As we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season it can be easy to forget about staying active and engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors.  Some of the most popular traditions include over-eating and sitting around watching T.V.   As physical educators, we need to encourage our students to remain active during this time of the year.  

Try some of the following methods (or think of some for yourself) that can make this season "the most wonderful time of the year!"

*  FAMILY FUN- When families get together, why should they just sit around and talk or eat?  Plan time for the family to play physically active games.  One example is a variation of table tennis called "rotation".  This game allows up to 12 or more people to play at the same time and it is aerobic too!  Split the group into equal
halves.  The rules are the same except players only hit the ball one time and then move to the other side of the table.  Players who do not return the ball to the next player are out.  Keep playing until there are only 2 players left.  An alternative rule (instead of eliminating players) would be to keep score of those who do not return the ball.  At the end, the lowest score would be the winner. 

*  OUTDOOR FUN- Just because it can be cold this time of year is no reason to stay inside.  Take advantage of the outdoors by:  ice-skating, skiing, sledding, building a snowman or igloo.  

*  VIRTUAL FUN- Encourage your students (or your own kids) to ask for gifts that promote physical fitness.  Besides the usual sports equipment, consider virtual games.  This type of  electronic equipment allows the physical movements of a player to be transformed to a video character, which is then displayed on a television screen or through a virtual reality helmet screen.  Players can simulate baseball pitching and batting, martial arts punching or kicking, or any number of sports.

These are just a few ways to keep active during the holiday season.  The main point is that we stay fit and healthy so that we can enjoy many more holidays to come.

Bart Cagle
Secondary Section Editor

This  web site is produced by the provincial government department (of Canada) and is responsible for the delivery of education programs and services for people of all ages.  It is a comprehensive resource that outlines the program of studies for all disciplines, provides teachers with vast amounts of resources, and provides for home education when necessary.

Within the TEACHER RESOURCES link there is a database of teacher developed lessons, a link to the Alberta Learning site which allows access to the Guide to Implementation, teaching tools, and video clips of a variety of basic skills.

The HOME EDUCATION link is designed for students who may be enrolled in an online or home education physical education course.  This link could also be used to support additional involvement in physical activity, homework for students, or as make-up work for absences.  The site features a downloadable tracking device which can be used in a variety of ways, including assisting students and teachers in organizing and keeping track of student activity time.  The data can then be emailed to the teacher.

This web site has a wealth of information in it. Please take the time to explore all the resources within it.

Looking for an alternative approach to improving school-based health education?  Then check out this web site which provides a comprehensive, sequential K-12 health education curriculum that consists of almost 300 lesson guides the meet National Health Education Standards.  It also provides skills-based assessment methods rather than just cognitive-based assessments.

The LESSON GUIDES link offers lesson plans that cover nine content areas in all grade levels.  Some of the areas include:  alcohol and other drugs, injury prevention, nutrition, and physical activity.  Within each content topic is activities, transparencies, assessment tools, student review sheets and more.

The TEACHER SUPPORTS link contains descriptions of health literacy and health skills, concepts that should be included within any health education course.  This link also includes a comprehensive web links area.  Teachers can input key words or content areas and a list of web sites are made available.

This web site provides many resources that can be used to supplement fitness education.  The lessons link provides teachers with student friendly tutorials and guides as they cover fitness-related topics. Some of the topics include anatomy, health and fitness, and fitness testing.

The gym search link allows students to search for fitness centers and gyms all across the country and beyond.  

The articles link provides information regarding a number of fitness topics such as supplemental drugs, ergogenic aids, and hydration needs.