And with that...

...The semester is coming to a close. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing in this blog for my last English paper this semester! And I really hope that y'all have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it! I think we all have an appreciation for trying to solve a problem in our society, and for those that are passionate about preventing childhood obesity, I really hope that I was able to assist you in your journey to improve our society. It's been great, but now it's time for me to take my finals and start packing to head home! I may continue this blog later on next semester, we'll see how things go. But for now, I've got a Biology study group to catch. Later guys, have a great summer!!!!!!!!


Kain Weaver

A New Balance Promo

This was an advertisement I saw at New Balance, a sports type store, that helps raise awareness of childhood obesity. Check it out...

I think it's fair to say that New Balance had a really good, POSITIVE, advertisement in comparison to the other advertisements that I have shown you guys. Since my blog is coming to an end, I feel that this is a number one tip I can pass on to everyone. Stay positive. If you are trying to change something in our society that's a problem, negativity won't get you anywhere. By putting out positive advertisements like this, you are likely to get a better response from your audience.

A cool picture...

This picture is spoofing the "Evolution" picture that we all know of. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just google it and you'll see how it's making fun of it. However, according to the increasing rates of childhood obesity, this picture is sadly becoming more and more true each day. It's our time to stop it!

A note to some teachers...

I came across a really cool website that gave some pretty cool and simple solutions for teachers to help out in childhood obesity prevention in the classroom! Here are some simple steps that our teachers can take in elementary schools:

1) Make sure you have some sort of movement in your classroom activities every now and then.
2)Don't reward the children with junk food, and don't punish them by taking away their recess!
3)Have a healthcare worker come in and educate your students on what it means to be healthy! (Kind of like they do when the dentist comes in and talks about brushing your teeth!)
4) If the cafeteria is having a hard time coming up with healthy meal choices, have the students enter a contest suggesting healthy meals that they would like to eat. this also gives the school a general feel as to what the kids will like the best!

I just thought that those were interesting, because those are free (for the most part) ways of helping prevent childhood obesity in the classroom!

This school is giving it a shot...

8 states in the United States require that a "Childhood Obesity Report Card" be sent home with their child every few months. Check out this video! This is yet another thing that the government can do to help prevent childhood obesity!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXvDI3Lh9xQ&feature=related

I could only give the hyperlink because it is youtube property of CBS News, so follow the link and go check it out!

P.E. - my favorite school subject!

I don't know about you guys, but P.E. had to be my favorite part of elementary school and middle school. It was a chance for me to use up all that bundled up energy that I had as a kid. However, kids nowadays aren't so excited about P.E. anymore. Why you may ask? Because kids have moved on to spend time on more lazy activities, such as watching tv, using the computer, and playing video games. This could be all the way up to 6 hours a day!!* The school systems are also losing appropriate funding to invest in P.E. programs, which makes the lazy activities for kids grow even more in our society! In order to help prevent childhood obesity, the government needs to provide sufficient funds for the school systems so they can have adequate Physical education programs. The new programs that should be instilled in the schools should combine fitness, counseling, dieting, and nutrition awareness for children, so that the kids get a broad spectrum of what it means to be healthy, aside just from being active and playing games!* If the government can provide the loans for the school systems to partake in these physical education programs, that will also help mold the school systems into being a more healthy environment for our children to grow up in. Surely, this will help bring down some of the childhood obesity.

Green, Gregory and Reese, Shirley A. “Childhood Obesity: A Growing Phenomenon For          Physical Educators.” Education. Volume 124. Issue 1. 2004: pp. 121-124. Galileo. Web.   4 March 2010.

School snacks anyone?

Ok, so I just wanted to say that I have a Biology Lab Practical coming up this Wednesday, so if I have a small absence, that is why! I have been living in the library for that thing. haha But anyways, today I want to talk about school snacks and how they can be improved to help reduce childhood obesity. In a recent interview on Fox News, Michell Obama stated that the U.S. children snack 3 times a day on top of their normal 3 meals a day! She goes on to say "From fast food to vending machines packed with chips and candy, to a la carte lines, we tempt our kids with all kinds of unhealthy choices everyday."* If the government and school systems would really zone in on it, they would be putting in snack machines with healthier choices! Example, what if our snack machines at schools had apple dippers or fresh carrots? Sure, it may not be the most popular pick, but if the kids are actually hungry and not what we now refer to as "bored-hungry," then they should be fine in eating snacks that are healthier for them.* By changing the snack machines, it can be just one more step our school systems take to becoming a more healthier environment for our children in the U.S.!

Fox News Channel. "Snack Means U.S. Kids Moving Towards Constant Eating." 2 March 2010. 6 March 2010 .