from Oregon Health Sciences University
Kids need to move. They can’t just sit all day long in class. That comment set the stage for development of a DVD called “Brain Breaks”. It leads elementary students in five minute segments of physical activity into the daily school routine. The DVD was produced by the Healthy Youth Program of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. The short bursts of activity are aimed at improving physical health, mental awareness and educational success, especially at times of the day when it is most needed—in the afternoon after lunch, for instance. The DVD was tested in schools of Corvallis, Oregon, where almost all teachers said it was appropriate for their classes and students were more focused after using the program. All of the segments were popular with eighty percent of students, especially the stretching and relaxation activities.