BEFORE I RECAP LAST WEEK. PARENTS PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT TONIGHT'S PROGRAM, WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO BE HELD AT WHITE MEMORIAL. DUE TO THE WEATHER, IT WILL BE HELD AT ELI TERRY SCHOOL IN PLYMOUTH. PLYMOUTH PARENTS, PLEASE ARRIVE AT 6:30 TO PICK UP YOUR STUDENTS. WATERTOWN AND WATERBURY STUDENTS, PLEASE ARRIVE AT YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL NO LATER THAN 7:00PM. THANK YOU! This first week at EdAdvance, the students enjoyed an introductory karate program offered by Litchfield Tang Soo Do. Since I knew this was going to be a very disciplined workshop, I decided that something fun and relaxing would be a welcomed treat. Sparkle and Shine Dance, also in Litchfield, provided a great workout consisting of new age hip-hop moves. I wish I was able to go to that rotation, I hear I am pretty stale. The third rotation was all about preparing for our Lebanese meal. Each week, my goal is to offer the students a dinner from a different culture. Lebanese food is a healthy fast food option, and with busy schedules it is very hard to get a healthy meal on the table each night. You kids sampled grape leaves, stuffed with rice and vegetables, and Moujadara, which is lentils and rice, both dishes are served cold. They also sampled a garlic spread to eat chicken kabob, and a honey nut spread, to be eaten with the dessert. For dessert, we made a Lebanese fruit salad with pureed strawberries and a dash of the honey nut topping. It was different and delicious. My family gets Lebanese take-out at least once a week. We order hummus and tabbouleh, which we add to salads. Occasionally, my son orders the shawarma chicken plate. He loves the shawarma seasoning, and likes to have rice on occasion. My daughter gets the same thing except instead of rice, she orders the meal with salad. Daily exercise is wonderful for your body and your mind. Making healthy food choices 80% of the time is important for the inside of your body, and will help make exercise more enjoyable, cause you'll feel better.
We had such a great time at Winding Trails on October 23. The evening was mild and smelled like fall and campfire. My HCHM partner, started a bonfire so he kids could warm up, relax, at pizza and be cozy while chatting with their friends. The students enjoyed tasting the unusual pizza choices that they chose the week before. Pizza is as healthy as the place where it was purchased. Try to stay away from pizza chains. If you cannot avoid a chain then avoid bacon, sausage, meatball, and pepperoni from those places, and eat pizza in moderation with other healthy food choices. The kids also enjoyed a drumming workshop with Ashe Kariamu, a drum maker and very talented . drummer, who is excellent at engaging students and adults in an rhythmic beat that make you want to get up and dance. The kids also stayed fresh and natural throughout the evening with their homemade deodorant making class. 1/2c baking soda and 1/2c corn starch and you have a natural healthy freshener Stay tuned for more pictures.
The HCHM group met for 2 weeks at Eli Terry MS in Terryville, CT. I enjoy taking the students to this school because of its brand new weight room containing a variety of cool fitness machines that make exercising fun! This year, the HCHM group enjoyed their time riding spin style bikes on a virtual outdoor course. I had fun racing with one of the students. I beat him by a hair, he did not realize I was a master spinner!!! During the afternoon at Eli Terry, the students also participated in active P.E.games with our enthusiastic P.E. teacher, Mr. Sconz... and lastly, Laura King, a certified health education specialist, joined us. Laura taught the middle school students how to quesadillas. Not just regular quesdadillas, but Italian, French and Greek style ones. Students got to smell, touch, and look at many different herbs and spices, and then used compbinations of flavors to make the different ethnic choices. The kids had a blast preparing the meal which was delicious!!!
Hello Parents and HCHM Participants - I hope you all enjoyed the first week at Winding Trails. I will post pictures and make some comments shortly, but before I sum up our first week, I would like to remind you and your parents that this week at Health Trax, it will be a fun and sweaty time. Please remember to wear comfortable clothes to school or pack gym clothes, but most importantly sneakers - they are a must. Please also bring your bathing suit and a towel!!! Water Zumba is a blast.
The afternoon will be jammed pack with new and or different ways to get active. I hope you decide that you would love to join a gym, or become a bike rider, after a half hour of spin class. Swim and Spin are great aerobic exercises that you can look good at working at your own pace. Parents - the kids will enjoy a yogurt parfait for snack - vanilla yogurt with granola, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Dinner will be wraps, a green salad, a refreshing fruit salad, and a taste-it treat (sweet potato pancakes). A healthy vitamin packed carb. that is a great pre-exercise energy boost. I have attached this week's bus schedule. If you have any other questions, please call my office number or e-mail me. Thank you. Torrington MS Arrival Time back at school - 7:03 approx. The Gilbert School Arrival Time back at school - 7:30 approx. 7:30pm Wallace MS Arrival Time back at school - 7:03 approx. 7:03pm Swift Middle School Arrival Time back at school - 7:35 approx. 7:35pm Eli Terry MS Arrival Time back at school - 6:50 approx. Tomorrow afternoon, Friday, September 25, will begin my third year as program coordinator for the HCHM program. I hope to see participant, teacher, and parent comments posted each week. Feedback is important good or not so good. The latter will help me make the program stronger. Please contact me at EDUCATION CONNECTION with any concerns. I will try my best to keep the lines of communication open so parents, guardians, tweens, and teachers will be prepared each week.
