Indoor
climbing is becoming a popular fitness activity that not only
helps students build physical strength, but also facilitates
the development of problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Educators who have incorporated climbing into their curriculum
say students of all ages enjoy the safe activity which teaches
them to work as a team, trust others, take positive risks and
have confidence in themselves.
Bill
Wegehaupt is a 34- year physical education veteran who currently
teaches at Lincoln Elementary School in Cudahy, Wisconsin.
He decided to include climbing in his curriculum after attending
a state physical education convention in 2002. During the
state meeting, two teachers from the Sun Prairie Area School
District in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, gave a presentation showing
how their students benefited from climbing on a traverse
wall that was designed by Everlast Climbing Industries in
Eagan, Minnesota.
A
horizontal traverse climbing wall, measuring 40 feet long and
eight feet high, was installed at Lincoln Elementary in 2003
and the results have been positive, according to Wegehaupt.
"Climbing
offers so many different opportunities for the development
of the student, most of which could never be taught via the
conventional classroom-textbook method of learning," he
said. "Climbing wall activities develop cooperation and
do not stress competition. The physical education curriculum
has moved away from the traditional team sport concept. Now,
the emphasis is on lifetime activities."
The
Mesquite Independent School District in Mesquite, Texas, received
a Carol M. White Physical Education Program grant in 2003 and
used a portion of the money to install climbing walls in all
of its 31 elementary schools. The grant proposal submitted
by district officials included information about improving
the physical education program with the introduction of new
and innovative lifetime activities for students.
"The
great thing about climbing is that it’s a natural skill.
Children begin climbing before they learn to walk. They pull
themselves up on furniture and hold on to get their balance
before they take their first steps, so it’s an easy thing
to teach and they can have immediate success," said Kathy
Goodlett, health and physical education coordinator at Mesquite
ISD. "We have found that because it is a challenge by
choice and the kids set their own goals in many instances it
builds their self-esteem."
Goodlett
said climbing gives students a chance to improve their level
of fitness in a challenging and fun manner unlike some of the
more traditional physical education activities, such as push-ups
or pull-ups.
She
also noted that core academic skills, such as math and high-level
thinking, can be incorporated into the climbing by using games
and other teaching methods. |
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The
Mesquite ISD allows students to set their own objectives and
predict how long it will take them to reach their goal of traversing
all 12 horizontal panels of the wall without stopping.
Goodlett
stressed that the climbing wall is safe for use by all ages,
especially since the students climb horizontally instead
of vertically. The walls provided by Everlast Climbing Industries
feature non-skid safety mats that are anchored to the bottom
of the structure to provide a soft landing when students
step off the panels. The same mats can be folded up onto
the wall during storage to prevent unsupervised usage.
"It
is very safe," said Goodlett. "Most playground equipment,
like monkey bars and swings, that the public uses takes kids
higher than eight feet and has gravel underneath."
The
Fort Worth Independent School District in Fort Worth, Texas,
was equally impressed with the benefits of the traverse climbing
walls. The district recently used part of a $350,000 federal
grant to install the units at 19 of its middle schools.
"We
knew we weren't getting enough students active in our physical
education program so we created a multi-activity approach and
thought the walls would help the students with their upper
body strength and team building,’’ said Georgi
Roberts, program director of health and physical education
for the Fort Worth ISD. "At first, people thought we were
talking about high walls, but they are traverse walls so there
is no danger."
Prairie
View Middle School in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, plans to add
a climbing wall to its repertoire of physical fitness equipment
within the next few years, according to Paul Ackley, physical
education teacher.
“Climbing
helps build children up mentally, emotionally and physically,’’
he said. “Physical benefits come very fast with students,
kids love to climb and with climbing comes muscle development.
Goal setting, teamwork and cooperation, along with improving
communication skills, are all benefits of having a climbing wall
in your gymnasium.
"Learning
how to take positive risks and succeeding is a big part of
climbing and even if you fail, you will always have a chance
to try again,’’
added Ackley. “The skills that climbing walls develop are
age-appropriate at all grades and learning these skills at a
young age can only help our students in the future."
Ackley
said parents are quick to buy into the excitement surrounding
the climbing walls which are rapidly becoming an integral part
of the new physical education philosophy that emphasizes lifelong
learning and fitness. |
