The "chicken fat" song, a staple of gym class:
That was back when schools did things that promoted the development of students to do more than take a frigging test. There were gym classes, music classes, art classes, science classes and foreign language classes, all in elementary schools.
But as I said, they were trying to teach things back then. And, to some extent, the idea was to have physically fit and reasonably well educated young men for the next war.
Now, of course, childhood obesity is a problem (if it was a communicable disease, it'd be an epidemic), which is degrading national military readiness, and the big focus in schools for the past decade has been being able to pass frigging tests in the Every Child Dragged Down program.
Update: If you play the song and follow along, it's not a bad little workout.
Playing A Trick To Get Them A Treat
45 minutes ago
5 comments:
Thanks for the memories. My grade school classmates and I did the "Chicken Fat" workout many times.
Not only did it make the process interesting enough to keep the attention of third- and fourth-graders, but it also provided our teachers with a "teachable moment."
You will recall (of course you will) that Meredith Willson's "Music Man" came out in its film version after a successful run on Broadway. Willson wrote the "Chicken Fat" song, and it was performed by Robert Preston, the star of "Music Man," and other "Music Man" cast members.
Willson wrote it as a favor to President Kennedy, for use in his physical fitness program, and the record (one of those vinyl "45's") was distributed to just about every school in the country (but apparently without the baggage of today's "Common Core" scam).
We had this in eighth grade gym class.
It was always too fast for me.
And that was when I was young and flexible.
I remember doing this at home… every morning. Then in PE at school we did calastetntics (?) before getting to play basketball or anything else.
Can't sa as it was bad. (also walked 1 1/2 miles to/from school.
Bear
Bear, uphill both ways? :)
Comrade EB ....
Yes , in the snow and ate lard sandwiches for lunch !!
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