Tennessee Elementary Schools Celebrate 100 Million Minutes of Physical Activity

BlueCross, GoNoodle help over 269,000 students move, improve performance; families can sign up for free and keep moving at home all summer

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GoNoodle is available to every public elementary school in Tennessee thanks to a $3 million, statewide sponsorship from the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--()--Students in over 1,100 Tennessee elementary schools are celebrating the incredible milestone of 100 million minutes of physical activity documented with GoNoodle this school year.

GoNoodle is an online suite of interactive movement videos. It helps teachers motivate and engage students with 3-5 minute moderate to vigorous exercises they can perform next to their desks. GoNoodle is available for free to every Tennessee public elementary school classroom thanks to a 3-year, $3 million sponsorship from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation.

According to the CDC, only one-quarter of today’s youth meet the current recommendation of at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day. With childhood obesity a pressing issue across the United States, incorporating precious minutes of movement into kids’ days has become more important than ever. Together with BlueCross, GoNoodle is helping Tennessee students accumulate vital movement minutes with entertaining experiences that feature high-energy dance music, fitness routines, virtual field trips and physical challenges. Through increased movement in the classroom, these elementary students are not only improving their health but also boosting their cognitive processing, focus and academic performance.

Kids and parents are also increasingly using GoNoodle at home turning screen time into active time. Parents can sign up for a free account and log in from home – providing a new outlet for summer activity.

“We know moving more matters,” said Dawn Abel, director of community relations and foundations for BlueCross. “So we’re proud to sponsor GoNoodle and help kids channel their energy into learning.”

"Movement is critically important to the healthy development of kids and one of the best ways to help them focus, engage and retain what is being taught,” said Scott McQuigg, CEO and co-founder of GoNoodle. “Together with Blue Cross, GoNoodle is getting thousands of Tennessee students moving at school and home like never before.”

To use GoNoodle, teachers need to have a computer with an Internet connection and a shared screen such as a projector or interactive white board. Tennessee teachers in the sponsored schools have access to over 250 online movement videos, including exclusive GoNoodle PLUS videos that bring movement and core-subjects together to develop fluency in grade-specific math and ELA topics. These short movement videos incorporate kinesthetic and active learning principles by closely tying movement with core content. Both energizing and calming videos are available to help teachers channel kids’ energy for good while incorporating math, spelling and vocabulary.

Thanks to the sponsorship by BlueCross, teachers, kids and parents can access GoNoodle for free by visiting http://www.gonoodle.com.

About BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, Inc.

The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, Inc. was established in December, 2003 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation organized to promote the philanthropic mission of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. The foundation awards grants focused on high-impact initiatives across the state, which promote healthy lifestyle choices and help control health care costs for all Tennessee residents. Working with civic and economic partners, the foundation is dedicated to the support of research, innovative programs and creative approaches to improve the health and quality of life of Tennesseans for generations to come.

About GoNoodle

GoNoodle gets kids moving to be their smartest, strongest, bravest, silliest, bestest selves. Short, interactive movement videos make it awesomely simple and fun to incorporate movement into every part of the day with dancing, stretching, running and even mindfulness activities. At school, teachers use GoNoodle to keep students energized, engaged, and active inside the classroom. At home, GoNoodle turns screen time into active time, so families can have fun and get moving together. Currently, 10 million kids use GoNoodle each month, in all 50 states and 168 countries. Learn more at www.gonoodle.com.

Contacts

For BlueCross:
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
Gary Tanner, 423-535-8143
gary_tanner@bcbst.com
or
For GoNoodle:
Lexington Public Relations
Suki Mulberg Altamirano, 615-649-4000
suki@lexingtonpr.com

Release Summary

BlueCross, GoNoodle help over 269,000 students move, improve performance; families can sign up for free and keep moving at home all summer.

Contacts

For BlueCross:
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
Gary Tanner, 423-535-8143
gary_tanner@bcbst.com
or
For GoNoodle:
Lexington Public Relations
Suki Mulberg Altamirano, 615-649-4000
suki@lexingtonpr.com