CHICAGO — Imagine students learning their ABCs while dancing, or memorizing multiplication tables while doing jumping jacks?
Some schools are using both methods of instruction and Michelle Obama would like to see more of them use other creative ways to help students get the recommended hour of daily exercise.
In Chicago on Thursday, the first lady was announcing a new partnership to help schools do just that. It starts with a website, www.letsmoveschools.org, where school officials and others can sign up to get started.
Obama said too many penny-pinched schools have either cut spending on physical education or eliminated it outright to put the money toward classroom instruction. But the first lady, who starts most days with a workout, and other advocates of helping today’s largely sedentary kids move their bodies say that’s a false choice, since studies that show exercise helps youngsters focus and do well in school.
The effort is one of the newest parts of Mrs. Obama’s 3-year-old campaign against childhood obesity, known as “Let’s Move,” which she has spent the week promoting.
