The Walking Classroom is used in thousands of classrooms and after-school programs across the country. Teachers and out-of-school time facilitators who incorporate the program into their instruction benefit from:
- The opportunity to simultaneously improve the health and build the knowledge base of their students
- Free online training
- Free supplemental resources including videos, slide decks, online and downloadable activities, and more.
- Access to The Walking Classroom Blog, which provides teachers a platform to participate in a virtual Professional Learning Community to share best practices
- Free professional development opportunities (by request)
- Some fresh air and exercise each time they walk!
If you are a classroom teacher in a public school, The Walking Classroom Institute may be able to provide you with a classroom set of donated materials at no cost to you.
Please note: Our program is best suited to upper elementary (grades 3-5) and middle school (grades 6-8) students. In fulfilling grant requests, we look for schools or sites serving those grade levels where there is the greatest need, socioeconomically and academically. As well, those schools who have not yet received granted sets take priority. This is a competitive process, and consideration is paid to those applications which are complete, filled in correctly, and include thoughtful responses to the open-ended questions.
How to Apply
To apply for a donated set of materials, teachers must fill out a brief application and also verify with school and/or district administrators that they will be able to comply with the following terms:
- Commitment to use the program as designed at least 2 times per week throughout entire school year (3 or more times a week is even better!)
- Prompt completion of online training
- Grant award publicity (social media, school website, local media, etc.)
- Prompt completion of all teacher and student surveys (3 total throughout the year )
- Handwritten thank you letters from students and teacher to benefactor
- Submission of digital photos of students using The Walking Classroom (appropriate photo releases are the responsibility of the teacher)
- Participation in The Walking Classroom blog several times throughout the year (posting comments and/or providing a guess blog post)
- Brief media event with benefactor at the school and/or press release announcing the gift (if requested by the donor)
- Distribution of supplementary take-home materials (if provided by the donor)