We are partnering with CrossFit Kids to bring you information to help encourage and inspire your children to incorporate health and fitness into their every day lives and to improve their ability to learn. It's important for all online school students to spend some time every day moving, playing, and exercising - not only because in some states, it's required, but because the overall benefits to health and learning are immense!  

However, It is very important that you consult a doctor before you or your children begin any type of exercise. Always stop exercising immediately if you experience any shortness of breath, dizziness, or pain.

The posts provided by CrossFit Kids in this series are designed to explain the overall philosophy of CrossFit Kids, review some basic movements, and offer suggested workouts that can be incorporated at home. We will be reviewing different movements throughout the series and providing you with ideas to get your kids moving.  The workouts won't be anything you can't handle and you should, by all means, join in!

Remember, this should be fun!  Are you ready? 3, 2, 1...Go! 

Walk midway into a class at a registered CrossFit Kids program and you might discern the kind of energy that usually emanates from a playground during recess. There is joyful noise: laughter and thrilled shrieks and triumphant shouts. Kids are having a blast. And the trainers look like they might be having an even better time. A well-run program always looks like a boatload of easy fun. But all of that fun, as merrily hectic and aimless as it sometimes seems, is by design, purposeful. CrossFit Kids intends to teach children to associate exercise with fun, with the ultimate goal being that they will value the pursuit of fitness into adulthood.  It is the new school when it comes to physical education.

But when parents find themselves acting as their child's learning coache at home, that sense of easy fun can become decidedly uneasy. The urge to get their children to a registered CrossFit Kids program can become strong. But that is not necessary.

Spring offers so many opportunities for students to see science in action. The change in seasons affords the chance to understand the relationship between the time of year and the positions of the Earth, sun and moon. Longer days offer time to spend on fun, innovative, outdoor projects and activities that help kids make deeper connections to the world around them.

Spring offers an ideal opportunity to get kids excited about science. The planets are changing positions and stuff is growing out of the ground, serving as fodder for myriad educational conversations.

The beginning of spring is when many parents begin researching educational options for the next school year.  

Today's students look vastly different than they did years ago -- demographically and technology-wise. Their home-life differs, the way they learn differs and their access to technology is as varied as they are. All of those factors play a part in their ability to learn and thrive academically. It's no wonder that there has been increasing pressure to redefine current educational paradigms and an even greater demand for expanded educational options, like online schooling. 

Nationally, K¹² partners with schools in 28 states and the District of Columbia to offer flexible and individualized online school options that help children learn and progress.  Chief Academic Officer for K12 Inc., Dr. Margaret Jorgensen recently shared the Top 5 Ways to Know if Online School Is Right for You to help shed some light on ways online schooling can help children flourish academically. 

Many families find the flexibility online schooling offers and the individualized learning plans created for every student key contributors to a child's success. 

Special Workshop: Common Core Standards and K12 

There has been a ton of buzz in the news lately around Common Core Standards being implemented within our educational system.  This is a topic that will matter to you and your family.

Over the course of our childrens' education, there are certain concepts and learnings that they are expected to know. They call this “the core” and they are taught within curriculum categories: math, science, language arts, and social studies. One of the challenges currently is that the definition of "the core" differs from state to state. The Common Core State Standards are being introduced to address this challenge. 

According to CoreStandards.org, "the Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy."