Greetings! My name is Ms. Smith, and I am the Practical Living teacher here at Jeffersontown Elementary. For those of you that have never heard of Practical Living, it is one class that includes instruction in health, family and consumer science, and physical education.
Practical Living Core Content:
Health:
- Understanding of appropriate ways to express emotions and communicate feelings
- Begin exploring community health-care
- Understand safety rules and procedures
- Understand body systems
- Understand food and nutrients/ wellness relationship
- Understand some common sources of diseases and ways to prevent and protect self
- Understand how behavioral choices effect health
Physical Education:
- Understand basic fitness concepts and benefits of being active
- Practice age-appropriate fitness activities
- Perform basic motor and manipulative skills
- Develop eye-hand and foot-eye coordination
- Participate in simple competitive games
- Work cooperatively with others
Consumerism & Budgeting:
- Understand the distinction between wants and needs
- Compare and evaluate products and services based on price, quality, and features
- Influences (e.g., peer pressure, desire for status, TV, radio, newspaper, magazines) directly affect the consumer decision of children
Vocational Studies:
- Understand why people need to work
- Identify different job opportunities
- Develop positive work habits and skills needed for success
Health Promotions
Jeffersontown Elementary is a Health Promotions School of Excellence. Therefore, we do activities and go on various field trips to help to promote health living throughout a lifetime. Students participate in physical fitness assessments twice a year, once at the beginning and once at the conclusion of the school year.
Students are assessed in 5 different categories:
- Sit-ups (one minute)
- Pull-ups
- Sit & Reach (flexibility)
- Height & Weight (body composition)
- ½ mile, or 1 mile walk/run (students 8 and under run/walk the ½ mile and students 9 and over walk/run the 1 mile)
Results from this testing are sent home on a Health Promotions score card. By reviewing this score card, parents can see where their child fits in on the physical fitness spectrum.
Driving Forces behind Physical Education
In Kentucky
We are ranked as the 5th “fattest” state in the United States (Trust for America’s Health, F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2006).
28.6% of Kentuckians are obese (Trust for America’s Health, F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2006).
Children in the United States
10% of 2 to 5 year olds are overweight.
More than 15% of children between 6 and 19 are overweight.
When the children that are already overweight are combined with the children that are at risk of becoming overweight, about one in three children are affected.
Healthy School Snacks Options
- Fresh/frozen/dried fruit
- Popsicles with 100%
fruit juice
- Nuts
- Trail Mix
- Frozen Yogurt
- Low-fat pudding
- Low-fat string cheese
- Pretzels
- Granola/cereal bars
- Baked chips
- Popcorn
- Whole grain crackers and cereals
- Veggies
- Low-fat dips
- Ants on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins)
- Smoothies
- 100% fruit juices
Low-fat or no fat milk
- Flavored water
