It is difficult for me to create this section without mentioning and recognizing the Americans who are victims of Hurricane Katrina. Like a lot of people, I have watched the continued news coverage of the devastation, and cannot even begin to fathom what these Americans are going through, what they have been through, and the uncertainty they must feel about the future.

Being a graduate student, I don't have much to offer, but know that every little bit counts. If you want to help in the relief efforts, I have included links to the Red Cross website: and Salvation Army website.

As the school year chugs on, we are headed toward a number of holidays/celebrations that are filled with sweet, and sometimes gooey treats. The consumption of such delectable snacks are hard to deny, and are often granted out of the justification that it is in reverence to the festivities of the given holiday.

With Halloween at the end of this month, I searched the web for ideas that could possibly placate the effects that are often experienced at the dentist after great indulgences of tasty treats. This section also includes some fall activities and special observances that take place during October.

Dawn Sakaguchi
Health & Fitness Section Editor

The Wall of Fame Mural Contest

The Wall of Fame Mural Contest was inspired by the author, Len Saunders, when he found a new magazine publication called, "Better Gyms and Playgrounds." This publication featured physical education programs around the nation.

The author and the principal of the school decided that their gym needed some sprucing up and made a plan to involve the school, which included students of all grades and the community. The plan was to have an art contest within the school where the winning drawings would be painted on the gym wall as a part of a mural.

This chapter includes how the author, along with the principal and the school, put together this contest. The chapter also contains samples of announcements and letters to help you implement this project.

Keeping Young Ghouls and Goblins Safe - This article, from Parenthood.com, provides several tips to keep children safe while trick or treating. Some of these tips include lengths of costumes, street safety, and making sure that the candy received is safe.

2005 National Health Observances
This website lists monthly, weekly, and daily observances that promote health concerns. For the month of October there are a number of observances, and a few of them are mentioned below.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - From the national breast cancer awareness month website: 'For more than two decades, the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has educated women about breast cancer, especially the importance of detecting the disease in its earliest stages through screening mammography, clinical breast examination, and for women 20 years of age and older, breast self-examination.'

Children's Health Month - October is also Children's health month and the first Monday of October is recognized as Child Health Day. The purpose of this observance is to help parents and children learn and recognize health issues that affect children.

National School Lunch Week - National School Lunch week is October 10-14 and promotes healthy school lunches. For brochures, activities, toolkits, and menus, visit the National School Lunch week website.

An article entitled "Halloween Can be Healthy and Fun!" from Parenthood.com, introduces ideas on how to make Halloween treats healthier, but still maintain the fun. The article also offers suggestions to parents on how to teach their children about reading labels, and allowing them to enjoy some of the sweets received during trick or treating.

They introduce portion control, which I think is a great point. Moderation should apply to everyone in anything we do, whether it is eating, working, or playing. Below are a few of the healthy ideas that the article talks about, but visit the site for the full list.

	Have the children create their own Monster Pizzas with fat-free pita pockets or fat-free tortillas. Serve with fat-free pizza sauce, fat-free finely shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped black olives, green onions, green chilies, zucchini rounds, etc.
	Cut out fat-free bread with a Halloween cookie cutter; serve with trays of sliced turkey, fat-free cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and condiments.
	Set out bowls of chili-spice popcorn, fat-free pretzels or fat-free Munchy Mix. Toss a few tablespoons of mini M&M's and candy corn into the mix for an extra special treat. You'll add a few extra calories and keep the mix under 1 gram of fat per serving (Watch those serving sizes!).

Stock the Halloween Treat Bowl with Healthy Goodies - From the American Dietetic Association, this article offers alternative ideas to candy that can be handed out to trick or treaters, such as mini rice cereal bites or juice boxes.

Real Halloween Treats, not Sugary - This article comes from the Care2 website, and offers alternate ideas for healthier Halloween treats, such as trail mixes and raisins. They also suggest non-food treats such as extra change that you may have in your piggy banks.

10 Frugal, Healthy Halloween Treats - This article offers ideas, such as plastic rings and pencils, as replacements for the traditional sweet candies.

Ghouls and Goblins - Grades 2-12. This lesson is based on a Halloween game or activity. Have the class line up on a line, and count them off by twos. When finished, have the "ones" go on one side of the gym and the "twos" go to the other side of the gym. Have the two groups lined up across from each other.

One group is the Goblins, and the other group are the Ghouls. The teacher will shout out a group, either the Ghouls or Goblins, and that group must then chase the opposite group and try to tag as many people as the student can. If a student gets tagged, that student becomes the other group. For example, if the teacher yells out ghouls and four goblins were tagged, those four tagged goblins are now ghouls.

