Students Walking for a Cause
The weather in Michigan this past week has been a bit gloomy, especially on Wednesday and Thursday. After being stuck inside with twenty fourth graders all day on Wednesday, Thursday we needed to get outside, even if that meant taking on the misting rain that was occurring.
We decided to go on a short walk since we had just finished up indoor recess. I wanted to
introduce my students to the app on my iPhone called Charity Miles, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Charity Miles allows users to choose a charity before beginning an activity such as walking or running. It uses GPS to track the distance of the activity. Before beginning an activity, the user can choose a Charity Partner, such as Stand Up To Cancer or Feeding America. Charity Miles has thirty-seven different charities that users can choose from. Depending on the distance of the activity, money is donated to the charity chosen by certain sponsors.
I randomly chose a student to pick the charity we would be walking for on Thursday. The student in my classroom chose to support the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelties to Animals (ASPCA). I selected "Outdoor Walk" as our activity and before long we were on our way outside. As a class, we walked two times around our outdoor track, accumulating .58 miles. Friday, my students asked if we could go on another Charity Miles walk. It didn't take much to convince me. This time, we set a goal to walk at least 1 mile. The charity that was chosen on Friday was Stand Up to Cancer.
My students have really enjoyed walking for a cause. Not only does it get my students active, but it also gives back to those in need. With only two days of using the app, my students have mentioned Charity Miles during other learning activities in the classroom. In social studies, we are learning about the common good, and one student mentioned that by using the Charity Miles app, we are doing good for others.
I plan to continue to use the Charity Miles app at least a few times during the school week. While I know it is not realistic to use this app everyday, we will trade some recess time for walking time so that we can support charities as a classroom community.
