The idea is simple: Students take brisk twenty-minute walks while listening to custom-written, kid-friendly content aligned with the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, with many topics on science and social studies included as well. While the program was designed to meet the requirements for fourth and fifth grades, the podcasts are appropriate for middle-schoolers and for younger students.

Each "WalkKit" audio device is preloaded with nearly one hundred educational podcasts that are ready to use right out of the box. Each time it's used, the program provides one third of kids' recommended daily activity, so using the program just two or three times per week adds forty minutes to an hour of physical activity. The program can be used for individual students as well as large and small groups. The included lesson plans help educators effectively discuss and review the podcast material.

In addition to the obvious health benefits of walking, there is much research confirming the link between exercise and cognitive function. After walking, students are in better moods, more focused, and more likely to engage in post-walk discussions. Educators regularly report that after implementing The Walking Classroom, students retain the information better, demonstrate better behavior and engagement, and perform better on standardized exams.

Best of all, kids love it. Find out more at www.thewalkingclassroom.org.