Flexible Seating Offers Kids "Wiggle Room"

It’s well know that inactivity increases risks for obesity, heart disease, stroke and other chronic health problems. Sadly, the research shows that about two-thirds of kids and half of adults in the United States don’t get enough physical activity.  Businesses across the nation are finding ways to encourage their employees to be more active throughout their work day … standing desks, providing exercise facilities, regular walk breaks, etc.  But what about kids?  What are we doing to promote physical activity throughout the school day?  One local school has found a creative solution!  

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Students in Sheremy Haas' classroom don't work in rows of desks with chairs. Many don't sit in chairs at all.  Haas, first-grade teacher at Harvey Dunn Elementary School (Sioux Falls) encourages choice in where her students sit. Some find cushions on the floor. Others sit on yoga balls or wobble chairs, hard plastic stools shaped like empty spools of thread that tip gently side to side and require both feet to stay firmly planted on the ground.

More teachers like Haas are moving away from traditional desks and chairs to offer a variety of what they call "flexible seating" options intended to help students find ways to wiggle while they work, as Haas' colleague second-grade teacher Kelly Allen said.

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