Summer is a great time to spend the day playing outside with friends. Get a group of together and throw around a football, baseball or a frisbee at your neighborhood park.

1. Vitamin D – Summer means there will be plenty of sunshine around and if you are someone who sits indoors all the time then you are probably deficient in vitamin D. Go fill up your tank with tons of great vitamin D by spending summer in the great outdoors. Vitamin D can help in numerous ways: strengthens bones, strengthens immune system, decreases depression, prevents disease, and even increases lifespan.

2. Physical fitness – The best time of year to pick up a new sport is summer time. Get out and start jogging, swimming, playing football in the park, or anything that gets your body moving. The small effort to be active this season will pay huge dividends for your health, weight, and how you feel overall.

3. Personal relationships – All of your friends are heading outdoors for the summer. It is the perfect time of year to rekindle relationships and build new ones by going out socializing. Group sports, camping, and beach-going are just a few ways to spend some quality time with friends under the sun.

4. Baseball season – America’s pastime is back in full swing, and what better way to spend time outdoors than supporting your home team and going to a live game. Turn that TV off, call some friends, and head down to your local ballpark where you can appreciate both your team and the amazing summer weather at the same time.

5. Vacation time – Whether you have been saving up that one week or have several weeks of vacation time ready to use, this summer is a perfect excuse to use it. Take a week off and head to some mountains where you can enjoy hiking, fishing, and biking. If you are looking to relax, spend your vacation on the coast. Better yet, sign up for a 10k or half/full marathon you have always wanted to do and take your vacation around that event.

6. Beaches and lakes are warm – The water is warming up and the sun is heating up the sand which means it is time to head to the nearest water. It can be a fun lake nearby or the beautiful beaches of San Diego. Both are a fun place to hang out in the summer. You will be happy you got yourself out of the house when you are waterskiing or surfing with all of your friends.

7. Better sleep – Getting outdoors and exercising or just being active will help burn some energy that will then result in a better night’s sleep once you are back home. It has been proven that people who spend more time outdoors sleep much more soundly than people who sit inside all day.

8. Increased oxygenation – Breathing in the fresh air actually has health benefits. When you spend time outdoors, it increases your body’s oxygenation and therefore your blood circulation. Better blood circulation results in more energy and increased mental awareness. So if you want to think more clearly, go outside and get some more blood pumping into your brain.

9. Relieve stress from the winter – A lot of people have been cooped up indoors throughout the winter and even spring time. Stress builds up and depression sinks in when you have been in a dark house for too long. When you go outside and take a breath of fresh air you will instantly feel less stress and have a happier outlook on the day.

10. Improved eyesight – Staring at a computer or TV takes a toll on your eyes and you can reverse those effects by spending time outdoors. When your eyes can focus on a large landscape instead of a small screen, it reduces their nearsightedness which is why most people need glasses.

What can parents and families do? Here are a few ideas:

Provide Opportunities for Activity

• Enroll their children in after school sports, classes or recreational activities
• Expose them to a variety of physical activities
• Identify ways to be active around your home or neighborhood

Encourage Healthy Eating Habits

• Provide healthy snacks
• Prepare meals with food from all of the food groups
• Cook with your children

Be a Role Model

• Be active regularly — and invite your child to join you
• Reduce your own television and computer time
• Cook more and eat out less

Monitor Screen Time

• Limit the time spent each day using computers, video games and television
• Avoid eating in front of the television
• Provide alternate activities for children to enjoy

Advocate for a Healthier School

• Daily physical education taught by qualified, credentialed physical educators — hopefully SPARK trained!
• Healthier school lunches in all school environments (cafeteria, a la carte line, student body sales, etc.)
• Using non-food related items for fundraisers and rewards

It’s mid-summer and although we’re not trying to get you back to school too soon, we do want you to be prepared when the time comes. So, we’ve added the first of our new iPad features for a handful of 3-6 Instructional Units. Check out our new Dynamic Rubrics and Class Roster templates.

