Wednesday, September 16th we kicked off the ninth year of Falcons on the Fly, a walking/jogging program for all students. A huge thanks to the Firelands Elementary PTG and Bettcher Industries for making this program possible!
At the beginning of recess, each child is encouraged to walk or jog 1 lap around our Falcons on the Fly path! If they choose to complete more laps, that’s great! Laps are accumulated each day and throughout the duration of the program. Each time a lap is completed, a recess supervisor will make a tally mark on the child’s hand with a washable marker, and the number of laps completed each day will be transferred to a chart kept in the classroom.
A certain number of laps equates to various distances (for example, 16 laps = 5K). When a child accumulates enough laps to have finished a 5K …. then a 10K . . . then a half-marathon . .. and finally a marathon . . . he or she will receive a specially colored and imprinted pencil. Students who reach a marathon will also receive a Marathon Club t-shirt.
The main objective of this program is to increase the amount of structured, physical activity time spent by the children. Students will learn the lifelong benefits and enjoyment of walking/jogging. Falcons on the Fly will make recess time be spent more constructively by all students. Students may choose to do one lap, then play something else – or they can choose to walk/jog the whole recess.