IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL WE GO!
School will be starting soon. It's time to buy your school supplies, plan your first-week outfits, figure out how you are going to finish your homework, and still have time for running and fitness, but mostly it's time to get psyched for school!
- Carol Goodrow |
FOR KIDS
 KidsRunning.Com has chosen a picture book as a read-to or read-by for kids who are anticipating (either with enthusiasm or trepidation) the starting of school.
It's Back to School We Go! First Day Stories From Around the World is written by Ellen Jackson and Illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis.
 Japanese student greeting her teacher. Olympians do well to understand customs of people from other lands.
Organized into 11 2-page spreads, the book tells of the first-day of school in eleven different countries. Narrated through elementary-school characters, the book describes customs and practices that will grab a child's interest. Topics include: breakfast, transportation, first-day customs and celebrations, subjects studied, special after-school activities, snacks and lunches, schoolhouse chores and responsibilities, sports, and homework.
WHY WE CHOSE THIS BOOK
- First, it is PACKED with information, so much information that children will want to read it over and over.
- Next, it's the perfect time. The summer Olympics have peaked kids' interest in other cultures. This book will kindle their curiosity in the spirit of learning more. Countries covered are: Kenya, Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Peru, Germany, India, Russia, and the United States.
- Finally, children will discover facts that surprise them and their discoveries will set a framework for looking at their first-days-of-school in new ways. Here are just a few:
Many children in Australia wear uniforms to school, including hats to protect from the strong sun. The uniforms look neat and comfortable. How would you design a school uniform for your school?
Japanese children come to school early to shovel the snow and do other chores. What chores would you enjoy doing at your school?
Peruvians may paddle a canoe to get to school. Think of 3 kinds of transportation that you could use to get to school.
German schoolchildren arrive at school on the first day with a schultute. This is a large paper cone filled with candy, school supplies, and presents. What would you want yours to be filled with?
We invited Ellen Jackson to give us some of her favorite healthy-kid tips to print on the Web site. Here they are. Try these out and if you do get to read Ellen Jackson's book, please let us know. You can visit her author Web site at ellenjackson.net.
 NUTRITION
Eat to Say Healthy
Do you want to be strong and healthy? If so, you need to eat well, get lots of exercise, and stay at a healthy weight. If you're healthy, you will feel good and be able to do all the things you want to do without getting tired. It's true that parents are mainly in charge of buying and serving food, but you can make healthy choices too. If you want to grow up to be a fit and happy adult, follow these 8 simple tips:
1. Find things you like to do outdoors. Take a hike in the woods, play with your dog, go skating with friends, or take a bike ride. Fresh air and sunshine are good for you. Scientists have recently discovered that children who spend lots of time outdoors have better eyesight than children who spend most of the day indoors. And sunshine helps your body make vitamin D, a substance that keeps your teeth and bones strong.
2. Apples and, oranges, bananas, and pears are great healthy snacks. Cottage cheese mixed with pineapple, or sliced strawberries and cantaloup is delicious and good for you. Try eating one of the following tasty, wonder foods every day:
Grapes
Blueberries
Carrots
Tomatoes
Beans
Nuts
3. Scientists have discovered that children who get the least amount of sleep are more likely to be overweight. So get at least eight hours of sleep every night.
4. Eat a good breakfast every morning. Oatmeal or muesli are healthy, filling foods that will get you off to a good start. If you're in a hurry to get to school, at least have a piece of fruit and a glass of milk.
5. Eat whole wheat bread, potatoes, pasta, lentils, brown rice, cous cous, quinoia and other whole grains to give you energy.
6. All vegetables are good for you, but green leafy vegetables are packed with healthy vitamins, minerals, calcium, and lots of Vitamin C. Some scientists believe that vegetables help prevent diseases such as cancer.
7. Avoid energy drinks. Most of them contain lots of sugar. If you need an energy boost, don't forget the best thirst-quencher of all: water.
8. Here's a healthy meal even a kid can make: Shred three or four lettuce leaves by tearing into small pieces. Add one chopped tomato and one chopped carrot. Open a can of tuna and drain. Add a few spoonfuls of mayonnaise to the tuna. Mix well. Add tuna to the lettuce, tomato, and carrot. Enjoy!
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR KIDS
Fitness Activities
1. Take a hike in the woods and look for signs of wildlife. Bring a magnifying glass to help you find feathers, webs, chewed up leaves, and bird droppings. How many different signs of life can you find?
2. Scatter ten pennies on the floor or rug. See how fast you can gather them up with your toes.
3. Have a friend hold a hula hoop about ten feet away. See if you can throw a frisbee through the hoop. If this is too easy, have the friend move back another ten feet and try again.
4. Have a friend create a rhythmic phrase by clapping her hands ten times--fast and slow, loud and soft. Now it's your turn. Can you repeat the same phrase?
5. Walk to a nearby tree, post, or door. Now your friend must also go to the door, tree, or post, but he or she cannot walk. Your friend must think of a new way of moving, such as running, twirling, crawling. Now it's your turn again. You have to do something brand new too, such as somersaulting or dancing. How long can you and your friend keep finding new ways to move?
ELLEN JACKSON
Award winning author, Ellen Jackson has written more than 60 books. Her most popular is Cinder Edna a book loved by children and adults alike. I read this book to my schoolchildren and they laughed at the humor throughout. The book is a natural for teaching the skills of comparing and contrasting, and if you've never read this modern-day tale, then the time is now. While it speaks to those of us who grew up in the 50s and lived on "tuna casserole", it is a GREEN book and very appropriate to issues of today.
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