The first prize drawing will be conducted on Monday, March 2nd, so make sure to report your team’s progress at least one time before Sunday, March 1st. It’s easy to report, just go to www.n-lightenkids.com and click on the Leaderboard link. 15 minutes is equal to 1 point.
Week 3 Tip for the Kids:
Have you ever heard an old car start? The engine grumbles and moans until it finally turns over. Then, it sounds just awful until it has been going for awhile and warms up. If you know someone who loves cars and takes care of antique cars, you know they would never try to drive one without warming it up first. Your body is almost the same as a car engine, right? It has to have the right fuel and all the parts working to make it run. So, it’s important to warm up your body before activity too! You should spend 5-15 minutes getting your muscles and joints ready by doing an easy jog, marching in place, or playing a fun warm-up game. This helps your muscles to become more elastic, or stretchy, and helps to prevent you from getting hurt. It also helps bring blood that is full of oxygen to help your muscles work better and go longer without getting tired. Make sure to always warm-up before you do any activities!Week 3 Tip for the Captains:
There are as many excuses to not exercise as the day is long. From being too tired to not having enough time, the list is endless and excuses creep into our minds and easily convince us to skip our daily fitness session. Your goal this week is to admit to those obstacles and find ways over, under, or around them! Take several minutes and make a list of all the reasons why you don’t engage in more physical activity. Make sure to be very honest with yourself. Then, next to each activity write at least two possible solutions. It’s important to write these things down so you have a solution list to refer to whenever you face a possible road block. Be creative with your solutions. After you’ve finished your entire list, save it in a place that is easy to find so you can refer to it when you run into another obstacle. You can get your list out and get back on track.
Sporty’s Corner
Chicken StretchNote: Do not reveal the name of this activity until afterwards! It relies on an element of surprise.
This is a fun, physical, group warmup activity which works with all ages. In a circle, explain that it is important to warm up one's body from head to toe before participating in physical games and activities. Starting with legs, ask people to try to get their knee to touch their chin. Try each leg alternately. Ask for 10 knee to chin touches. It is not easy, some can do it, many can't. Then move on to the arms. One side at a time, stick thumb under armpit and "flap" (don't use this word) it up and do a side stretch. Three times on each side. Then explain that its important to warmup one's vocal cords for group games. Grab the skin around your Adam's apple (demonstrate) and waggle it side to side. Then ask for some gutteral noises, as much as possible, then ask for someone animal noises. Finally, put it all together - demonstrate and encourage - walking around raising knees in air, flapping both arms and making animal noises (at some point start encouraging the chicken noises) and you have a mob of warmed up, feeling silly, kind of outfoxed, intrigued students.