Below is the schedule for Fall, 2015: 9/25 Winding Trails - We will depart from Winding Trail at 6:55. This is a bit later than the normal program end time. Please pay attention to your child's school pick-up time after the program each week. It will change. 10/2 Health Trax, Bristol, CT - Kids need to be prepared to sweat. In the past, the kids enjoy checking out the club. They enjoy trying the different classes with their friends. The evening ends with a healthy delicious meal, which might be their favorite part of the evening; they can sit finally and relax after a healthy workout! 10/9 Eli Terry School - Plymouth - this particular middle school has a beautiful new Fitness Room with state of the art fitness equipment. Also, a guest chief will be helping the kids prepare the evening meal. 10/16 Eli Terry School - Plymouth 10/23 Winding Trails 11/6 EDUCATION CONNECTION - Another guest chef will join us, to help with dinner. We also have some yoga, and CrossFit. Please see September 25 Bus Schedule. Thank you! HCHM Bus Schedule Program Name: Healthy Children Healthy Minds Day(s) and Date(s) of Trip: September 25, 2015 Winding Trails, 50 Winding Trails, Farmington, CT 06032 Start of Program Time: 3:30 End of Program Time: 6:55 PLEASE ARRIVE AT YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL 10 MINUTES EARLY. We want to be courteous to the teacher who needs to wait until all children all picked-up before they can leave. Return to school at: The Gilbert School - Teacher, Emily Borgman Return to school at: 7:40PM approx. ____________________________________ Torrington MS - Teacher, Pamela Hurley Return to school at: 8:05PM approx. _____________________________ Swift MS - Teacher, Eric Dietsch Return to school at: 7:40PM approx. _______________________________ Wallace Middle - Jenn Magnavice Return to school at: 8:04PM approx. _________________________________ Eli Terry MS - Teacher, Mark Fowler Return to school at: 7:40 approx. Fall Friday afternoons were filled with a variety of healthy activities that ranged from a brisk hike outdoors at Winding Trails followed by a week at a local school where the students enjoyed Spark activities lead by HCHM's energetic P.E. teachers to a virtual bike race among their peers and a sparring session against a computer. All of this took place at Eli Terry Middle School in Plymouth, a middle school attended by 1/4 of the participants of the program. It was great. The kids had a blast. The next week, with the weather getting chilly, we headed inside to Healthtrax. A fitness center in Bristol. The middle school clan were refreshed during water zumba in the pool followed by a spin class. "Keep going! We's almost to the top of the hill!? Next, was boot camp. It was great to see the students sweaty and smiling at the same time. Our last week took place at Education Connection. A local drummer conducted a drumming workshop. Each student had a drum, well, imagine letting loose on a drum. Besides all the physical activity, each week the students took part in the preparing of their meal or dessert. Yes - we had dessert!! Instead of roasting marshmallows, we roasted cinnamon apples. Delicious! The students also made guacamole, spring rolls, and a turkey - no not a real turkey a turkey that was originally suppose to be made with Rice Krispie treats and m&m, need I go on. The students turned this sugary recipe into a healthy one. Instead of marshmallow treats we used rice cakes, and instead of sugary candy we used dried fruit without added sugar. Most recipes can be made a bit healthier by substituting for example, oil with applesauce or honey instead of sugar. It may still contain sugar, but it is sugar in a natural form. The students learned about making wiser food choices. I cannot forget the week at the organic market. The group learned about organic foods, the benefits of buying local farm produce, and what it means when a food is genetically modified. It was a great program. This is my first blog experience. I hope as the word spreads about it that it can be enjoyed by students, parents and teachers.
This week the HCHM program was held at Eli Terry Middle School in Plymouth. This evening the students had a very active evening. In mixed school groups, students participated in 4 rotations - the fitness lab, the gym for active games and SPARK Activities, and dinner prep. After all their heart conditioning the students enjoyed a meal prepared through team work. The kids put together their own 7 layer dip that included their homemade guacamole!! Enjoy the photos. I look forward to seeing your children again on November 7 when we will meet at New Morning Market - an organic market. Have a fun and safe Halloween. Our first program at Winding Trails in Farmington, CT offered us a perfect fall afternoon. Students from Terryville, Waterbury, and Watertown enjoyed an afternoon of fresh air and activities that included a fast ride down the Super Slide and a challenging climb up the 40 ft. tower. A healthy walk was necessary to get to and from each activity, so to be "one with nature" students participated in a "Nature Hunt." They had to collect sticks, twigs, something human made and something from nature that they thought a treasure. I plan to use what the kids collected at a later date!!! The lesson of the day was entitled, "Portrait of a Healthy Lunch." A reminder of what to pack in a bagged lunch and that a bagged lunch can be a delicious and healthy meal. I gave students a magnet to put on their fridge at home to remind them of what items work well in a bagged lunch. I also gave them lip balm because it is on the list of items to pack while preparing for a hike; moist lips are a must! Ask your child to pull out his tube and read to you the quote I thought fit the evening.
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