The seventh and eighth special guest experts participating in this book study are… Rich Rairigh and Lorie Barnes!
Richard Rairigh received his B.S. and M.S. from West Virginia University in Physical Education Teacher Education with a concentration in Motor Development & Motor Learning then pursued doctoral work at the University of South Carolina. Richard has taught elementary physical education in West Virginia, Maryland, and South Carolina before teaching at Meredith College in the Department of Health, Exercise, and Sports Science. Richard left Meredith College to pursue a position as the Director of Programs at Be Active North Carolina.
He currently serves as the Director of Be Active Kids, a signature program of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. Rich is co-chair of the Children and Nature Coalition, Founder of the Active Play Alliance, and North Shape NC Design and Implementation Team member. He has also served on the North Carolina IOM Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force, Kids Eat Smart Move More Advisory Committee, North Carolina Child Care Commission, Clayton Downtown Development Association, and more. Rich has co-written two resources on Sport Education, over 25 articles on physical education and active play, and provided over 150 presentations at the national and international level. Connect with Be Active Kids online at the Be Active Kids Facebook page, on Twitter @BeActiveKidsNC, on Pinterest, and YouTube.
Lorie C. Barnes received her Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and Family Relations with a minor in Dance Education from East Carolina University and began her career working with young children with special needs and their families for ten years. Upon receiving her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Intervention and Family Support from UNC-Chapel Hill, Lorie transitioned into adult education first as faculty at her alma mater, ECU then as faculty in the Department of Early Childhood Education at Wake Technical Community College for eleven years. Her areas of professional focus were early childhood brain development, active play, music & movement, and social-emotional development of young children. In 2008 Lorie joined Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh as Director of Education where she helped develop innovative hands-on, play-based museum exhibits that were enjoyed by over as many as 1200 children and grown-ups each day.
Since March 2010, Lorie has served as Executive Director of the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children (NCaeyc), where she delights in promoting excellence in early care and education! Connect with NCaeyc online at the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children Facebook page, on Twitter @NCaeyc, and Pinterest.
Rich will be providing commentary regarding chapters 10 and 14 while Lorie will be discussing chapters 15 and 16 of Rae Pica’s book What If Everybody Understood Child Development? on Oct. 12th.
*Just joining us and want to get started? You can find all the book study details HERE. Grab your copy of the book and join us for this epic online event beginning on Aug. 31st!
I myself believe children need to get plenty of physical activity. I have faught every year to get staff to take children outside twice a day when the weather permits. Children aren’t loosing physical activities because they don’t want to do it , they are loosing it because the adults don’t want to take them out. We as adults need to be physically active in order to encourage the children to be physically active. I have also tried to have them add an excercise time every morning to their daily schedule but teacher do not stick to it. Schools should not even be thinking once, let alone more than that about taking away recess. Our children need that outside time to relax. I believe physical activity outside with the open ability to run and play as they wish helps them grow and actually helps their want and concentration to do the other learning that we put on their agenda. Our physical and mental states coincide and need each other to succeed. I have a hard time with the mind is separate from the body, seriously who comes up with some of these things? Our bodies are a wonderful gift and taking care of them from head to toe so that the body and mind can work together as they were intended too. Life has been turned into such a rush rush routine I feel we have been taught that education is more important than growing and learning as we enjoy every day that we are given. I myself think their is a difference between “learning” and “education”. Learning is for the young prior to entering school then their learning should be what helps them with their education. Maybe that sounds odd but if you think about the statement in the right dimension I think you understand what I mean. We as childcare workers need to give towards everything to the children that they need in “all” of their development stages which includes physical. All of us can use physical movement , so we can help ourselves while we are instilling all the important things our children need to develop in a strong healthy lifestyle.