Redondo Beach, California
When the first bell rings each morning, every student hurries to line up on their very own paint spot on the blacktop. As the students are getting to their spots, a designated teacher readies the PA system. The teacher presses play on the iPod the second the students are in place and the 8-minute Morning Activities begin! There are 4 different routines the teacher can choose from. Each routine consists of 3 rounds of 10 exercises (8 min) followed by calm stretching and/or yoga (2 min). Each round of exercises gets a little bit faster and has a unique soundtrack with fun music. The exercises include silly moves like slap jacks, bottom-kickers, roof-raisers, and sumo squats! The exercises even have a voice calling out each move at the correct time, which ensures that the program never runs past 10 minutes. Every session concludes with 3 deep breaths. The students then calmly follow their teachers into the classrooms awake, alert, focused, and ready to learn.