Ascend the throne HPE! You can no longer be ignored. There isn't a curriculum that is more important right now. Of course, all subjects are important, but in the present moment, HPE is on top.
Strand A: Social-emotional learning skills:
'' This strand focuses on the development of students’ social-emotional learning skills to foster their overall health
and well-being, positive mental health, and ability to learn, build resilience, and thrive.'' (p. 184)
This is the obvious one. Without a doubt, families are thinking of their overall health & well-being, positive mental health, and ability to learn*, build resilience, and thrive.
*Some families have started this process and others haven't. Parents know what's best for their children. This can be a very traumatic experience for families and homeschooling might not be the #1 priority.*
Here are the SEL skills:
Identification and management of emotions - PE teachers have been teaching students how to understand & express their feelings and also respond to the feelings of others. I think it's fair to say that we will experience a variety of emotions and it's very important to accept and manage these.
Stress management and coping - This one is so important right now. This skill is all about recognizing the sources of stress and coping with the challenges.
Positive motivation and perseverance - Right now, developing a positive habit of mind is crucial to promote a sense of hope.
Healthy relationships - This skill allows students to build relationships, develop empathy, and communicate effectively. We've been told to practice social-distancing. This skill will be extremely important for families because they will be spending lots of time together.
Self-awareness and sense of identity - When developing self-awareness and self-confidence you'll be in a better position to set boundaries and limits. This is extremely important right now while some of us are self-isolating and all of us are practicing social-distancing.
Critical and creative thinking - From what I've seen on Facebook and Twitter, parents are very creative right now in keeping their children busy and happy. 👍👌😎✌Next time you see one of these posts, notice what the children are doing; it's all about physical education or arts!
Strand B: Active Living
On my daily walks (always keeping my distance), I've noticed many families are participating actively in a wide variety of physical activities such as walking, jogging, rollerblading, playing catch, and etc. They are definitely incorporating physical activity into their daily lives. Most of them are also demonstrating responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others by practicing social distancing (keeping themselves 2-m apart).
Active participation, physical fitness, and safety are the specific expectations of this strand. As a society, we can't ignore these right now. Most families are thinking of ways to keep their kids active and safe. If we did our jobs, the children should be able to also make suggestions for activities they can do.
Strand C: Movement Competence
Movement competency is important for the following reasons:
- A competent mover will most likely have fewer injuries. Families want to avoid going to the hospital right now.
- A competent mover will try as many activities as possible. That will free up some time for the parents! Parents have a lot on their plates right now (keeping kids busy, working from home, and etc.).
Strand D: Healthy Living
In my opinion, this is the most important of the strands. I will break this one down per topic/grade. I will make links with the healthy living skills required to navigate these unprecedented times.
Healthy eating:
Grade 1: Food for healthy bodies and minds, Canada's Food Guide, and Hunger and thirst cues
--> If your children are like mine, they are definitely making eating a lot more than usual (or maybe mine are just in a growth spurt).
Grade 2: Healthy eating patterns and food choices
Grade 4: Personal eating habits
Grade 6: Benefits of healthy eating / active living
Personal safety and injury prevention:
Grade 1: Safe practices, caring and exploitative behaviours and feelings, and potential risks at home, in the community, outdoors (Hello!)
Grade 2: Personal safety - home, online, and outdoors
Grade 4: Safe use of technology (so important right now!)
Grade 5: Strategies - threats to personal safety
Grade 6: Responsibilities, risks - care for self and others, safety practices
Substance use, addictions, and related behaviours:
Grade 1: Unhealthy habits, healthy alternatives
--> Excessive screentime might be on the rise.
Grade 2: Prescription and non-prescription medicines, and medication/healthy alternatives
--> Getting more sleep to help get rid of a cold and plenty of other examples are given to students.
Human development and sexual health:
Grade 1: Hygienic procedures
--> Children learn how to properly wash their hands in grade 1. What is the #1 health recommendation right now? Exactly!
Grade 3: Healthy relationships, bullying, and consent
--> Unfortunately, screen time will go up and that means there might be more cases of cyberbullying. In grade 3, students learn how to deal with bullying.
Mental health literacy:
Grade 1: Mental health and overall health and thoughts, emotions, and actions
--> Students learn how to take care of their body AND mind.
Grade 2: Body and brain - responses and feelings and knowing when to seek help
Grade 3: Brain stress response system and external factors that contribute to stressful feelings
Grade 4: Healthy choices to support mental health and stress management (cognitive and behavioural)
Grade 5: How to help others, when to seek help
Grade 6: Seeking help - professional helpers and connecting thoughts, emotions and actions
If you've made it this far: THANK YOU FOR READING!
