A milestone in movement

Have you ever been asked to “Go Noodle”? Well, at Norris Elementary in Firth, you just might. 

GoNoodle is an online platform that promotes movement and mindfulness for kids. This program began in 2017 in Lancaster County, and Wednesday, Oct. 23, marks 17 million minutes of movement. 

Norris teacher Torey Dudley commented, “So, play is very, very important. But this is very direct, coordinated activities and all of that activates their brain power, and all teachers will say we notice the difference”.

So far, about 75 elementary schools in Lancaster County have adopted GoNoodle; 68 of which are in Lincoln. 

Norris is recognized as one of the program leaders, so they spent some time celebrating this movement milestone.

Officials say less than half of student fulfill the recommended 60-minutes of activity a day. So, the Children’s Hospital and Kohl’s created GoNoodle to make up this difference in schools.

Not only does it help kids break a sweat, but it offers social and emotional learning programs to support both the mind and the body.

“There are a lot of stressor on today’s kids… a lot of, you know, mental health issues and behavioral issues that we start, you know, seeing out of kids,” said GoNoodle Partner and Relationship Director Brian Hinds. “So, where GoNoodle comes in, with with content that can address some of these things, it really helps establish better habits with kids at an early age”.

GoNoodle compliments normal physical education classes and is funded through grants, so it is not a financial burden to schools.

For more information on GoNoodle, visit gonoodle.com.