On most school days, those driving down Maple Avenue in Moorestown will see children playing outside on every surface at George C. Baker Elementary School.
But when the weather is too frightful to be outdoors, those children stay inactive indoors. The teachers became concerned about the students' inactivity on rainy and frigid days, and started looking for a solution.
The solution was found in the home of the school's new principal, Michelle Rowe. She had a Nintendo Wii system her family was not using.
"I just knew this was something I could pull off," Rowe said.
So, she brought the Wii into school, hooked it up to a projector the school already owned and pulled down the screen so everyone in the room could see the game.
Since they started using the Wii in mid-January, the program is still in pilot mode, so only one game, Just Dance, is used and only the second graders are able to participate. The second graders were chosen because their recess fits with the time a room large enough, the cafeteria, is available for use.
Rowe added she and the staff have identified which songs in the game are appropriate for school and that a paraprofessional holds the remote while the students dance along. Sometimes, in fact, the teachers dance along.
And, when recess is over, cheeks are red and participants are winded.
"It's really exceeded our expectations," Rowe said. "It's just a win-win across the board."
The feedback has been great so far, too.
Angie Giacchetto said it was the first thing her daughter, Molly, excitedly told her about when she got off the bus the day she first used the Wii at recess.
"To hear they were doing that, I thought it was great," Giacchetto said. "It's good for physical activity."
She explained that even though she hadn't heard of it happening at the Moorestown schools, Giacchetto has heard news reports of other schools cutting time for physical activity. As a mother of two energetic children and nurse, she is concerned about this trend toward less exercise and welcomed news of even more at Baker.
Another concern she has is the pressures of fitting into a group while playing at recess.
"It's something they can all relate to and we don't have to worry about the kids not getting along," she added.
Although she does not forsee using the Wii during physical education, Rowe has offered the teachers use of the Wii as a possible class incentive. She plans to share the school's experiences with the Wii at the next district elementary prinicipals meeting.
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