Recess with a goal: Activity, fun and relationships

Schools face many demands. Classroom time is precious and carefully protected by teachers and administration alike to focus on the common core. When working to address wellness needs that schools must also attend to, the idea of creating recess clubs has been a great solution. Utilizing undergraduate nursing students to provide health promotion blended with activity on a weekly basis gives the schools a means to address wellness in a different way, promotes safe, healthy activity at recess and allows nursing students to learn about and practice health promotion education. As a part of a unique joint public health/pediatric clinical experience funded by State Farm Insurance, America's Promise School Project undergraduate nursing students are able to develop relationships and interact freely with elementary school children in a format that does not conflict with classroom education and supports physical education goals and objectives. Nursing students learn to work with interdisciplinary staff and students to create and sustain this club. This presentation will address how and why the clubs were formed, the initial focus of the clubs and how that has evolved in to more focused and purposeful time promoting both activity and teaching elementary students about stress and stress reduction techniques. Challenges, changes and lessons learned will be discussed along with the benefits to undergraduate nursing education. This experience is cost effective as well as applicable to any school setting worldwide.