Credit: Kidsday staff artist / Jean Yoo, Jericho

At some schools, there is only one period of gym each week. At PS 79, there are two periods of gym every week and yoga for the students there.

Mr. Ben Paquette is a gym teacher and Ms. Meghan McCarthy teaches yoga. Gym helps the students in many different ways. So does yoga. After gym and yoga, the students feel calm and relaxed. Kids say they are able to focus more on schoolwork.

The teachers believe the students should be able to learn as much as they exercise. Our school decided that students should have 200 minutes of gym a week so they would be active in learning.

Students like having two periods of gym in a week. They have more time to play games relating to sports and exercise. Gym helps the students learn more about exercise and having a healthy life. Gym helps minds relax.

I asked Ms. McCarthy and Mr. Paquette a few questions:

What made you do yoga in the school?

We were looking for a new way to incorporate a new type of exercise into our PE program. We thought it was a great idea to bring yoga and mindfulness to our school community!

How do you and the kids feel after each class?

When we finish each class, we feel more calm and focused! In yoga, we work on not only our flexibility and strength, but we also work on mindfulness.

What kind of exercises do you do in yoga?

We practice all different types of yoga poses using fun sequences and cards. We also practice mindfulness activities working on concentration and relaxation.

Jennifer Speicher’s fourth-grade class, PS 79Q, Whitestone

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