. It is intended as examples of laboratory activities and projects in a college course in kinesiology. A listing of the required laboratory exercises precedes the examples. Specific…

Guidelines are offered in this manual for develping a physical education curriculum for grades 9 through 12. The primary objective for the curriculum is the development of physical fitness, and motor and life skills in students. Activities are recommended in the areas of team and individual sports, aquatics and rhythm, and Alaska outdoor…