Great article from AuPair.org. Read it…
American kids are taught to clean their plates. “There are children starving in Africa”, is the mantra they hear repeated throughout their young lives. So, one may wonder, how does stuffing my face here in Peoria help end world hunger? The truth is, it’s time to put that idea to bed, and we’ll give you ten reasons why. Here then, are 10 reasons to abolish the Clean Plate Club:
Bikes, Balls In Class, How Phys Ed Transformed One School
Sound body, sound mind has long been the accepted wisdom.
But schools have traditionally promoted brains and brawn separately.
Not so at Naperville Central High School west of Chicago. Here the kids who struggle with math and reading go to gym class first.
“What we’re trying to do here is jump start their brain,” says Paul Zientarski, chairman of the Physical Education Department at Naperville.
So the very first class of the day is physical education.
And at Naperville, exercise isn’t confined to the gym. There are bikes and balls right in the classroom. Even in reading class, these kids are constantly on the move. READ MORE
Think FUN and YUM ME! for the holidays! Check out this funy video from Element Bars. Share and save 15%!
]]>At Element Bars the healthy and “yummy” snack solution is easy and FUN! You can have fun building your own snack bar. All the ingredients are healthy options and many are offered as organic. You can even add boosts for things such as immunity, bone health, heart health and more.
How cool is this…As you add ingredients, the nutrion label automatically updates so you know immediately what the health benfits are of the bar you’re creating. The site will even coach you on ingredients that “fit” together; this way you don’t design a bar that you’re not going to like. The ingredients and boosts are labelled with their particular health benefit (heart health, brain function, etc…). If you want a bit of help from a nutritionist, that’s available too!
If you don’t want to create your own bar, you can choose from the prepared recipes, all healthy and delicious. You can even choose the recipe designed by Get Kids Moving for the YUM ME! bar!
This is an awesome idea, a fun site and a great snacking solution for the health conscious! Build your own custom energy bar today.
]]>If you are new to winter sports, snowshoe and cross country are easy to learn and fun for all ages making them perfect for families and groups and they are a great way to get some exercise. We’ll have the experts and the equipment on hand to help you get started, all you have to do is show up ready to have fun.
Discover your new winter passion!
Winter Trails Day involves almost 100 resorts and Nordic Centers nationwide, and gets 11,000 kids and adults on the snow each year. Please visit our Find A Site page to search for a site near you.
]]>Often times I will just let me kids play, play, play and have “snacks” out for them at their ready. I know they’ll eventually find their way in and am happy that they will find something yummy and healthful on the table. I have found that if I ask what they want, I don’t always get a response requesting a healthy item. So, instead of asking…I have just started placing things out, and guess what…it all gets eaten!!
For some awesome and light summer snacks to help keep things cool while also keeping everyone healthy, visit GKM’s page listing a multitude of yummy, Summer Snacks! You can either follow the link directly to our Summer Snacks page or browse all of our Recipes (even some comfort food can be adjusted for summer lovin’)!
Happy and Healthy Summer Eats to All!!
]]>Penny Walk (all ages)
*assign “left” or “right” to the “head” and “tail” of a penny
*at each corner/intersection flip the penny
*go in the direction indicated by how the penny lands (ie turn left for tails or right for heads)
Nature Walk
*fill a bag or backpack with any of the following
-notepad and pencil/crayon
-binoculars
-magnifying glass
-ruler
-bug container/small paper bag
-healthy snack and bottled water
*look for things to measure (new flowers, tree stumps, rocks…)
*look for things to magnify (buds on trees/flowers, bugs, soil…)
*look for birds and listen to their different songs
*draw a picture of something you see while having your healthy snack
*collect bugs or other fun things in your container
Urban Walk
*look for word families
-action words
-words that begin with a certain letter
-rhyming words
-words from your spelling list
-etc
*look for individual letters
*look for certain numbers
-your age
-your birth date
-odd or even numbers
*look for symbols or shapes
-arrows
-hand/walking man (in crosswalk)
-octagon, triangle, rectangle, circle…
Walks that get the job done:
*walk to school (if you really live too far, drive part way and walk the rest of the way)
*any errands that can be accomplished by walking should be (take a wagon along to carry back groceries or whatnot)
On Any Walk:
*measure a distance in jumps or hops
*skip or gallop
*sprint
*walk slowly then quickly
*jump over sidewalk lines
*balance along a crack in the sidewalk
*look at house numbers compare the digits (which is the lowest/highest amount; odd/even numbers; sum of the numbers…)
Walking Related Crafts:
Make a Map of the walk you took
*include two or three landmarks that you saw
*take that same walk again following your map
Make a bug container
*just about any disposable plastic (margarine) or cardboard (bread crumbs, rolled oats) container could be recycled as such
*be sure to create air holes or cut a “window” in the container and slip it into a stocking (no need for a lid here; just secure the stocking at the top)
Dr. James Levine calls his ideas The Cleveland Project, and they add up to an ambitious and far-reaching public health plan, the likes of which Northeast Ohio probably has never seen.
The project revolves around a simple question with potentially huge implications: “If you bring health to a city, does [the city’s] viability improve?” asked Levine, a former Mayo Clinic doctor who’ll begin Nov. 1 as chief of endocrinology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University
]]>Updated Information from the AHA
Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. With good reason, childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking.
Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects: Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. READ MORE…
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The results are in! As many of you may know, the annual Family Dance-off held by Primrose Schools, came to an end a couple of weeks ago. After all of the votes were in, and the judges deliberated, one family was awarded the grand prize. The Gumz family of Lakewood Colorado was awarded a cash prize of $5,000 and an additional $30,000 was donated to their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital (CMNH).
The Gumz family was inspired to participate in the dancing contest by their son, Aiden. Not only did they have hand-sewn costumes, but they also wrote their very own song for Aiden to sing. The family dressed as royal frogs and danced and sang their way to stardom. Mrs. Gumz, explained “My husband was unsure about dressing up as a frog, but was willing to help for a good cause,” which is exactly what it is, a good cause. Primrose wanted to emphasize the importance of physical activity and the awareness of childhood obesity with the event.
The contest was a huge success this year with 185 families submitting 30-second videos and more than 294,000 votes cast worldwide. Primrose was so thrilled they decided to award two families with honorable mention prizes in addition to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. With a cash prize of $3,000 and a $20,000 donation to their local CMNH second place went to the Toregano family of Smyrna, Georgia. Third place went to the Phayre family of Bradenton, Florida who won $1,500 in cash and a donation of $15,000 to their Children’s Hospital as well. The two families that won honorable mention awards each received a $200 American Express gift card and a $3,000 donation to their local children’s hospital.
Intended to increase awareness of childhood obesity and create a positive, fun way to be physically active, the dance contest is an easy way for families to teach their kids about living a healthy lifestyle during childhood. The Family Dance-off will continue next year at the same time, we hope to see your family dance! To see the winning videos or to read the complete press release…please visit the Family Dance-Off website.