NATCHEZ &045;&045; Arms were swinging, legs were jumping and hearts were beating at West Primary School Wednesday morning.

The entire school took a break from class to participate in nationally sponsored ACES Day, All Children Exercise Simultaneously.

The event, which originated in Pennsylvania in 1995, was created to encourage children to stay active, physical education teacher Charm Powell said.

The children did a variety of movements to music in the front parking lot of West for about 40 minutes. &uot;This is always a big highlight of every year,&uot; Powell said. &uot;The teachers and staff get so involved.&uot;

Powell said the children frequently do exercise to music in PE class as a form of kiddy aerobics.

Kindergartner Jasmin Gregory, 6, said she knew it was important to exercise.

&uot;So you can get healthy and make your heart beat,&uot; she said.

Glynallen Harris, 6, said even though he doesn’t do a lot of exercising at home his favorite exercise was jumping jacks.

&uot;You’ll be in shape when you have to do something,&uot; he said.

Powell said the children frequently exercise in PE class and are encouraged to continue be active outside of school.

First-grader Victoria Lee, 7, said she does jumping jacks and rides her bike at home to stay in shape. &uot;You need to have a lot of energy to do stuff,&uot; she said.

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, the children danced to several Latin tunes, including the Macarena.

Gregory said her favorite part about the day was waving her hands to the music.

Powell directed the activities from the back of a truck using a speaker system. She explained to the children that the exercise they were doing would make their hearts pump faster.

Kyla Shelby, 7, was paying attention.

&uot;You exercise so your heart can be beating fast,&uot; she said, even though she wasn’t sure why her heart should beat fast.