The Children’s Museum is leading the way as a vital community resource by showcasing local innovation, protecting the environment, celebrating imagination and bringing educational experiences to life through the power of collaboration. Kid’s in Motion: A Healthy Start is a new program based on all of these characteristics and is the first curriculum based program related directly to health and nutrition that has been held at the Waterloo Regional Children’s Museum.  This program will teach the children the importance of respecting their body by eating healthy and being physically fit, and will also help to create a community of healthy young adults whose habits can be passed on to future generations.

The Kids in Motion program runs during the school year for students in junior kindergarten to grade 3 and grade 5. Teachers and students get ‘in motion’ during the museum visit and continue to stay engaged back in the classroom.

With assistance from GoodLife Kids Foundation over 1,000 students will have the opportunity to be inspired to lead a healthy and active life.

For more information on Kids in Motion: A Healthy Start please visit www.thechildrensmuseum.ca.

How to Play:

• Place at least one lid around the gym as there are students (even a few more would be better).
• On each lid write an activity the students are to do when the music stops. (Examples are crunches, hopping or running on the spot, jumping jacks etc.)
• Flip the lids over so the activity cannot be seen.
• Start the music and have students run around the gym until the music stops.
• When the music stops students go to the closest lid and flip it over.
• Students do the activity on the lid they are closest to until the music starts again.
• Before leaving the activity make sure the players flip the lid back over so the other players can’t see the activity.
• Players can also run with a partner and do the activities together.
• Play for as long as desired.

On February 5, the grade 5 – 8 students of Hugh Cairns V.C. School in Saskatoon participated in a new adventure for the school.  It was a called In Motion Promotion Commotion.  The students were able to select two different activities to participate in with each activity lasting 50 minutes.  An assortment of facilities was used to provide a variety of activities to meet the different interests and abilities of the students. 

The students selected from wrestling, yoga, martial arts, spin class, tennis or a core body workout. Instructors who specialize in each of these activities were the leaders allowing the teachers to join a group and participate with the class. A 15-minute break, in between the sessions, allowed for a nutrition snack and time for the students to share their experiences of the session they just participated in.  Plans are already underway for our school to participate in a second IMPC event in late May. The planning committee would like to try some different facilities and activities, allowing the students to experience an even greater variety of physical activities.

The grade 6 class is also enjoying learning a new dance routine which is being choreographed by a dance instructor.  Their dance routine will be a part of their class assembly being held in late March. The students have been practicing twice a week for 4 weeks already and are close to finalizing their presentation.

 Last night I had dreams of competing in the Olympics at forty five, and not having time to prepare properly(presumably because I was raising two kids!).  I woke up feeling like I had messed up an opportunity all the while knowing I had made the right choices on spending my time working and with my kids rather than training.  I guess all of this build up for the Olympics is causing me some nostalgia.  

 It is hard to argue that my decision to not carry the flag in Barcelona was the right one.  I won the Bronze Medal by a smidgen, needing every ounce of energy I had.

 In 36hrs Clara Hughes will be carrying the flag for Canada into the Opening Ceremonies.  I can’t think of a better choice than Clara, a woman who has competed and won medals in Summer and Winter Games, an athlete who wrote JOY on her hand before winning her Gold Medal in Torino, a spokesperson and champion for kids through her work at Right to Play.  She is an exceptional athlete and a fine person and my kids and I will be cheering her and the entire team on as they walk into the stadium tomorrow full of dreams and determination.  Go Canada Go!

Silken

 Not surprisingly both my kids William and Kate are Olympics crazy.  When I confirmed that we had tickets to SnowBoard Cross my son literally screamed with joy. Kate knows the colours of the rings represent all the colours in the flags of the world, and they both have a strong sense of the history of the modern Olympic Games.

 But mostly, they love the athletes.  Kate can’t wait to see Jennifer Heil go for gold again in Freestyle Skiing.  William won’t be watching any hockey live, but he is passionate about the players and knows Canada is going to win Gold.  When the Games were awarded to Canada I was still carrying little Kate almost everywhere. On Friday they will descend upon Vancouver as Olympic fans, as kids who won the Olympic lottery and have tickets to multiple events including the Opening Cermonies.  Now, with their mom being a four-time Olympian, they are going to be dragged to media interviews, they have a whole day of siting in the Sport for Peace and Development conference I am speaking at with Right to Play, but even these experiences will be memorable and enriching.

