Moving our Bodies!

Grade 3 – 6 students have been participating in practical ways to understand the components of fitness.  There are eleven key components of fitness; FIVE HEALTH components and SIX SKILL components.   

The HEALTH components are the key elements that anyone of any age needs to develop and maintain to function at their best.  They are: 

1. Body composition – this includes having strong muscles, strong bones, a healthy amount of body fat, smooth joints that bend and move to allow us to engage in different movements. 

1. Heart & lung health – this is called “cardiovascular’ fitness.  We all need healthy and efficient functioning heart and lungs.  Moving our bodies regularly will develop this.  Our Grade 5/6 students have been taking their pulse at rest, during activity and when recovering from exercise.  They are learning that the faster their pulse returns to their resting pulse rate the fitter they are. 

1. Flexibility – whether you are nine or ninety, bending, reaching and stretching are important ways to keep our bodies finely tuned.  

1. Muscular strength – this is how we pull and push objects to move objects around in different spaces.  We demonstrate strength by moving objects using our bones and muscles.   

1. Muscular endurance – this is using our muscles for an extended period of time. 

The SKILL components are specific skills that are important to have for certain jobs, playing different kinds of sport or enjoying a recreation pursuit. They are: 

1. Agility – changing directions quickly 

1. Power – using muscular strength very quickly 

1. Reaction time – responding to a signal 

1. Balance – still (static) or moving (dynamic) 

1. Coordination – being able to move different body parts or perform different actions at the same time 

1. Speed – how slowly or quickly a person or object moves from A to B 

Our Grade 5 / 6 students have incorporated elements of science and have made cardboard planes to engage in a “Fit Flight” heart/lung activity.  Just like golf, instead of counting hits, our students have counted how many successful throws of their cardboard plane around a course.  Some Grade 5 / 6 students have participated in a similar activity with a buddy using large fit balls.  They have used sponge balls, rulers and batons to perform reaction time tasks.  Team games incorporating many of the fitness components have also been enjoyed by our students. 

Our Grade 3 / 4 students have focussed on the “Health” fitness components.  They too have engaged in many learning opportunities to explore how their bodies can perform efficiently.  They are understanding the connection between a healthy body and a healthy mind.  They are realising that being active is a “feel good” experience.   Our students particularly enjoyed the obstacle course which required them to crawl, roll, jump, slither and balance.  They are learning that their bodies can become very strong if they use it to be active every day.   

 Please enjoy this selection of photos of our students engaging in fun, challenging and innovative ways to enjoy physical activity.