I teach PE to students in grades Pre-K-12 in a rural upstate NY school. My students are motivated and high achieving in all areas - academics, athletics, and the arts! Being a small school, we have a very cohesive and supportive school community that inspires student confidence and success. The students are very involved in their own learning, excited and willing to embrace all sorts of opportunities presented to them. Our dedicated staff works diligently to find and provide new and unique experiences for them. Despite being from a small school in the middle of nowhere, our students are culturally aware and embrace opportunities to explore and experience the world around them.
My Project
The yoga mats we currently have are old, don't provide much/any support, and for these reasons students do not like using them. My co-worker and I are both new to our school and are working to prioritize what equipment we need, and we have both agreed that if we want students to actually use the yoga mats, they need to be replaced. I have had staff members also ask to borrow yoga mats, and I feel bad giving them our old low-quality mats. I would love to provide them with quality mats to use for themselves and our students!
I was inspired to request these nicer yoga mats after talking with a co-worker about using them beyond the PE classroom.
Recently, our librarian was telling me she wanted to start a "relaxation Friday" during 7th-8th grade recess on Fridays, with puzzles, coloring, and other mindful activities to help them calm down a bit since they're always so busy and anxious. I told her that she should borrow some of our yoga mats and offer the students yoga during this time - she loved this idea! Again, though, our yoga mats are overused and abused, so it'd be hard to get them excited about actually it, even though I think it would be really good for them. Getting new yoga mats would make them really want to give it a try!
Yoga is beneficial for physical fitness, as well as mental and emotional health. Yoga mats can serve so many purposes in a physical education classroom and school as a whole, and can be used across grade levels and curriculum. They are a resource to be utilized by students AND staff, and if used well can make the school a better place by keeping everyone calm, fit, and focused!
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