Stand-Up Desks in Elementary Schools
Standing Desks for Kids in School
Last month I wrote a post entitled “Walk and Work” where I talked about the phenomenon that is getting a lot of PR these days: walking on a treadmill while you work.
It all started with research from Dr. Levine at the Mayo Clinic where he showed that the normal person can burn about 130 calories per hour by walking at an easy pace of 1-2 miles an hour.
At this pace you will not break into a sweat… but you will get in better shape.
Dr. Levine went on to develop the WalkStation with Steelcase and it is really cool. The only downside is that it costs $4500!
And at $59.95, the SurfShelf is a much easier solution… easier to get and easier on your wallet.
Today I want to talk about another cool idea that is being employed (and studied) in a few elementary schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“Stand-Up Desks”
That’s right; the kids are using desks that allow them to stand.
Elementary School Classroom with Standing Desks
I recently read an article on this in the NY Times, and that’s where I’m getting my info for this post. Along with the quotes below. And the pictures too.
Given the childhood obesity problem that our country is facing, and the decline in physical education and recess activities at our schools, this sounds like a great idea to me.
Here are a few excerpts from the NY Times article:
“The stand-up desks come with swinging footrests, and with adjustable stools allowing children to switch between sitting and standing as their moods dictate.”
“Researchers should soon know whether they can confirm those calorie-burning and scholastic benefits. Two studies under way at the University of Minnesota are using data collected from Ms. Brown’s classroom and others in Minnesota and Wisconsin that are using the new desks. The pupils being studied are monitored while using traditional desks as well, and the researchers are looking for differences in physical activity and academic achievement.”
“We just know movement is good for kids,” Ms. Bormann said [Marine Elementary principal]. “We can measure referrals to the office, sick days, whatever it might be. Teachers are seeing positive things.”
And the word seems to be spreading. According to the article, orders for the desks are now spreading across the country from North Carolina to California.
“Dr. James A. Levine, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, advocates what he calls “activity-permissive” classrooms, including stand-up desks.”
“Having many children sit in a classroom isn’t the craziest idea, but look at how children have changed,” Dr. Levine said of the sedentary lives of many. “We also have to change, to meet their needs.”
“We’re talking about furniture here,” [Pat Reisenger, director of the Education Minnesota Foundation] said, “plain old furniture. If it’s that simple, if it turns out to have the positive impacts everyone hopes for, wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?”
I know lots of adults who use stand-up workstations in their offices. It only makes sense that kids would benefit from them too.
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