Hip-Hop Health DVD:Learning Concepts Through Physical Activity

Offering children sufficient physical activity time is a challenge for every educator. But with Hip-Hop Health: Learning Concepts Through Physical Activity, you can provide your students with physical activity and health concepts in ways that are fun and engaging!

The Hip-Hop Health DVD can be easily incorporated into a health unit. It offers six five-minute health raps that will get your students moving in the classroom or the gym. The format of the DVD allows you to use each segment of physical activity as a short activity break or all the segments together as a full 30-minute workout without the worry of instruction time or equipment. The incorporated health raps offer a fun, engaging way to teach children about muscles, bones, nutrition, flexibility, and stretching.

Co-created by educators Chris Wells and Kurtis Johnson, the DVD also offers instructions for teachers, tips on using the DVD, the lyrics to the raps, and suggestions for various uses of the DVD to help educators make the most of Hip-Hop Health. These great resources are available in PDF format and can be printed and shared with other educators.

Recent research indicates that physical activity not only benefits children’s health but also improves their ability to concentrate and enhances learning. Hip-Hop Health will help you get your students moving, having a great time, and learning lifelong health concepts with upbeat and contemporary rhythms and music.

Christopher Wells is a graduate of the College of New Jersey and holds a degree in health and physical education. Christopher was a standout high school basketball player; as a senior, he was selected to the McDonald’s All-American Team in 2000 and earned a full scholarship to play for a Division I basketball program.

Christopher has always loved working with children. In 2004 he was offered a position at Liberty Lake Day Camp as the athletic director. He created the first elective rap course and inspired the minds of young children through the exploration of writing music. In September 2005 Christopher obtained a teaching position at New Egypt Elementary School, where he educates children of various abilities. He also serves as the assistant basketball coach at New Egypt High School. He has a reputation for creative lesson plans, passionate instruction, and excellent classroom management skills. Christopher’s love for music also shows through his work as a disc jockey for the entertainment company Metrovibe. He is a member of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE).

Kurtis Johnson is a graduate of Rowan University. He worked in the education field for 12 years before becoming an event director at a day camp and weekend corporate picnic facility. He coached a high school boys’ varsity basketball team for 5 years. Kurtis has extensive experience working with children of all ages and backgrounds: special needs, Asperger’s, behavioral issues, the gifted and talented, as well as mainstream. He worked many of his summers at sleepaway camps and day camps heading up various divisions of camp life. Many of these experiences have prompted him to venture out on the entrepreneurial trail—opening up Successful Solutions, a tutoring company for children, as well as Metrovibe, a children’s entertainment company specializing in bar and bat mitzvahs, birthday parties, and special events. Through his hard work and dedication, he only wishes to inspire children to dream big and work hard to achieve those attainable dreams.