We had fantastic Week 1 of the WinterKids Winter Games! Our students jumped into every activity with excitement, curiosity, and a true Woodland Woodchuck spirit

This week’s focus on heart health gave students a meaningful way to connect movement, wellness, and learning. Each student received their own stopwatch and learned how to take their pulse, an engaging hands-on skill that helped them understand how their hearts respond to different types of activity. They tracked their heart rates while stretching, during movement breaks, and even during a calm listening activity with classical music. It was wonderful to see students making real-life connections about how exercise, rest, and mindfulness affect their bodies

Even though the weather didn’t cooperate for our Opening Ceremony, the rain couldn’t dampen our fun. We moved the celebration indoors for a look back at past WinterKids Winter Games videos. Then the whole school stretched together and played a school-wide game of Rock, Paper, Scissors that filled the gym with laughter and energy

Throughout the week, we embraced the outdoors whenever possible—from stretching outside to moving and grooving in the fresh Northern Maine air. One of the students’ favorite moments was searching for heart-shaped treasures outdoors—a perfect way to tie our heart-health theme into outdoor exploration
Overall, it was a wonderful week of learning, movement, and community. Our students shined, our staff jumped in with enthusiasm, and we were reminded how valuable it is to celebrate wellness together.