As the weather starts to improve, parents notice more opportunities to enroll their children in some type of sporting camp or summer camp. There are many different camps available, for children of all ages and all abilities. Parents (and teachers) should take their time researching exactly what type of experience a camp is designed to provide.

From the serious teenage athlete to the child taking her first tentative steps into the world of sports, the Internet provides a wealth of information for the sports aficionados. Among other things, be sure to check about a camp's mission, duration, target audience, staff, and financial cost.

SPORTS CAMPS: There are camps that target higher level youth athletes, and campsand camps that cater to all children, focusing on fun and fitness, teamwork, and positive sporting experiences regardless of experience or ability.

For many parents, summer camps provide experiences for their children that go way beyond the fun and focus of sports. From drama to outdoor adventure, the type and variety of summer camps is numerous. A few of the best websites are below:

	summercamps.com
	KidsCamps.com
	mySummerCamps.com

Darren Dale
Health & Fitness Section Editor

Obesity Continues To Increase

The latest statistics on obesity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide disturbing reading. The number of obese children in the United States continues to climb; 17% of children are now considered obese, up from 14% in 1999-2000. Justifiably, this trend made front page news in the nation's newspapers with experts again urging parents to seek information on healthier eating, exercise opportunities, and quality health and physical education programs.

During the month of April, lawmakers stepped up their efforts to halt the increase in the numbers of children classified as overweight or obese. In Washington, a bill was introduced to have the Agriculture Department set new nutritional standards for all food sold in schools. The goal is to restrict junk food sales in schools. With candy, soda, and junk food being sold in nine out of every ten schools, the importance of this legislation for the future health of our children cannot be understated. Children spend more waking hours in school than they do in the home: the foods they are exposed to in school determine the overall nutritional quality of their diet, and that is why it is so important for legislation of this type to succeed.

Although this page provides information about what the Internet can offer teachers and parents interested in health, fitness, and nutrition, it is also worth noting that there are many great quality programs on television and radio worthy of playing to students in all levels of schooling (and of course, these shows/programs have websites that can be referenced right here!)

The Discovery Health Channel provides coverage on an outstanding array of topics, many of which should interest physical education teachers. Although the website leans more heavily toward nutrition, it is worth keeping an eye out on television guides, as programs concerning weight loss and health are often featured.

A great feature of the PBS website is a component dedicated to teachers. PBS Teacher Source allows teachers to browse by category - and yes, they have a health and fitness section. It is well worth a look!.

Also in the public domain is NPR's website, providing links to news stories covering science, health, and fitness. Even if it is not feasible to play audio files for a class, teachers can listen to these shows (one recent title: "The Truth About Exercise") while working at a computer, and then plan to integrate what they have heard into classroom lessons.

Stay informed about Sports Conditioning - For teachers and coaches wanting to stay up-to-date on the latest information on sports conditioning, the National Strength and Conditioning Association website provides comprehensive and accurate information for athletes of all ages across a wide range of sports.

Stay informed about Health - The website of the Mayo Clinic remains one of the most informative sites on a range of health-related issues including food and nutrition, disease prevention, food safety, and healthy cooking.

Within the past two weeks there have been two separate arrests made concerning young teenagers planning to take hostage their schools in an attempt to kill fellow students and faculty. The 7th anniversary just passed on April 20th of the horrendous shootings that took place at Columbine.

According to Wikipedia, “The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Colorado. Two students, Eric Harras and Dylan Klebold carried out a shooting rampage, killing 12 fellow students and a teacher, as well as wounding 24 others, before committing suicide. It is considered to be the deadliest school shooting, and the second deadliest attack on a school in United States history after the Bath School disaster."

In the past two weeks, it almost happened again in Riverton, Kansas and in North Pole, Alaska. Groups of young teenagers, mainly boys, were caught in the final stages of planning to overtake the school and kill fellow students and faculty. Thankfully they were arrested, and will now face criminal charges.

You may ask why this is being discussed in the "health" section of a PE online magazine, and the answer is simply because it needs to be! Anyone who has children, or works in the schools is at risk, and we can't be so blind as to think "it won't happen in this town," "it wouldn't happen in this school!" The truth is, it very well could!

The children who have brought a gun to school, and who have succeeded in harming or even killing other students, are often asked "why?" The majority of them state that they were bullied, made fun of, and were outcasts. It was their way of getting back at those who had hurt them so much. Make no mistake, I am not justifying their actions, but simply stating that in their minds they see no alternative but to retaliate by killing.

We are all responsible for the youth of this nation, and we all can play a part, especially those who are in the schools on a daily basis in helping prevent dangerous situations like these. Below are some links that deal with bullying. Everyone needs to be aware that this problem exists, often right in front of our eyes.

