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economist sunsuntribune education saturday oct 15 2005 3 by caroline grech staff writer york region schools are telling their students to sweat a little bit more a little more often a recent initiative by the province aims to have children get fit by adding 20 minutes to their daily exercise routine prompted by an ontario med ical association report earlier this month showing child obesity rates have almost doubled between 1981 and 1996 exercise routines are becoming the norm in the schools the report showed the obesity rate for boys between two and 16 has increased from 15 to 29 per cent obesity rates for girls of the same age group rose from 15 to 24 per cent while some york region schools have already injected everything from jumping jacks to chair aero bics into their daily routines all schools in ontario are expected to join in by the end of the school year according to education min istry standards students should be getting 150 minutes of vigorous exercise a week which includes re w classes while many are lauding the merits of getting students moving to a healthier lifestyle gym class can be an uncomfortable place for students who arent athletic curriculum changes made in 1988 take the focus away from ath letic ability making gym class inclusive for everyone said heather sears the public boards curriculum consultant we want to ensure they have fun they dont necessarily have to be on the basketball team to be fit ms sears said creating games that are more cooperative than competitive helps foster inclusiveness julie anderson a grade 6 teacher at michael cranny elementary school in maple said marks are based on their par ticipation not on ones athletic ability or skills ms anderson said the maple elementary school has been using this approach for three years and there has been a noticeable impact on students ms anderson said helping children become healthier starts at home while schools are stepping up exercise rou tines in an effort to curb climbing obesity rates parents have a large role in ensuring children are healthier 1 set a good example if you arent active why should your kids be 2 instead of taking the car to the store walk or ride bikes with your kids 3 instead of having the weekly family out ing to the movies go to the park instead 4 have birthday parties at parks water parks the discovery zone skating rinks and other places where your kids can run jump and play 5 do things with your kids that are fun for both of you go swimming hiking ride bikes jump rope tag kickball catch etc its uecome pan 01 what they know and because they enjoy it they will incorporate it into their daily lives ms anderson explained adding without the fitness breaks children are noticeably more lethargic exercise to music has become a part of the daily routine following the morning announcements and at the end of the day at wj watson public school in keswick our school is unique in that we are doing something over the announcements in the morning teacher janis waters said fitness ambassadors go into each classroom to guide exercise to keep things interesting songs are changed to keep students from being bored popular selections include eye of the tiger and i would walk 500 miles other schools also work music into their exercise routines we would just follow the leader and do the exercise its fun paul moroz a grade 7 student at wind ham ridge public school in oak ridges said other students welcome the chance to be more active at school it is a good idea because it gives us a chance to get more phys ically active and its fun grade 6 charles gamier student joey marando added while the richmond hill 1 1 yearold is already active recently completing his first fivekilometre race and playing soccer and hock ey he still thinks the extra exercise in class is a good thing sometimes in class youre sit- tingdown for so long and it gets distracting but if you get a break it helps joey said he credits his parents for setting a good example joeys mother darlene marando is an avid runner physical activity has always been a part of the rou tine for her entire family and source preventdiseasecom regardless of the season she tries to incorporate sports into both her sons lives mrs marando said grade 3 oak ridges public school student liana moroz has already experienced playing a game in the middle of regular classes and sees the benefits its fun and it gives you exercise and helps you concentrate better sometimes liana said school activities are also the norm in the moroz family sometimes after school me my mom and my brother will go for walks ms moroz said while much of the focus has been onincreasing activity at school critics have charged school can only do so much in helping children lead healthier lives its a shared responsibility for all of us parents the health unit and schools all of us need to address this crisis ms sears explained dear vactied ccient during the week of october 24th wed like to express our appreciation to you for your support by giving you a little extra tlc enjoy your pampering while you sip some champagne and orange juice savour a cup of herbal tea or indulge with a sampling of gourmet cookies well also have a small gift for each of you and the opportunity to enter in a special ashgrove spa draw october 24 29th drop in and see our recent renovation and let us say thanks sincerely ashgrqvesr foir ca better looking lifotyl 6633 hwy7 suite 304 markham 9052010343 wwwashgrovespacom open monday saturday gift certificates miiafumunuuuimi