Are you finding the ‘joy’ in your journey? Who has been influential in helping you?  What are the significant events/moments in your life that have helped you embrace or turn you away from physical activity?  Have you ever fallen off?  How did you get back on?  What is your physical literacy story?  Take some time to reflect, share with a friend, and perhaps even draw it out!   How would your students describe or draw their physical literacy journey?  An inquiry project that lasts an entire lifetime.

Physical Literacy is more than a current BUZZ or fad, it is the way for our world to flourish!  It requires ALL to take action and turn the ripples into waves.  Physical literacy brings together all sectors (sport, education, health, tourism) to tackle some of the dismal health and physical activity statistics in our society.  The 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth has an overall grade of “D-“   http://www.participaction.com/report-card-2015/  

Yikes!!!  We can do much better.  Embrace the 100% to 0% way of life: take 100% responsibility in life and “Zero” excuses; you can be the agent of change by “Stepping Up” .   Check it out at.  http://www.drjohnizzo.com/accountability-2/   Also check out the Sport for Life website, some great assessment tools and excellent movement preparation activities.  http://www.physicalliteracy.ca/

Enjoy your summer and take lots of time to play.  Recharge and be ready in September to help your students and colleagues on their physical literacy journeys.  Happy trails. 

"Everything we did was a good experience and I would like to try everything again." - Jaya

In early May, our grade 6 students had the opportunity to participate in an Aquatics Literacy program that was fully sponsored by Jump Start in partnership with the Talisman Centre. Our students rotated through four, 30 minute activities: pool games, water safety, synchronized swimming and water polo.

Exposure to these activities was a great experience for our students. It also was an interesting learning opportunity for both teachers and students, as initial swim tests designated approximately 85% of our grade 6 students as “non-swimmers” requiring PFD’s for the program.

"I liked how before we went in the water we had to do a test to make sure we were safe and could swim."  -Hannah

Our experiences were complimented with the opportunity to observe a masters group of Synchronized Swimmers and the Mens’ National Water Polo team practice their respective sports.

"My favorite part was synchronized swimming because I realized how hard it was and it was fun to watch people try."  - Amita

Overall, it was a fun and exciting day for all involved! Thanks, Jump Start & Talisman!


Meredith Angel teaches  Elementary Phys Ed – Life passion is the outdoors, hiking, biking and camping.

Phys. Ed. is what most of our students look forward to each day.  Whether we are learning ball skills using a scoop and whiffle ball, or trying to make the badminton racquet touch that birdie just once, gym class is a time for students to work on achieving their personal best. 

Its funny how exciting bringing out new equipment can be.  Students clap and cheer at the beginning of new activities. That’s what is great about kids.  They are willing to try new things, and they often surprise themselves by what they can personally achieve.

Our grade 1-2s were invited to the Talisman Centre to participate in the Aquatic Literacy program.  This one-day event was the highlight of the year for many of these students.  The students were excited to attend, but slightly nervous too.

Once there, The students’ fear of water quickly disappeared.  The students that were holding on to the edge of the pool at the beginning were now diving for balls in an attempt to get a goal.  The students that were moving slowly in the water because they were nervous at the beginning where now jumping and using their arms and legs to help them get away from the “shark”.  The laughter and screeching quickly over took the “I can’t do its” and the “I’m too scareds”.  This program allowed children to do what they do best: play. Through this playing they gained confidence in the water and even surprised them selves a little bit!

What makes a great classroom project? Is it the engagement level of the students? Is it the little piece of awesomeness that they produce? Is it something they have never looked at before? Maybe it’s a combination of all of these aspects together.

We have been studying science topics on flight, air, and aerodynamics. These are interesting and engaging topics, but can be a little lofty for the kids to truly understand. The challenge we faced was to find a way to encapsulate all that we had learned and make it fun and engaging. We decided to take a closer look at some of the planes from the past, present and future and think about their ‘Utopic Flights’.

What had these planes been built to do? How had they been modified to fully meet the needs of these utopic flights? We researched. We discussed. We diagrammed, hummed and hawed. We decided to use the runways from the Calgary International Airport to root our work. Students were asked to cluster their planes based on what runways their planes would need to use to become airborne. We wrote stories on our utopic flights and were highly engaged. Yet, it was tough to ascertain if they truly had grasped onto the outcomes we had established together when we started. That is, until the work was put up onto the wall.

Student: “Mrs. Simmons, are you organizing those planes based on what runway they would need?”

Mrs. Simmons: “Yes…why? Did I do something wrong?”

Student: “Oh yeah, if you’re organizing them based on the flight ceiling for the aircraft and the length of runway the planes would need to overcome the drag and gravity being placed on them you have a bunch of them wrong.”

We then had the greatest conversation where the kids outlined exactly where their planes should be located and why. They were clear, articulate and completely knew their stuff. They could speak to how their planes were modified and even explain how their planes fit on a timeline and how each and every plane was a reflection of the world at that time. Sometimes the greatest teaching moments happen when we’re doing something wrong. Please feel free to ‘Fail Forward’ with us!

Sarah Simmons (@sesimmons01) currently teaches Grade Six at Olympic Heights School. She is passionate about being a mom, wife, teacher and DIY’er in any matter of things.

The term health curriculum generally conjured up two images for me. The first, the colour blocked Canada Food Guide graphic splaying out proper food choices and secondly, rows of red-cheeked students squirming uncomfortably before projected images while tightly folded paper was unfurled atop a question box. Often, the health curriculum was siloed, inconsequential and neglected.

This year we created a comprehensive health team and together with strategists decided to have a comprehensive health day. Messy planning stages left many scrapped ideas lying on the floor with recognition the four pillars of comprehensive health already had a natural presence within our classroom.

