ABBEVILLE, Ala. — Friday, May 13 was a colorful afternoon for the students at Abbeville Elementary School. As a part of the school’s annual field day, hundreds of students celebrated completing a series of classroom-wide physical activity challenges with a day of movement and fun.

Working within the confines of the Move Alabama Challenge put forth by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) and Expanded Food and Nutrition Program (EFNEP) in March, Henry County SNAP-Ed Educator Michelle Puckett decided to include students at the school in their own challenge.

Move Alabama

Move Alabama was an eight-week family activity challenge that ran from March 1 through April 30 in six counties. During the pilot program, community members completed a checklist of physical activity feats to motivate them to move more. The ones who completing the challenges were entered into a local drawing for prizes.

For the students at Abbeville Elementary, each classroom that completed all of the activities was rewarded with a color run facilitated by Puckett. Classrooms were asked to complete 10 challenges in two months that involved various physical activity tasks.

Puckett said the prospect of fun is a great motivator for young children.

“I wanted to give them something to look forward to when I gave them these challenges,” Puckett said. “Additionally, as we head into the summer, I wanted to make sure they got one last push to remind them about the importance of physical activity to stay healthy.”

Puckett teaches several Body Quest classes at the elementary school. Body Quest is a SNAP-Ed curriculum that empowers third graders and their parents to make healthier choices through their foods and physical activity.

A Colorful Display

Before the students started the color run, Puckett gave them a few last-minute reminders about the importance of physical activity. She told students that their age group should get a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity each day. After a few instructions and a pep talk, students were off. During the run, students passed several stations where colored powder was tossed onto their shirts, resulting in a colorful display. After the run, student cooled down with bottled water.

Puckett said seeing how much fun students have during events like the color run provides high satisfaction and enjoyment for those involved.

“I love getting out in the community for events like this,” she said. “I love letting the students do something different and just letting them be kids and have fun.”

More Information

To contact Puckett, call (334) 687-5688 or email her at mmp0073@aces.edu. To find more success stories about SNAP-Ed educators, visit www.LiveWellAlabama.com.