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Teachers collaborate to get kids energized for better remote learning

The art, music and physical education teachers are making video lessons together, to help elementary school students find the focus and energy to have fun learning.

WOODLAND, Wash. — Teachers are working at Columbia Elementary School, but of course the kids are learning from home. So, a trio of teachers in art, in music, and in physical education joined forces to amp kids up and give them a "brain break" from their core classes.

“We’re trying to get it as engaging as possible and fun and make the kids want to do it. We’ve had great feedback parents are happy that kids are wanting to participate," said P.E Teacher Cheryl Nesbit.

Nesbit has been teaching Physical Education in Woodland Public Schools for 27 years. She's doing things now she's never done before. Like singing in their recorded lessons.

In one video, Nesbit is with music teacher Miles Thoming-Gale, or Mr. TG, and you can see the P.E. part comes naturally in the singing and dancing. Kids at home learn the songs along with them, as they follow the same activity.

“We really wanted a lot of participation from students and the best way to go about it was just to be positive and put ourselves out there in a silly way and get kids to buy in with a cool video every week,” said Thoming-Gale

All three teachers have their spaces to create at school. It's a little lonely without kids in their classrooms. But their videos are reaching elementary students from all three schools in the Woodland District.

“Approximately 800 (students) I believe is what we’re all working with,” said art teacher Madison Fraser.

Fraser said the collaboration with her colleagues helps young students focus on things, like learning to draw.

“Those little ones have really short attention spans and so if you kind of bounce between body movement and songs it helps break up the lessons, so it’s not just sitting and listening the whole time,” said Fraser.

That's especially important when kids aren't able to unwind on the playground. Unwinding in class as they learn maybe the next best thing.

“They see all our faces, there’s a little bit of P.E. in music and there’s a little bit of music in P.E., there’s art in everything,” said Nesbit.

Including the art of teaching young kids, during difficult times.

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