Students and parents were in the moment counting Zumba beats at Matteson School’s Math/Fitness Night l.to r.) Front row: Kai Smith, first grade; Ms. Ameythyst Smith; Alexis Sims, 3rd grade. Rear row: Ms. Constance Scott; Ms. Stella Shaw. (PHOTO SUPPLIED)
Matteson, IL-(ENEWSPF)- An energetic “Math/Fitness Night” brought out virtually all of Matteson Elementary School’s 454 students and their parents to toss bean bags, knock down bowling pins, master Double Dutch jump roping and dance to the fitness rhythms of Zumba.
“Matteson Elementary School’s Math/Fitness Night is a wonderful example of interactive learning that combined fun and excitement built around a combination of practical math applications to daily living and some old-time proven physical fitness activities. Parents loved these activities because they promote family interaction,” explained Yvonne Williams, director, Pupil Personnel Services for Matteson District 162.
“This wasn’t just simple kid-stuff —we also had scratch-our brain games for our parents, too,” she added.
According to Pamela Powell, principal, “we’re focused on promoting healthier lifestyles for generations to come and provide students and their families with physical fitness techniques to use throughout their lifetimes.”
Among the activities Matteson School students and parents enjoyed at the event were: bowling down the school’s halls and then computing score cards by hand instead of automatic pinsetters; counting to the beats of Zumba, the new worldwide popular fitness routine; identifying geometric shapes, angles, and lines in a tabletop game of box hockey; mastering “Double Dutch jump roping while counting to multiplication tables; and running relay races where winners scored by matching math answers with questions. Matteson School District 162 is hosting a number of fun special events throughout the year funded by a Healthier Alliance Generation $ 71,000 grant designed to promote healthier living combined with learning, Williams explained.