Our established mentorship buddy program enabled the school to easily pair up for the day. My grade sixes spent the morning with our kindergarten buddies. To begin, a glorious garden containing budding strawberry plants outside the kindergarten door provided opportunity for the younger students to impart their wisdom about the local berries.

Next, we took a buddy walk through our plant park in search of pebbles. These pebbles were essential for our final activity of pebble meditation. Each pebble was deeply symbolic, one was flower, representing being new, one was mountain symbolizing strength, next was the space pebble called upon for freedom and expansion and and finally, a water pebble for reflection. Pairings of students then ‘sat’ passing each pebble from right hand to left meditating between breaths and giggles.  

We learned engagement in healthy relationships, eating, activity and mental health does not require you to break out a sweat or the dreaded question box.

Anne Daniel (@anne_amdaniel27) teaches grade six and is working on her doctorate at University of Calgary currently examining how mindfulness practices can assist students in developing comfort with challenge.

Like Michelle Schulz (Day 170 Story) I was also privileged to work with the dynamic group of CBE and Community Physical Literacy Champions for a day of innovative project design and implementation planning aimed at increasing the physical literacy of students within the CBE community.  It was a rewarding day that forced us to think differently!

To extend the reach of that day, interested CBE teachers are invited to connect with Physical Literacy and You (P.L.A.Y.) Calgary. This group provides an avenue for interested individuals and partners from a variety of sectors, to work together to promote, implement and evaluate programs, services, amenities and policies, which increase the physical literacy of Calgarians.

Email Ashley Fox to join the distribution list to learn about upcoming events including meetings where networking and sharing are always valued. If you can’t attend, our email updates will keep you in the loop and supported as you strive to integrate physical literacy enriched activities into your school and community

To get a sense of what physical literacy is and why it’s important, check out this three-minute video created by the Be Fit for Life Centre – Calgary.

Also see PHE Canada’s video, “Connecting Physical Literacy and Physical Education”.

Lynn Jobe (@mlejobe) is part of an active, outdoorsy family, an enthusiastic promoter of physical literacy and physical activity, and a member of P.L.A.Y. Calgary.

Imagine having the opportunity to go on a field trip for a full week; asking questions, exploring spaces, looking closely and learning from specialists daily onsite.

Engaging! Exhilarating! And yes Exhausting! – All worth it.

Recently our Grade 2 class had this opportunity with Calgary Campus Chevron Open Minds at Stampede School!

We started our year with finding that one big idea for our year, engaging students in all areas of their learning. Our question for this year became “How can we create sustainable community by looking at the past”. In class students looked at this with Little Green Thumbs, Museum artifacts, communities across Canada, looking at the past and present. We questioned what worked, what we can learn from others, and what we can do to sustain our own community in the future.

Our week finally arrived and excitement soared! The buzz of the student’s energy was electric! Students were given the opportunity to meet real horses, learn from Blackfoot Blood Tribe Members, develop an understanding of the impact the Flood of 2013 had on our city and Stampede, and how they have come to improve its sustainability through this experience, and sustainability in our agriculture and farming industry through the Grain Academy and Aggie Days. Hands on learning all day long, an experience they will never forget!

We feel so lucky to have had this opportunity and are grateful to all who were involved in making this possible! THANK YOU!!!! 

Rachael Tipper and Jennifer Stuart teach as a team looping with their students from Grade 1 to Grade 2 every year at Evergreen School. They love delving into big ideas, as they believe small children are capable of big thinking!   

Today I had the experience of a lifetime. Teachers from various schools were invited to collaborate with other educators and key stakeholders about the physical wellbeing of our future generations’, with a specific focus on physical literacy and physical education.

It required a LOT of questioning, keen listening, critical thinking and creative problem solving. As a group we had the opportunity to address some of the major issues we see in schools today related to physical literacy and education.

Through hours of deep conversation and collaboration, we addressed some of our concerns and created plausible solutions for making recess a safer environment. As well as, consolidating the resources for physical education so that they are more accessible. We were able to begin creating plans of action that one could implement as soon as next school year. These plans not only address teacher concerns, but also various community members who wanted to help schools, but did not know where or how to reach out to them. Moving forward, follow-up sessions addressing some of these concerns within our communities will take place, making our schools safer, healthier places to learn and grow.

A huge thank you to our RBC Learn to Play Community Granting partner for providing the funding for this opportunity to bring together CBE Physical Literacy Champions together with our physical literacy community partners.



Michelle Schulz teaches grade 1 at a NE school in Calgary. She has a love and passion for hiking in the outdoors, traveling animals and art.

This year our Grade 5 Humanities students have taken up the question “What is the cost of convenience?” The resulting inquiry led us to wonder where our “stuff” comes from. After examining our possessions, we found that most of these things were imported into Canada. We wondered about the impact of these purchases and how we could consume more ethically. One of the solutions was the idea of buying locally and our “Live Local” project was born.

We started looking at our own community and found out that we really didn’t know of a lot of local businesses or what is available locally in Calgary. We enlisted the help of a few local business owners, and invited in guests from Leaf Ninjas, Slow Food Calgary, Calgary Farmer’s Market and a few parents in our school community who run small businesses to share their perspectives.

We discovered that City of Calgary is designing communities around the idea of living locally and we wanted kids to see that first hand. We took our classes on a trip to the East Village, where we met with local artist Daniel Kirk and heard about his work there, and then ventured to Inglewood, where we supported local businesses during our trip.

Our students reflected on the unique features of these communities and their commitment to living locally. Despite our habits, this trip opened all of our eyes to the fact that as consumers we always have a choice.


Megan Liddell and Lisa Taylor teach Grade 5 Humanities at Twelve Mile Coulee as a jobshare team. They are both working on completing their Master's and enjoy spending time at home with their young children.