By: SARAH CONNOCK
On Thursday 10 May, George Dickerson was visited by Active Education and the Let’s Play Initiative who set up an obstacle course for the learners, challenging them to see how many of them could complete the course in the space of half an hour.
The field was filled with laughter and cheering. The excitement of the event fueled the children to push themselves as they ran, shuffled, tested their hand-eye coordination, and made their way through the course. Those waiting on the side danced to the energising music as they cheered on their classmates, the excitement so contagious that some of their teachers joined in with the dancing too.
In 2015, the Let’s Play Physical Education Challenge was launched with the aim of promoting physical activity in primary schools. They have paired up with the Department of Basic Education, Sport and Recreation South Africa, the Physical Education Institute of South Africa, UNICEF and Active Education to try and reach as many schools and as many learners as possible.
The staff at Active Education are passionate about their job, ensuring that the learners understood what to do and cheering them on as they made their way through the course. When some children got stuck, they not only explained, but also demonstrated what to do, and then completed that section with the student, finishing off with a cheer and a high-five.
“The fittest primary school in each province will compete for the title with the grand prize being a R1.3 million multi-purpose sport court, sponsored by the Sports Trust, to be built at the winning school.”
For a school such as George Dickerson, winning would be life changing, and the learners clearly gave their all as they raced around the obstacle course.
For more details about this challenge, please visit: http://activeeducation.co.za/lets-play-challenge/
Photo: Sarah Connock
Photo: Sarah Connock
