Spring Break
DDR to reduce childhood obesity
Our View
Issue date: 5/1/07 Section: Viewpoint
Deanne St. John Columnist
Mick Swasko Columnist
Autumn McReynolds Features Editor
Mary Yurgil Editor in Chief
Ready, set, dance!
Nine years ago Dance Dance Revolution took our country by storm. Kids were lining up in the arcades to play the heart pumping game that makes you sweat. Young children were begging their parents to buy them the game so they could play all the time at home.
Now, almost 10 years later the game is being incorporated into Physical Education classes all across the nation. Today more children are playing video games than team sports that require leaving one's couch and going outside. It's sad to say it but today's youth are overweight. Many are even obese.
This new game is not only fun and interactive for kids but it is a great workout. There are several levels of difficulty in the game and some versions even have a workout mode intended to help the player burn calories.
Everyone could almost agree then that this addition to the classroom is an amazing step toward beating childhood obesity. While most parents and teachers interviewed agreed that this addition would prove to be beneficial in the long run for the health of children, not everyone thinks it's such a good idea.
What happened to running the mile, climbing the rope, baseball and tennis?
Competition is an everyday thing in American culture and without it life would be boring. While it's safe to say we agree that adding this new game to gym classes is pretty cool, we hope that schools don't forget about good old fashioned team sports.
While most young girls aren't that interested in getting dirty or sweating while playing baseball or basketball, many young boys might not like dancing either.
Gym class is meant to be the fun part of a child's day, a release of energy and a break in the day between all those other mentally challenging classes. While this class should be fun, children also need to learn.
In a recent New York Times article, one district coordinator of health and physical education in the Parkway school district in Missouri said, "When you're playing the game you really have to process the information and then also do the moves physically, so we think it can help with brain development as well."
This is great in terms of aiding children to learn and grow, but we can't forget about the realities of life. Kids need to compete in school in order to survive in the workplace later in life. DDR should be kept in schools but used as a reward rather than a unit such as soccer or softball.
Schools could let the children play DDR on Fridays but tell them that if they do not work hard the rest of the week they will not get to play. This new implementation will hopefully aid in children's ability to learn and stay focused throughout the day while also providing them with more energy and maybe even make them look forward to going to school.
Mick Swasko Columnist
Autumn McReynolds Features Editor
Mary Yurgil Editor in Chief
Ready, set, dance!
Nine years ago Dance Dance Revolution took our country by storm. Kids were lining up in the arcades to play the heart pumping game that makes you sweat. Young children were begging their parents to buy them the game so they could play all the time at home.
Now, almost 10 years later the game is being incorporated into Physical Education classes all across the nation. Today more children are playing video games than team sports that require leaving one's couch and going outside. It's sad to say it but today's youth are overweight. Many are even obese.
This new game is not only fun and interactive for kids but it is a great workout. There are several levels of difficulty in the game and some versions even have a workout mode intended to help the player burn calories.
Everyone could almost agree then that this addition to the classroom is an amazing step toward beating childhood obesity. While most parents and teachers interviewed agreed that this addition would prove to be beneficial in the long run for the health of children, not everyone thinks it's such a good idea.
What happened to running the mile, climbing the rope, baseball and tennis?
Competition is an everyday thing in American culture and without it life would be boring. While it's safe to say we agree that adding this new game to gym classes is pretty cool, we hope that schools don't forget about good old fashioned team sports.
While most young girls aren't that interested in getting dirty or sweating while playing baseball or basketball, many young boys might not like dancing either.
Gym class is meant to be the fun part of a child's day, a release of energy and a break in the day between all those other mentally challenging classes. While this class should be fun, children also need to learn.
In a recent New York Times article, one district coordinator of health and physical education in the Parkway school district in Missouri said, "When you're playing the game you really have to process the information and then also do the moves physically, so we think it can help with brain development as well."
This is great in terms of aiding children to learn and grow, but we can't forget about the realities of life. Kids need to compete in school in order to survive in the workplace later in life. DDR should be kept in schools but used as a reward rather than a unit such as soccer or softball.
Schools could let the children play DDR on Fridays but tell them that if they do not work hard the rest of the week they will not get to play. This new implementation will hopefully aid in children's ability to learn and stay focused throughout the day while also providing them with more energy and maybe even make them look forward to going to school.
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