| Today's youth
are staying home, more and more, playing video games or using the
computer. Needless to say, we need to do as much as possible to
keep kids moving rather than sitting. This is a complicated issue,
and parents aren't/can't do enough, indicated by the rapidly rising
obesity rates. Since kids certainly aren't going to give up the
use of technology, you'll need to find new and interesting ways
to keep kids interested in physical activity.
In this month's section I have listed some ideas that may be used
to help change the habits of your students. The internet can be
a great tool as long as it is used to create physical activity and
not take away from it. The sites I have recommended have many opportunities
for students to interact with a computer that involves physical
activity related solutions.
I hope that the section on creating your own website makes you
want to get started on your own. This is a great way to reach kids,
especially in today's technology based society. It's a way to change
the habits of children without trying to completely change what
they like to do. And remember, many physical educators already have
web sites you can visit and review. Click on the "links"
button in the menu bar and visit "K-12 School PE Web Sites."
Brenna Clark
pelinks4u editorial assistant
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| Holidays
now days always revolve around food. With the approach of Thanksgiving
and Christmas, this time of year is a excellent time to incorporate
nutrition education into your daily PE. You can use games to teach
students how to make healthy choices. Here are a few that can be
used, and perhaps precede with a short discussion on nutrition.
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Trying
to get kids more involved, and make parents more aware of your efforts?
Try creating a website that students can use to link what they do
in the gymnasium, with their lives outside of school. Use the site
to track progress of the class, or inform parents of what is being
done in class. Create fun activities or facts that make kids want
to use the site, and to get them more excited about PE. The site
can also be used to share your professional views and preferences
with your colleagues.
Here are a few outstanding examples.
Check out lots of other great PE websites from our K
- 12 Schools collection. |
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At the elementary level, when should sport skills start
to be introduced into the curriculum, rather then just playing
the games? Please post in the forum. |
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| With
the weather getting colder many kids are not getting outside as
much. Resources found online can be a great way to get kids active
while at home. There are many great websites that provide kids
with activities, and that also teach them about health and nutrition.
Here are a few sites that have lots of different movement promoting
activities. Hopefully some of these will be useful in motivating
kids to be health oriented.
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Kidnetic.com
is a web site that communicates healthy eating and active
living information in meaningful and relevant ways to kids
aged 9-12, and their families. This site seems like it would
be very appealing to kids, as it has a ton of fun ideas
that promote physical activity. |
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Bam!
Is a web site aimed at youth ages 9 - 13. It was created
to answer kids' questions on health issues, and recommend
ways to make their bodies and minds healthier, stronger,
and safer. BAM! also provides middle school health and science
teachers with interactive activities that are educational
and fun. This site also has great resources for kids that
want to learn about new sports, and a quiz that recommends
some sports that they may like to try. |
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Kids
Health helps parents, children, and professionals
find answers to commonly asked health questions. Topics include
the benefits of different types of vitamins, the food pyramid,
healthy children's recipes, how to read food labels, and keeping
fit. Children can also submit their own questions, and get
questions answered about health problems of grown ups and
themselves. There are also great physical activity ideas for
children and a calculator to find out their BMI. |
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| Obesity Connected with Sleep Loss? |
| More
and more research is confirming that not getting enough sleep is
contributing to childhood obesity. Studies are showing that even
2-3 nights of less than the recommended eight hours can have huge
effects on fat hormones. One study showed that a hormone to signal
hunger was fifteen percent higher in people who had not gotten enough
sleep. Lack of sleep has also been shown to disturb levels of insulin,
the stress hormone cortisol, and growth hormone, which could boost
the desire for fatty foods.
Research has also shown that the link
between sleep depravation and obesity is strong. There are numerous
reasons for kids to not get sufficient sleep, and parents need to
promote and enforce healthy sleep habits for children and adolescents.
Although insufficient sleep is not the only reason for obesity,
it's a major cause and needs to be taken seriously
Read Inadequate
sleep may be a factor in child obesity. |
Coming up with
new and motivating activities can sometimes be very difficult. PE
Central has a great program called Best Practice
ideas. It showcases some extraordinary events and/or programs (e.g.
Open House's, Interdisciplinary Units, Family Nights, Health Fairs,
etc.) which enhance the quality of physical education at their schools.
Here are some of the recent events and programs:
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Fast
Track to Fitness - a program that students can choose
to participate in which encourages doing several different
activities outside of school. The parents are asked to observe
their child doing the activity and sign a paper. As students
progress through activities, they are able to move a car along
a road the instructor has set up on the wall of the gym. The
goal of this is to encourage more participation by students,
and involve the parents. |
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Families
at Play - This programs goal was to incorporate more community
involvement and to get "Families To Play." The instructor
publicized the even well, to the students, prior to it. Students
learned a dance to be preformed for the parents. Inexpensive
equipment and sports related items were used in a raffle.