Each Rubric and Roster template is given in XLS format and has been designed to look great and function well on iPad and laptops alike. Currently, we’ve posted these tools in the following units (3-6 Instructional Media Library): Aerobic Games, Chasing & Fleeing, Group Fitness, and Racquets & Paddles.

Here’s the quick-tips version on how they work:
(Numbers App is required for iPad)

1. Visit SPARKfamily.org and download a Dynamic Rubric and Class Roster.
2. Open the files in Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers.
3. Type student names into the Class Roster for quick cut-and-paste into each rubric. See tabs along the bottom of the spreadsheet for 8 separate classes.
4. Save the rubric in an organized Rubrics folder.
5. After names are entered into your rubric, connect iPad, select your iPad device in iTunes and select the Apps tab.
6. Click on the Numbers App, then click “Add…” below the Numbers Documents listing.
7. Choose the rubric you’d like to work with and click open.
8. Sync your iPad and you’re ready to work!

Look for detailed iPad tutorials this Fall in the SPARKfamily .org Resource Center.

Enjoy the rest of the summer. We’re looking forward to serving you in the 2010-11 school year!

Aaron Hart
Development Director
SPARKfamily.org

One disturbing piece of information continues to hamper physical education successfully moving forward. The terms “physical activity” and “physical education” are often used interchangeably, yet they differ in important ways. Understanding the difference between the two is critical to understanding why both contribute to the development of healthy, active children. Think of this: Physical Activity is a behavior. Physical Education (PE) is a core subject area with a curriculum that includes physical activity.

Here is NASPE’s definition of physical activity vs. physical education: http://tinyurl.com/27j2pcv

To those of us at SPARK, and certainly to the researchers, active classes is a hallmark of quality Physical Education. A PE class in which students are standing or sitting most of the time cannot be a good PE class. PE is about teaching through the physical. The goal is to teach movement skills, teamwork, and positive social interactions, as well as improve fitness and promote the joy of movement by getting students active. Right?

What are your thoughts??

-Kymm Ballard, Ed.D

The items represent my understanding of likely physical or built environmental influences on diet, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors. Many of the items are consistent with evidence. I believe the general concepts are sound, but the specific numbers and distances are best guesses. For present purposes I added a few priority indicators for healthy schools and homes.

Healthy food access

• Supermarket or other source of affordable fresh fruits and vegetables within ½ mile of homes
• No more than 2 convenience or liquor stores within ½ mile of homes
• No more fast food than sit-down restaurants within ½ mile of homes
• Community garden within 1 mile of homes
• Weekly farmer’s market within 1 mile of homes

Facilities for active recreation

• Park with play equipment in good working order within ½ mile of homes
• Parks have walking paths
• Daily youth activity programs for free or sliding scale fees in all parks
• Private recreation facility with sliding scale fees within ½ mile of homes
• Nearest school activity facilities is open for public use

Designing for active transport

• Sidewalks on every street in neighborhood
• Pedestrian aids (crosswalks, signal) at intersection with nearest busy street
• Street pattern creates direct routes from homes to nearby destinations
• Nearest shopping area has sidewalks and safe pedestrian crossings
• Public transit stop within ½ mile of homes

Healthy school environments

• Evidence-based physical education offered daily
• Markings on preschool and elementary playgrounds to stimulate active play
• Sidewalks, marked crosswalks, and traffic calming within ¼ mile of each school to facilitate safe walking and biking
• Salad bars with multiple raw food choices daily in every cafeteria
• Only healthy foods provided at school
• Convenience stores and fast food restaurants are not within ¼ mile of schools
• No food advertising in schools

Healthy home environments

• No televisions in children’s bedrooms
• Only healthy foods out on the counter for snacking
• Sports and activity supplies available for both indoor and outdoor play
• A bicycle or skateboard for every child

James Sallis

www.drjamessallis.sdsu.edu