A fitness funhouse at Forest Lake
The gymnasium at Forest Lake Elementary School had a different look to it during the last two weeks of October. In the spirit of Halloween, half of the space was turned into a Halloween Fitness Funhouse, with a variety of activities that were appropriate for the season.
The is was the second year the “spooky gym” was created at Forest Lake, but it has been a tradition for more than a decade at Wantagh Elementary School. Anthony Ciuffo, principal of Forest Lake, formerly taught phys. ed. at Wantagh and noted how successful the event was there.
“It’s a hit with the kids,” he said. “It’s a hit with the parents. It’s another way for us to make school fun and educational.”
David Sposito, the phys. ed. teacher at Forest Lake, supervised the students as they rotated through 14 stations. Halloween-themed activities including miniature golf, bowling, soccer, cup stacking and a puzzle. Children could lay on a scooter and roll through the Tunnel of Terror, or throw balls at a projection on the wall and try to hit ghosts, zombies and bats. Sposito even added the principal’s head to one of the bats.
That is the favorite activity of third-grader Brighid Smith. “You get to practice throwing,” she said. “I play lots of sports where I have to throw.”
Sposito said that the funhouse incorporates a variety of skills that students learn in phys. ed. “The goal is to keep them moving and active the whole time,” he said.
It was created for children from kindergarten through fifth grade to enjoy, and each class visited four times during the last two weeks of October. In third grade and up, students kept score at each station as a way of practicing their math skills.
Ciuffo thanked Sposito for his hard work to create the funhouse, and said the teacher makes the class about so much more than just playing sports. “It makes them really love and enjoy coming to phys. ed.,” he said.
Sposito said none of it would be possible without the PTA. Many parents help decorate the gym for the program, a process that is done in a day.
The children certainly appreciate the effort. Sposito said it is an activity they look forward to every year. Third-grader Jason Vega is one of them, noting that the funhouse only happens once a year so it is extra special. “The tunnel of terror is really fun,” he said, adding that it is also a little scary.
“The big suggestion is to make it a little scarier,” added Sposito. “We have kindergartners who come here so we can’t make it too scary.”
Smith said that the funhouse is a great way to stay in shape. “We get to have fun and exercise,” she said. “I like to stay healthy.”
