ARLEE — Sometimes, kids play sick to get out of school; but not in one Arlee Elementary School class.
Thanks to a special program and class structure, third grade students are learning that healthy habits start at a young age.
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“It takes out all my stress and it makes me feel confident when I can do hard things," student Travis Lozeau shared.
Students in Aimee Pier’s class come into a calm classroom in the morning since their first lesson of the day is meditation.
“Whenever I'm sad, mad, or like anything else, which isn't good, it really helps me feel more calm," student Skylor Folden told MTN.
Starting the day this way lets kids get grounded after the morning rush.
“When we're doing our laying on our back, it takes all my bus stress off my back," Lozeau said describing how meditation calms him after a rowdy bus ride.
“It's kind of a little gift to them every morning. I have found that giving up the five minutes of, say, the meditation, I get back 20 times in work throughout the day," Pier said.
Meditation is just one part of the class’s interactive curriculum. Kids are chosen at random each day to lead certain segments.
Yoga is the next step after meditation. A favorite pose for the class is pigeon.
“Sometimes in the morning I can feel tight, but then when I stretch and stuff, I can I feel like more open and stuff, you know.” student Hailey Felsman stated.
Next is calendar math which gets the kids to break a sweat. It tests both their counting and language skills since they say every number in English, Spanish, and Salish while doing jumping jacks and burpees.
“I actually one time counted to 40 and Salish," Folden said.
The kids also hop to each of the vertices of a shape listed on the calendar. On Wednesday, they showcased lots of squares and triangles.
"I see kids like taking a high-stakes test and they'll be tapping their foot trying to think of vertices," Pier said noting the practical usage of the calendar math exercises.
The class also works with MSU Extension SNAP Educator Tammy Sandberg on nutrition for six weeks. The kids take those lessons straight to the kitchen.
“We always talk about how many servings per day you should have and how much stuff you should have on your dinner plate," Lozeau noted.
The unique approach that Pier has been using for 10 years has proven beneficial for the students.
“Higher map scores, just you know, it really does come out in academics later," Pier said.
Additionally, through the lessons, kids feel like they can trust themselves outside of the classroom.
"I’m able to do more things and capable. It feels good to be confident," Felsman said.