The event also allowed for a concession stand to raise money
for needed equipment. They had over 500 parents attend this
event. |
These are just a few of the new postings, but there are hundreds
of other great
ideas that can be used.
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| June Russell's Health Facts |
| General
Information about Insulin:
The Importance of Keeping Insulin Levels Low
Each time we eat, insulin is released
into the blood stream. This vital hormone, secreted by special cells
in the pancreas, encourages our tissues, particularly our muscles,
to gobble up the glucose surging through the bloodstream after a
meal. This is good because a high level of glucose in the blood
is dangerous stuff. It can stick to proteins and destroy their ability
to do their job. Blindness, kidney damage and circulatory disturbances
resulting in amputations may occur. Insulin has another vital role.
After a meal, it stops the liver from releasing any fat, a potential
metabolic fuel, into the blood. Why after a meal? Read more...
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GAMES
BANNED AT RECESS
Many schools are choosing not to allow
students to play certain games at recess. Elementary schools in
Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Spokane, Washington have banned tag at
recess this year. Another school in Charleston, South Carolina
won't allow soccer and touch football to be played. Many other
schools are following suit, or have already put in place similar
bans. These bans have started to promote safety of children, but
what are the negative effects going to be?
Some children's health experts say
that not allowing children to play freely is not only bad for
their health, but also can inhibit a child's development. Critics
say that when children have time to play freely they learn to
negotiate rules, resolve disputes better, and problem solve.
Some of these articles:
You're
Not It! Tag Out At Recess
'Not
it!' More schools ban games at recess
School
bans tag, other chase games
Elementary
Principal Bans Tag During Recess
Tag is as much a tradition at recess as the lunch lady is in the
cafeteria. But when youngsters at a suburban Boston school go
outside, they'll get in trouble if they try to play tag. Find
out more.
No
more tag games, no more running, no more time for recess funning
Some schools have banned tag games
because they "[progress]. . . into slapping and hitting and
pushing instead of just touching," and contact sports were
banned at other schools because children ". . .suffer broken
arms and dislocated fingers. . ." according to Bazar’s
article, and ". . . [run} into each other and [get] hurt.
. ."
Well, good grief.
Perhaps elementary schools should also ban swing sets, monkey
bars, and slides because children might hurt themselves. Let's
just go back to plain, grassy fields which will eventually turn
into mud, and instruct the children to stand in clusters of no
more than three children, and turn counter-clockwise every two
minutes in their three-person cluster, and we'll call that exercise
at recess.
Read the rest of this article
by Kathy English.
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| Sleep
deprivation triggers 'hunger hormones'
Chronic sleep deprivation may be part of America's obesity problem.
Lack of sleep has a bad effect on the "appetite control"
hormone leptin. Leptin is a widely studied hormone, thought to
be the secret to obesity. Produced by fat cells, our leptin levels
tell the brain when the body does or doesn't need more food. Find
out more.
Lack
of Sleep Affects Hormone Levels
This study was conducted on adults. One fact discovered was that
"as sleep quality and quantity declined levels of the adrenal
hormone cortisol
increased, while levels of Growth
Hormone (GH) declined." These same effects happen with
children.
Learn about cortisol
and the Growth
Hormone at Wikipedia, and relate what you learn to a child's
health and welfare.
From
the Journal of Applied Science - "Sleep loss:
a novel risk factor for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes."
Need subscription to access full article.
Sleep
loss is weight gain (Oct 19, 2006) - Young people staying
up late and sleeping less may be linked to rising levels of obesity,
according to a new review. The researchers said televisions,
computers, mobile phones and other gadgets should be
banned from children's bedrooms to enable them to get a good night's
sleep. Read more...
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| Germ
Fighters, formerly called "Flu Fighters," is a disease
prevention program aimed at reducing student absence due to illness
in elementary schools. This is a site
really worth checking out.
Be
a Germ Detective - Discover the secret hideouts of germs and
how they spread through this fun investigation activity. Teachers
and nurses, check out your page!
Also, how about this true/false
food poisoning quiz.
School
Administrators - Is teacher absenteeism keeping your budget
in the red? Refer to the SNAP
Toolkit for hands-on strategies that can help keep your students
and teachers healthy.
Healthy
Schools, Healthy People - Here's a SNAP
Resources Page where you can make your own resources to supplement,
support, and promote your handwashing program!
Glitter
Germs - (K - 2) Lesson to learn about germs and the importance
of washing hands. And, Handwashing
Lesson Plans (K-6). The lessons from Healthy
Hands look great also!
Tips
for Teaching Your Kids - 5 great tips for teaching your kids
about the need for handwashing. This site has a GREAT teacher
download page. Check it out!
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