Bullying In Schools and What To Do About It - This site began as an attempt to raise awareness about bullying in schools and inform people about the research that was being done in the area. The site was also intended, and still is, to help schools, children and parents in practical ways to overcome the serious problem of bullying.

Bullying In School - Worried about going back to school? Worried about school bullying? Intimidation, threats, taunting, violence? Read some great information, and check out associating links on this site.

Bullying in Schools (Eric Digest) - Bullying in schools is a worldwide problem that can have negative consequences for the general school climate and for the right of students to learn in a safe environment without fear. Bullying can also have negative lifelong consequences - both for students who bully and for their victims. Read the rest...

Stop Bullying Now - Learn What You Can Do! As a culture, we are focusing new attention on childhood bullying and harassment. As we watch children being crushed by bullying, we often feel powerless. No more! There are ways to stop bullying, based on decades of research.

Bullying: Facts for Schools and Parents - Bullying is a widespread problem in our schools and communities. The behavior encompasses physical aggression, threats, teasing, and harassment. Although it can lead to violence, bullying typically is not categorized with more serious forms of school violence involving weapons, vandalism, or physical harm. It is, however, an unacceptable anti-social behavior that is learned through influences in the environment, e.g., home, school, peer groups, even the media. As such, it also can be unlearned or, better yet, prevented. Read the rest...

Headache - Headaches aren't all in your head - 90 percent are caused by tension or stress. Find out what's behind yours, and learn to get relief for your pounding head.

Migraine Headaches - Emily remembers her first bad headache: It was really scary. The pain was unbelievable, and she felt like she was going to vomit. Emily had no idea what was happening. The headaches struck once a month, then once a week. So Emily's mom arranged for her to see a doctor. Read the rest... See also, Migraines Untreated in Teens.

Stress, Mood and Headaches - Stress is by far the most common headache "trigger." Research has found that it is actually the day-to-day stress or chronic "hassles" that are important in triggering headache.

One in seven Americans suffers a headache every day of their lives and all of them are not migraine headaches. Of the many types of headaches, tension headache is the most common. In this article, the terms "stress headache" or "tension headache" are used interchangeably. So, what is a tension headache? Read "Tips for Chronic Stress Headaches."

Tension Headache (Mayo Clinic) - Although headache pain sometimes can be severe, in most cases it's not the result of an underlying disease. The vast majority of headaches are so-called primary headaches. These include migraine, cluster headache and tension headache. Find out more.

What Kids Say About Handling Stress - The latest KidsHealth® KidsPoll explored what kids stress about the most, how they cope with these feelings, and what they want their parents to do about it.

Building Baby's Intelligence: Why Infant Stimulation is Important - In the first years of your baby's life, the brain is busy building its wiring system. Activity in the brain creates tiny electrical connections called synapses. The amount of stimulation your baby receives has a direct affect on how many synapses are formed. Repetitive stimulation strengthens these connections and makes them permanent , whereas young connections that don't get used eventually die out. Read the rest...

Copycats: You are your baby's first teacher. Fortunately for parents, babies are amazing students. They're so good at learning, they do it even when we don't know we are teaching them. Babies learn by watching, hearing, feeling, and tasting the world around them. In a way, your home is your baby's first classroom. Every waking hour, you can bet your child is learning something.

Your Child's Brain Development - Babies are born with most of the brain cells (neurons) they need. But just having these brain cells is not enough. If your baby is to learn to speak, walk, run, play, and become a bright, imaginative, and loving child - these brain cells need to connect up with each other to form pathways and networks in the brain. Most of this development (85% of the brain's structure) will have already happened by the time your child is only three years old. So how are these brain connections made? Find out... See also, Brain Development.

Day care bad for the brain? - This is your brain. This is your brain on -- day care? While day-care activists insist that children thrive in day care, a new book challenges the notion that kids require formal child care. See also Building Baby's Brain: What Child Care Can Do.

How Does Nutrition Effect the Developing Brain? Brain development is most sensitive to a baby's nutrition between mid-gestation and two years of age. Children who are malnourished--not just fussy eaters but truly deprived of adequate calories and protein in their diet--throughout this period do not adequately grow, either physically or mentally. Read the rest...

Helmets and Carriers for Children - You will find some really GOOD links to resources on the use of helmets, carriers, and trailers for kids.

BIKE SAFETY

Each year in the United States, approximately 250 children die in bicycle-related accidents, and about half a million kids are injured in bicycling accidents. Although it's estimated that 75% of the serious injuries could have been avoided if a helmet was worn, only about 20% of children in the United States wear a helmet.

Of parents who have been polled, 97% agree that helmets are important to bicycling safety. But only 50% of those parents admit to their children actually owning helmets, and of those children, only 27% wear their helmets on a regular basis. Read more.