Recycle Bin Boogie

This following is an edited transcript from a live course titled, Recycle Bin Boogie, by Amy M Schlessman, DPT, DHS.>> Amy Schlessman:  Welcome to the class, Recycle Bin Boogie.  I hope all of you leave today after this course with your grocery store trips forever changed, and every time you look at a recycling bin, you will not look at it the same way again.  It leave you with strategies that you can easily incorporate into your therapy sessions for free because these are recycling supplies, easily, simply, and of course what every parent, therapist, teacher and child wants is simple, fun, creative activities.  ObjectivesUpon completion of this course, you be able to describe three benefits of physical activity.  You will be able to describe at least three general exercise principles for children and adolescents.  You will be able to list at least two perceived barriers and facilitators to improve children's physical activity.  You will be able to describe the link between physical activity and learning, including recent research.  You able to list at least three creative physical activities combined with academic concepts and recyclables that can be utilized in a variety of pediatric settings including schools, daycares, the clinic, the home environment, and a community recreation center. Recycling and the School ConnectionWhat does it mean to recycle?  It means to reuse something.  It can be the process of using items such as plastics, metal, paper, and glass, in order to regain material for human use.  What is the connection between recycling and schools?  We can help children learn to care for the environment. Whether we are in a school setting or an outpatient setting or in a home-based setting working with children we can assist them in learning to care for the environment, learning about environmentally friendly activities, such as recycling and reusing.  You can introduce the importance of recycling through activities that enhance cognitive development such as sorting, relationships, and classification.  InfluencesA study done by Arnold, Cohen, and Warner in 2009 about youth and environmental action was a perspective study and they wanted to get the perceptions of 12 young environmental leaders on the influences that really influenced them to become leaders in environmental action. Their parents, their experience outdoors in childhood, their friends, their role models, their teachers, youth groups and conferences or gatherings were all found to be influences.  As pediatric physical therapists and physical therapists in general, we are role models to the children we work with.  We work hand-in-hand with parents and teachers in an interdisciplinary setting working with children.  We can be these influences for children, not only for their physical therapy, but also in general promoting recycling and environmental action. Call to ActionThere is a call to action to engage out youth.  There is an urgent action to engage young children as agents of change for the environment; having them take place in helping their environment, not just learning about their environment.  That is where the trend is shifting.  It is moving education from learning about the environment to education for the environment.  What can children do, starting very young, for the environment?  As they get older, what can they continue to do for the environment?  We are moving from learning about the environment to learning what they can do for the environment and taking action.  There is a call for more research on young children as agents of change. Combining Recycling and Physical Activity Benefits of Physical ActivityPhysical activity improves participation in activities.  It provides a sense of well-being.  It improves academic readiness.  It increases and maintains heart-lung efficiency, increases and maintains strength, flexibility, mobility, and coordination.  It increases and maintains bone structure and strength.  Other benefits of physical activity include assistance in controlling weight and physical activity decreases risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.  It can also decrease anxiety and depression.   Exercise Principles for ChildrenIt is recommended that children participate in 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day.  The three types of activities that should be included in this are aerobic activity, muscle strengthening, and bone strengthening.  We are going to tease out the details here in terms of aerobic activity, bone strengthening, and muscle strengthening.  Aerobic activity.  There are two different types of aerobic activity we are going to talk about: moderate and vigorous intensity. Moderate intensity aerobic activity is recommended to occur daily.  As physical therapists working with children, are we working with them on a daily basis?  How many of you are working with most of your caseload on a weekly basis?  How about biweekly or monthly?  Are any of you working with children twice a week or in a more intense therapy setting?  We have some variety in terms of how we may be working with children.  When we think about the importance of including physical activity into a daily basis, it is going to be very important for us as physical therapists on how we are going to provide strategies and examples that teachers and parents can carryover on a daily basis, since we are not all working with children on a daily basis.  Some examples of moderate intensity aerobic activity could be brisk walking, active recreation like hiking, skateboarding, or bike riding..  Vigorous intensity activity is recommended at least three days per week.  Some examples are active games such as running, chasing, playing tag, jumping rope, martial arts such as karate, running, and some sports like basketball, swimming, and gymnastics.  Muscle strengthening activity.  For muscle strengthening activities, it is recommended at least three days per week as part of the 60 minutes or more of physical activity.  Examples for muscle strengthening will be games such as tug-of-war, pulling and tugging, modified push-ups with the knees on the floor, resistance exercises using bodyweight or resistance bands, climbing such as climbing trees, climbing ropes, climbing playground equipment, sit-ups, swinging on playground equipment, bars in gymnastics and gymnastic like activities. Bone strengthening activity.  Bone strengthening activities are also recommended at least three days per week as part of...