New Berlin, NY – May 30th, 2013 – The Unadilla Valley Central School District presented a Family Fun Night with Math & Movement – a free event sponsored by Chobani to promote the health and learning of elementary school children throughout the district. Math and Movement is a ground-breaking new educational program that combines physical fitness with learning and practicing math, reading and other concepts.
During the Family Fun Night, parents and children jumped and danced across vibrantly colored Math and Movement floor mats. Unadilla Valley Honor Society high school students also helped younger students through the math activities. Eight out of ten children are kinesthetic learners (learn best through movement). The program harnesses children’s natural kinesthetic learning style to foster positive feelings towards learning. The Math and Movement program is based on research that shows that moving during learning facilitates muscle memory, an important factor with younger children whose abstract thinking skills are not fully developed.
The Family Fun Night was made possible through a generous donation from Chobani. Produced locally in New Berlin, Chobani provided free Greek yogurt and bottled water throughout the event. In addition, each child received a free workbook. Parents and community members received two e-books from the Math & Movement “Learn to Multiply” series.
Elementary School Principal, Christopher Harper thanked the founder of Math and Movement, Suzy Koontz, for generously giving her time to students. “Suzy, and all of the employees from Chobani, really showed their ‘putting student’s first’ philosophy which mirrors our philosophy at Unadilla Valley,” said Harper. The superintendent, Robert Mackey also thanked the volunteers and said he hopes the staff sees the value in this type of work with math skills for students and seeks to find ways to incorporate the activities in their centers next fall.