March 23, 2016 at 1:24 p.m.
Crescent students raise money for the American Heart Association
Crescent students raise money for the American Heart Association
By Kayla Thomason-
The students learned about HDL versus LDL (cholesterol), eating healthy, heart attacks versus strokes, the importance of exercise and how it affects cholesterol.
"They absorb it all like a sponge," said Kris Michlig, physical education teacher at Crescent Elementary School.
Michlig said the students had fun learning and testing their knowledge by playing Artery Avengers - an obstacle course made with mats and various gym equipment.
The children start in the "lungs" with a red ball and move through "the body" like an oxygenated blood cell.
In the muscles they performed an exercise - symbolizing that the muscles are working - and then they made their way through the body.
"When they're going through the big heart obstacle we put up healthy choices and not healthy choices - and I don't tell them which ones - and they have to take a ball and hit the healthy choices but none of them throw the ball at sitting in front of a screen whether it's a TV or a computer," she said.
The children also learned or honed jump-roping skills.
Garrett Hull said he was very proud of his newly acquired jump-rope tricks, such as walk the dog and helicopter, and learned that arteries are like big tubes that bring red blood to the muscles.
The children also watched a Heart Association DVD, which followed the story of a child with a heart defect.
In years past it followed a boy named Cody from the age of three up until nine, and many of the students knew his story.
"The kids relate to this young child who has had these heart issues growing up and he's needed money from the American Heart Association and that to help with all of the financial costs," Michlig said.
She said the students were empathetic toward the children in the video and were excited to raise money to help them.
The students typically raise funds through family members or a relative's coworkers.
This year donations totaled nearly $2,000.
Michlig said the students began calling themselves heart heroes during the fundraising project.
She also said she thinks this part of the curriculum prompts conversations at home as the children have been telling her about their relatives' history with heart troubles.
"(Heart disease is) our No. 1 killer in the U.S. (but) I think though that kids are becoming smarter (about healthy choices)," Michlig said.
Michlig knows that the children don't typically have purchasing power at home, but she noted they do tell her about instances when they made healthy food choices while with their parents.
Aliyah Straik said she was happy to help other children in need and took the information about heart health to heart.
"(I) was happy that (I) could help people who really needed money and needed our help," she said.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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