Movement, Reading, and Football Fun: Cardinals Bring Milk and Cookies to Herrera

Herrera Elementary students enjoyed an unforgettable day when Arizona Cardinals players and cheerleaders  visited as part of the Milk and Cookies Reading Program. Herrera students got to meet Arizona Cardinals long-snapper Aaron Brewer (#46) and punter Blake Gilikin (#12)—as well as two Cardinals cheerleaders and Chris Powell from Move One Million.

Powell led the students through movement exercises designed to get everyone moving and feeling energized. He encouraged the students to make sure they had space to move before leading them through a series of movements aimed at improving physical and mental health. The students showcased their coordination and memory, repeating over a dozen movements.

After getting their hearts pumping, Powell asked them to listen to their heartbeat and breath, and taught them that when life gets stressful, they can control their mind by controlling their body, easing tension through breath.

The Cardinals cheerleaders took students on a journey through the 126-year history of the Arizona Cardinals. Did you know our local NFL team started in Chicago in 1898? (That’s almost as old as Phoenix Elementary School District #1, founded in 1871!)

Aaron Brewer read “Drum Dream Girl” by Margarita Engle, a story about a little girl who drummed in secret before proving that drums are for girls too! 

The energy ramped up as the students played a game of charades, acting out football-related words like “hike,” “punt,” and “huddle”, while the Cardinals players tried to guess. The highlight was undoubtedly “touchdown,” when students demonstrated their best endzone dances with enthusiasm.

The students then broke into small groups and visited several different stations filled with hands-on activities. They collected autographs from the players and cheerleaders, learned traditional dance moves from professional Folklorico dancers, and left their colorful marks on a six-foot canvas filled with their handprints. Games like giant Jenga, Connect Four, football toss, rope toss, and giant checkers kept everyone engaged and entertained, and of course, the students enjoyed milk and cookies. 

Thank you to the Arizona Cardinals and the Milk and Cookies Reading Program, presented by SRP and Albertsons-Safeway, for bringing the excitement of football and the joy of literacy to our school!