Mindful Monday: Excer"size" Your Brain

Last week for Mindful Monday there was an article about how playing outside makes you smarter.  Of course I am probably very biased but I totally believe it is true.  Anyone who has been on field trips with Trust in our Children can attest that even the toughest behavior issues are milder when we are exploring and learning outside.  Kids retain more of the information that we cover, and I am always amazed when a Kindergarten child remembers what erosion is from fall to spring.  But I don’t believe that it is all just nature and experiencing nature.  I know… perish the thought!

A while back I was looking for information to back up our observations on behavior and learning styles of kids in the outdoors.  What I found was this book: If you haven’t read it, you should give it a try.  It talks about the effects of physical exercise on brain function.  It sites Physical Education and the benefits it has on children’s health and learning in schools.

 In a time where we seem to be cutting many programs that aren’t lecture classes, getting rid of outdoor education, lowering the expectations of Physical Education, and at the same time experiencing a growth in child obesity statistics… perhaps we should slow down.  Somewhere in the zeal to make our kids the smartest in the world we threw the baby out with the bathwater.  I was fascinated with this book and the link that it made between physical activity and brain function. 

Anyone who sits at a desk to work for long periods of time can attest to the benefits of getting up and walking around for a bit to get the “juices flowing.”  It turns out that this is a real thing. (Which is lucky, because now my co-worker and I totally justify our power walk lunches!)  Your jaunts to the watercooler weren’t just to hear the gossip, but are quite possibly making you more productive and growing your brain power once you go back to your seat. 

This book sites a study done at a school in Illinois called Zero Hour PE You really should check it out.  A school that did a study that proved getting your heart rate up and moving around, will actually create a better functioning, smarter child. 

So get up, shake it out, run up and down the stairs on your lunch break before your behind takes another long nap in front of the computer… your brain will thank you for it, and quite possibly your boss. 

Now I am wondering when all the schools will catch on… get outside, get moving and get smarter.

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