#2 Exercise is great because...

It CREATES ENERGY! Exercise helps your body produce energy more efficiently. You will feel more energized throughout the day, week, month, and year when you include exercise routinely in your life.

Basketball Fundamentals

During the basketball unit, students have been working on important fundamental skills such as dribbling, passing, catching, and shooting. Many different skills and drills have been performed. The videos below feature the activities "Think Fast" and "Shark." Think Fast is a basketball activity that requires concentration, quick reaction time, and passing/catching skills. The objective is for the students to clap and catch the ball if and only if it is passed to them. They are trying to avoid dropping the ball, clapping when they shouldn't, or catching the ball without clapping. Shark is a dribbling game in which a student must keep their dribble alive inside the "boundary." At the same time, students are trying to swipe the ball out of the hands of the other students.

1. Exercise is great because...

It STRENGTHENS MUSCLES, BONES, AND JOINTS! Having strong muscles, bones, and joints will allow you to become a better mover. You will have more control over your movements and be able to perform them at a higher level. Exercise = mobility.

Why is Exercise Important?

We always hear that we should exercise. Apparently it is good for us. Well, it is actually great for us! Students at Syracuse Elementary are learning the wonderful benefits of exercise. They are learning how it affects healthy changes in the body. Throughout the second semester, we will be discussing the many reasons why to include exercise in your life on a routine basis. Check back weekly to learn about these reasons.

Bowling

Check out some bowling highlights from the end of 2009!

Sleep To Be Smart

Sleeping is one of the most important parts to achieving good health. It is the time when the body rebuilds, heals, and rejuvenates. Without enough quality deep sleep, it is hard to feel good. It is also hard to learn and remember things. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine recently discovered that sleep turns on brain gene switches. As soon as a person falls asleep, gene switches are turned on in the brain that allow memories to be formed and brain connections to strengthen. Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at UP, Marco Frank, stated that "the machinery of memory is, the actual making and breaking of connections between neurons." The researchers found that these connections between neurons can only be made when we sleep. So what does this tell us? You must get quality sleep to improve learning and be smart!



Sara J. Aton, Julie Seibt, Michelle Dumoulin, Sushil K. Jha, Nicholas Steinmetz, Tammi Coleman, Nirinjini Naidoo, Marcos G. Frank. Mechanisms of Sleep-Dependent Consolidation of Cortical Plasticity Neuron 2009 February Volume 61, Issue 3, 454-466.
Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

Fruits and Vegetables for Brain Health

A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that a diet high in polyphenols could protect the brain from damage. Polyphenols are special nutrients commonly found in fruits, vegetables, and nuts. After analyzing the brains of rats for 40 days, researchers found that the rats on the high polyphenol diet had significant nerve and brain cell protection. They also found that these nutrients could help strengthen and boost the generation of brain stem cells.

Eating whole natural foods is a great way to ensure quality health of the body's organs and tissues. Grab an apple and a handful of walnuts today!





Tony Valente, Juan Hidalgo, Irene Bolea, Bartolomé Ramirez, Neus Anglés, Jordi Reguant, José Ramón Morelló, Cristina Gutiérrez, Mercè Boada and Mercedes Unzeta. A Diet Enriched in Polyphenols and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, LMN Diet, Induces Neurogenesis in the Subventricular Zone and Hippocampus of Adult Mouse Brain. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 2009 November
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)