By Rebecca Danvers

On October 9, Patty Lanier from the SPARK Institutes, University of Florida, will present a new and exciting participatory workshop for physical educators and after school staff members.

The goal of SPARK, which is funded through the PEP (Physical Education Program) grant is to assist Somerville schools and organizations that work with youth to collaborate enabling our “kids” to get at least one hour of physical activity per day.

SPARK enters its second year of implementation with professional development and support for school, afterschool, and recreation program teachers. The October 9 program for staff will be a refresher for some, while expanding and reinforcing prior SPARK initiatives.

Starting off, SPARK lessons “build a foundation” for learning by addressing boundaries and routines, activity from the start, involvement by all, instructional cues, and supervision and feedback.

Activities are fun and active! For an Active As Soon as Possible (ASAP) start to a lesson, one might see, “Meet Me in the Middle”. This is an active warm up in which students jog to the middle, meet a partner and perform a task (high 5, jump and turn, jump and high 10, do-si-do, swing on elbows), jog back, and each time add a task to the old one.

Social skills are a primary focus in SPARK. Those introduced and practiced are: K – kindness and caring, 1 – courtesy and showing appreciation, 2 – self-control and respect for others, 3 – responsibility and helpfulness, 4 – encouragement and acceptance of personal differences, 5 – competition and positive disagreement, 6 – sharing ideas and compromise, 7-8 responsibility, respect, acceptance and appreciation. All students learn and use “rock, paper, scissors” to solve issues of sharing, taking turns, and resolving disagreements. All students are included by starting the year with fun and humorous physical activities involving trust and cooperation. During “Hog Call,” for example, blind-folded partners find one another using only their specific animal sounds! In “Designated Driver,” one partner steers their blind-folded partner through obstacles. In “Stepping Stones,” groups strategize to move from one place to another with specific rules and without touching the ground.

What about tag? “Partner tag”, “double tag”, “flag tag”, “triangle tag”, “four corners scramble”, “elbow tag”, “tunnel tag”, “side by side tag”, “addition tag”, “hospital tag”, “catch the dragon’s tail tag”, and “clothes pin tag” are just a few in the tag repertoire of our students and teachers. There are no longer “I’m safe areas,” and there’s always a quick way to re-enter after being tagged. “TAG! YOU’RE IT!”

Visit http://www.sparkpe.org/ to learn more about SPARK. Learn more about Somerville PEP and ways in which you and your family can stay healthy and active year-round by visiting www.somerville.k12.ma.us/pep for more information and a list of resources. The PEP program is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.