The events included hands-on interactive activities explaining body mechanics to third-grade students at the Alamance Community School in Haw River.
Students and faculty from Elon’s Exercise Science and Physical Therapy Education departments recently conducted hands-on interactive activities explaining body mechanics to third-grade students at the Alamance Community School in Haw River.
The activities were designed as part of the National Biomechanics Day celebration that aspires to introduce the science of biomechanics to K-12 students. The Performing Arts, Exercise Science and Physical Therapy Education departments at Elon have worked together and participated in National Biomechanics Day activities since its inception in 2016.
Raya Coley, second-year Elon DPT student talked about the importance of balance and how the human body responds when its balance is challenged. The Haw River students had fun while learning about concepts of static balance that involved standing on a single leg on a foam surface with eyes closed and dynamic balance while doing a tandem walk on a narrow beam.
![Raya Coley, 2nd year DPT student talking about balance (top picture); ACS students doing tandem walk and balancing on a single leg on a foam pad (bottom pictures)](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2024/08/20240829_185120-COLLAGE-730x730.jpg)
Lindsay Watkins, a first-year DPT student and Victoria Toal ’25, an undergraduate student majoring in psychology talked about the importance of proper body mechanics while jumping and landing with both feet and on one foot. The third-grade students had fun with some jumping competition measured using the Just Jump mat to see who could jump higher.
![Victoria Toal and Lindsay Watkins measuring how high ACS students jump using the Just Jump mat (top picture) and talking about the role of muscles in helping to jump in various sports (bottom picture)](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2024/08/20240829_185320-COLLAGE-730x972.jpg)
Stephanie Leathers, a first-year DPT student, talked about the role of physical therapists, the importance of bones and the proper way to carry backpacks. This session was adapted from the Bones and Backpack session founded by Professor of Physical Therapy Education Janet Cope. Leathers also talked about proper sitting posture.
![Stephanie Leathers talked about what Physical Therapists do (top picture) and the importance of bones (middle and bottom pictures)](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2024/08/20240829_185445-COLLAGE-730x1298.jpg)
Ian Rooney, a first-year DPT student, engaged the students in how to do push-ups and knee push-ups and the differences in swinging while properly using hands, legs and trunks.
![Ian Rooney discussing what it takes to swing effectively and about upper extremity muscles](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2024/08/20240829_185354-COLLAGE-730x548.jpg)
Associate Professor in Exercise Science Matt Wittstein introduced the field of biomechanics and showcased a video on the Biomechanics Lab at Elon along with applications of biomechanics in health sciences and sports fields.
![Matt Wittstein explaining what we do in the Biomechanics lab at Elon](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2024/08/PXL_20240828_140432350-730x548.jpg)
Professor in Physical Therapy Education Srikant Vallabhajosula coordinated the event with the third-grade teachers at the Alamance Community School in Haw River. This was the second time Elon personnel were invited to the elementary school to talk about human body and movement. The hands-on activities laid the foundation for the first-trimester project for the children.