There’s only one place in our entire district where a rubber chicken and a football are part of the lesson plan. In PE class at North Ridge Elementary, a chicken flying through the air is pretty normal.
“It makes it fun every day,” shares Bart Black, PE Teacher at North Ridge.
Today’s game is “Capture the Chicken.” The game is similar to Capture the Flag, but with a chicken instead.
Maybe the chicken gets a little credit for this, but just taking one look around the entire gym, everyone is playing and everyone is active.
“As a PE teacher we have standards and benchmarks nationally and that helps guide us,” shares Black. “There’s a lot of flexibility to meet those standards in different activities or games.”
Collaboration between PE teachers is helping take these activities to a whole new level. Black might see an idea online, give it a unique twist, and then bring it to North Ridge.
“It’s just a matter of seeing the idea, what standards and benchmarks is it hitting, and how can I make it better?” says Black. “How can I maintain that awesome activity and keep it going?”
Our students are loving this creativity.
“I’ve had him for five years and he’s really good because he makes up a lot of games that are really fun,” shares 4th grader Dylan Weydert.
“He’s really nice and he makes fun games,” adds 4th grader Kinsley Gillispie.
From a simple game of catch, to capturing the chicken, there are important and memorable lessons happening in our gymnasiums, every single day.
“Kids will remember this for years to come I hope,” says Black. “Things they did, things that helped them get better or motivated them to seek out the activity.”