 And I know, they already get it, they get how special it is that they can actually be there.  They get that watching an athlete compete is a moment in time that will never  be repeated, they get that a lifetime of hope and dreams fall upon one finite moment.  My kids are creating a poster to hold at events that says “We Believe—In You!!!”  We came up with it in the car yesterday when I talked to my kids about the pressure the athletes are facing right now, and how we all, in our own way, can encourage them. 

 I am profoundly grateful that my kids will have the experience of the Games in Canada in their lifetime.  I know it will open their eyes to possibility, not just of being athletes, but about having dreams and going for them with all you got. 

Siken

Nestled within the urban boundaries of Winnipeg, Fort Whyte’s 640 acres includes 5 lakes, forest, marsh, meadow and farmland along with 7 km of urban trail – offering countless ways for people to interact with and within nature. Fort Whyte Alive is dedicated to providing programming, natural settings and facilities for environmental education, outdoor recreation and social enterprise.

 Fort Whyte’s Winter Fun Days is a school program encouraging students and teachers to get outside and get active through outdoor activities such as snowshoeing, tobogganing, Inuit games, team building challenges, Voyageur games, and fire and shelter building – exposing students to the many possibilities that winter can hold. Winter Fun Days runs from January thru March 2010, and is designed to accommodate all abilities of students from Kindergarten to grade 12. 

 With assistance from GoodLife Kids Foundation, Fort Whyte Alive is inspiring Winnipeg youth to get outside and get active – no matter the season.

Prior to her retirement Carole initiated and implemented the KM Club using the motto “Move to Improve!” Students of all grades can join the KM Club and participate in a variety of activities twice a week for 30 minutes. The activities usually consist of walking, running or basic sports like basketball or skipping. Additionally the school provides students with the basic fundamentals regarding healthy eating by holding a monthly event called “Fruity Fundraiser.” This event focuses on raising money by selling a piece of fruit, which is donated by local grocery stores, for $1. All of the proceeds from this event go towards supporting organizations such as Pencils 4 Kids (supports educational initiatives in Libore, Niger, Africa) and the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (supports children living with cancer). Fruity Fundraiser not only provides students with a nutritious snack and knowledge for maintaining a healthy lifestyle; it teaches students how to be a positive contributor in their community.  Talk about moving to improve!

A child’s imagination can take them to the winter Olympics in sports such as curling, luge, and biathlons when they participate in Ski! Skate! Slide!: Celebrate Olympic Pride at London Regional Children’s Museum. This fully interactive exhibit and school education program runs from January to March 2010 and engages kids in training, eating right and trying out an Olympic sport. Ski! Skate! Slide! celebrates the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games and inspires participants to pursue healthy living.

As a fully interactive Winter Olympic exhibit there is a full range of activities for both students and teachers. The school education program component engages students before, during and after their museum visit; giving hands on experience of how their lifestyle decisions, through healthy diet and activity choices, can affect their overall physical well-being.

With assistance from Goodlife Kids Foundation, over 30,000 Ski! Skate! Slide! participants will be inspired to feel the benefits of an active life.

For more information on the Ski! Skate! Slide!: Celebrate Olympic Pride please visit www.londonchildrenmuseum.ca.

 I sometimes wonder if our kids get enough time to rest.  During the week there is such a pace to life, I wonder how many kids just have down time, away from electronics but not filled with anything else. Last night my kids pulled all the pillows off the couches in the house and set up what my twelve year old William described as an ‘agility test’.  With trepidation I glanced out the French doors of my office to see my son leaping off the kitchen stool landing on an ottoman ten feet away.  Whatever they were doing, it was extremely noisy and both kids ran into my office red faced and sweaty. My kids were resting.  Away from the rush of busy, they found a space to be creative, physical and playful. Rest doesn’t always mean moving.  Rest can be a place of creativity, reflection, playfulness and movement.  Sometimes the best rest is going outside and walking the dog, shooting some hoops, or chasing each other around the living room.

 Over the holidays I ‘rested’ by catching up with some yoga, taking long walks and playing on the ski hill.  I feel extremely energized by my time of play, ready to take on the challenges of piles of paper, deadlines and business travel once again. My kids are really good at telling me that they want more play time. Even if your kids can’t find the words, create some space for them to discover their own version of resting.  You may be surprised at what emerges.

 Silken