This game goes on until there is only one person in the group, and that person is declared the winner. - source: site

The Activity Idea Place - This website offers a number of Halloween ideas, from crafts to group time activities. Also offered are several games that will provide ghouly fun. I have included a few of the games below but for the full list of ideas, please visit the activity idea place website.

	Spider Webbing - Provide children with a chair and some yarn or string. Ask them to create a spiders web by wrapping the string around the legs of the chair.
	Witch Match - You may be able to find witch stickers or halloween stickers. Make sure that you have at least two identical sheets. Place two identical stickers on one index card. One on the left side and one on the right. Then cut the card in half in a funny shape. Follow with all the stickers. Then set out the cards and ask the child to pick out one, then find it's match. Next, place the cards together. My son loves this one!
	Spider Legs - Draw eight different spiders on index cards. The spiders should be drawn with 1 to 8 legs. Ask your child to arrange the spiders according to how many legs the spiders have.
	Spider Walk - Have the children do a spider walk, by placing their hands and feet on the floor and lifting their bottom off the floor.
	Spider Walk Race - Have the children race each other while walking like a spider. Or try a relay race.

Pimple Portal Offers Tips for Boo-tiful Skin! - While a dermatologist cannot help you choose a costume, he/she can offer insight on how to avoid any scary skincare scenarios. Sandy Swanson, M.D., a general and pediatric dermatologist from North Carolina, offers some tips for trick-or-treaters on how to keep your complexions clear this Halloween.

Consider having a Run Like Hell race with your friends, in costumes, around a local cemetary. They really do this in Cincinnatti! - source: site

Halloween Safety Tips - For most children Halloween is tremendous fun. With all the excitement, children can easily forget normal safety precautions and can be injured by falling or worse yet, being hit by a car. Many Halloween-related injuries can be prevented if parents closely supervise school-aged children during trick-or-treat activities.

Halloween & Harvest Games and Activities - If you're looking for Halloween games and activities, you need look no further. This site has tons of great games!

Check out the online Halloween Safety Game. It's a game/quiz to see if you know the rules for having a safe, fun Halloween. These safety rules are also worth reading.

The Trick is the Type of Treat for a Healthy Halloween! - Halloween is a great time to teach children the "trick" to balancing the gooey candy they love with healthy foods that are both delicious and satisfying! - source: site

Cooking with Kids - Preparing & Sharing Food - The first and most important place where children learn healthful attitudes about food is in the home. Here are some ideas for getting even young children into the kitchen preparing and sharing food. - source: site

Halloween Recipes for Kids - A good list of fun Halloween treats. Also see Healthy Halloween Snacks. - source: site

Back-to-School Lunches That Make the Grade - Children who eat nutritious foods do better in school. The best lunch is a combination of foods that supply protein, fat and carbohydrates to sustain energy and concentration for several hours. Eating foods from at least three food groups gives children the nutrients and energy they need to feel good and do well in school. - source: site

Healthy Snacks for School-Age Kids - Smart snacking can help children meet daily nutrient requirements that may be missed at meal times. Children need snacks, or "mini meals", to help them get enough calories (energy) throughout the day. So, choosing healthy foods that add nutrients to their diets is essential. - source: site

Favorite Halloween Recipes - kraftsfoods.com has a really great page of fun looking, and pretty healthy recipes. It's great, so take a look! Also, check out some more great healthy Halloween treats from FamilyFun.com.

Cold and Flu Differences - Read some very good information on how to distinguish between a cold and the flu. 'We have a vague idea that they are different, but if pressed, have a hard time saying exactly how.'

Chapped Lips - Information on chapped lips. See also Detecting an Ear Infection, Causes of Ear Infections, and Antibiotic Overuse.

Cold & Flu Checklist - The cold weather is coming, which means cold and flu season are right around the corner. Don't let the flu or cold bugs catch you without the necessary supplies on hand. Here are suggestions for the essential supplies you should have in your medicine cabinet in preparation for this year's cold and flu battles. - source: site

Read Key Facts about Influenza (Flu) Vaccine from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Important information is provided. Also, you will find very thorough informaton at Influenza.com. Did you know that it takes about 10 months to create a flu vaccine, and that the virus for the vaccine is grown inside chicken eggs?

Keeping the Flu Out of Your Home is in Your Hands - After years of hearing "Don't forget to wash your hands," before every meal, the act of handwashing has nearly become a Pavlovian response when cooking aromas fill the kitchen. Unlike the many bad habits that are hard to break, handwashing is one that could help prevent the flu and other infections, particularly in young children. This is very important information, so read the rest of this article.