The following Polk County Schools elementary educators were recently awarded Elementary Seeds for Education grants. They are listed along with their proposed grant projects.

Kathy Angier, Saluda Elementary – Wii Sport and Wii Fit physical education programs, Lori Dotson, Polk Central Elementary – outdoor weather station, Debra Fowler, Polk Central Elementary – field trip, Angela Hall, Sunny View Elementary – Snuggle Up With a Good Book Program, Susan Howell, Polk Central Elementary – citizenship and character building program, and Juliana Maziarka, Sunny View Elementary – resources for English language learners.

The Elementary Seeds for Education grant fund was established in August of 2009. The purpose of this fund is to provide resources or activities beyond normal classroom instruction that motivate and inspire students to learn. Grants are available for Polk County elementary school educators who wish to directly benefit one or more students by creating a unique learning experience.

According to PE teacher Kathy Angier, who applied for and received funding for the Wii system from the Seeds for Elementary Education fund at the Polk County Community Foundation, the Wii Fit Plus works very well with a small group or with one on one training. &bsp;

The Wii Fit Plus program gives our students fun opportunities to be physically active and improve their health while learning about taking care of themselves, she says.

We are using it with our EC kids who are all on different levels of ability in a very small class, she says. Other students will use the Wii Fit to give them a fun way of getting a little bit more exercise outside of PE class.

Angier says her students may use the system during recess on bad weather days when they cannot go outside or they will get to use it as a reward or to provide additional exercise for students with special health needs. Some of the activities can be done with the whole class following along as a teacher or leader does the activities in front of the class.

The Wii Fit Plus has activities for all fitness levels and areas of interest.&bsp; Yoga, strength training, aerobics, and balance games are all part of the program. The Wii Fit can check BMI, create a fitness profile, keep tabs on daily progress, and help students set fitness goals. &bsp;

Elementary Seeds for Education was inspired by Rick Howell, a Polk County educator, who had a dream of motivating teachers and students to go above and beyond in their pursuit of academic excellence and who focused on helping the individual student succeed.