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Chances are that when you were a kid, summertime meant playing outside until the streetlights came on. Riding bikes, playing hide-and-seek, swimming and playing kickball or any other pick-up game were all part of keeping you active, happy and healthy. Not so for today's kids! More often than not, unless they are participating in an active camp, days (and evenings) are spent glued to TV or video games. There are a lot of reasons why things changed but there are even more compelling reasons why we need to embrace outdoor play once again, not the least of which is the creativity that outdoor play inspires in children and the improved mental and physical health outdoor play offers to young and old alike! Get Outdoors Day is a celebration encouraging everyone, especially our youth, to seek out healthy, active, outdoor lives and embrace our parks. Five Rivers MetroParks is pleased to offer local activities to celebrate the day on Saturday, June 12. Special thanks to Western-Southern Life for joining the effort by providing volunteers, water bottle holders and special gifts at each of the four participating MetroParks locations. Enjoy some time outside and discover your MetroParks! For more information contact Bob Butts at (937) 277-5419 or bbutts@metroparks.org. Centerville-Washington Park District will also host a special event to mark the day, a Family Fun Picnic in the Park at Grant Park. And the City of Miamisburg Parks and Recreation encourages everyone to take the opportunity to explore Miamisburg Parks while participating in the Explore the Outdoors Program offered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Check out the details on these local opportunities for family fun on Get Outdoors Day: Family Garden Walk @ Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark, 10 am-noon, located at 1301 E. Siebenthaler Avenue, Dayton. Families can get outside to walk, explore the gardens and have a fun scavenger hunt through the park. Call 277-6545 for details or email bwhitworth@metroparks.org. Family Outdoor Fun @ Englewood MetroPark, 1-4 pm at Patty Shelter/East Park, located at 4361 National Road, Englewood. Build a fort, wade in a creek (no sandals please) or go on a nature scavenger hunt. This program is ideal for elementary age children. Call 278-2623 for more information or email ssmith@metroparks.org. Sense of Wonder Stations @ Germantown MetroPark Nature Center, 12:30-3:30 pm, located at 6910 Boomershine Road, Germantown. Wander down to the pond, cedar grove and forest, collect stamps at each station and collect a neat prize book at the Nature Center. Call 855-7717 or email dhorvath@metroparks.org for details. Nature Play — Family Style @ Sugarcreek MetroPark, 10 am-1 pm, located at 4178 Conference Road, Bellbrook. Families will move through the park, station to station, building forts, exploring the creek, playing hide-and-seek and other activities. Families completing three activities will get a free nature exploration kit. Reservations are required and are limited. For more information, call 277-4178 or email jyork@metroparks.org. Family Fun Picnic in the Park @ Grant Park, 10am-1 pm, located at 1790 E. Social Row Road, Centerville. Search for creatures in the creek, build a fort or chase after insects in the meadow. Don't forget to pack a picnic lunch to enjoy at the Grant Chimneys. Centerville-Washington Park District staff and volunteers will provide insect and creek nets. Registration requested; drop-ins welcome! Call 433-5155 for more information. GetUp and Get Outdoors! Okay, this one is just for the little ones! Watch for information on the unveiling of the newly renovated grocery store exhibit at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery! Check out the interactive information on healthier nutrition habits! The Junior League of Dayton stepped up to the challenge to help fund and work with the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and other funders on this very special project. The new "Junior League of Dayton Deli" will help children (and adult visitors alike) learn more about every day nutrition choices. Stop by for a visit! The Museum is open seven days a week and includes a great indoor play area for getting in that one hour of active play! |
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Who has the healthiest community of all? Two local Mayors aren't waiting around to find out! Watch for information soon about this fun, healthy showdown! The cities will be revealed at a news conference very soon to announce details of our first Healthy City Challenge! This fun "bragging rights" challenge will enable local residents to track their progress living the 5-2-1-Almost None healthy lifestyles 'prescription' while the communities can each rack up additional points for citizen participation in wellness and nutrition-oriented events. The challenge will be announced in late June and will be officially under way from July 1, 2010 through January 31, 2011. Look for the introduction of an online tracking system coming soon at http://www.getupmc.org/. GetUp and the Dayton Dragons are teaming up to bring a special Summer Camp Challenge to area day camps! Kids will be challenged to live the 5-2-1-Almost None active lifestyle. Prizes include autographed team posters and free game tickets and a special contest will encourage camp teams to come up with their own 5-2-1-Almost None/GetUp song and dance! The winning camp will receive a free play day at Fifth Third Field, the winning video will be played on the Jumbotron during a game and more! Information will be shared soon with camp counselors, so watch for it. What memories will you make this Father's Day? How about a fun and new family adventure? There are so many activities available locally for active family fun! Try a canoe trip, a hike in the woods, camping, indoor rock climbing, outdoor rock climbing, bicycle riding, swimming, roller skating, fishing, jogging together, dancing, bowling, backyard sprinkler fun, one-on-one basketball, tennis or soccer, wiffleball or simply taking a walk together after dinner. Start a new, active tradition this Father's Day! GetUp and make cherished memories together! In honor of Father's Day, here's a poem to remind you that all eyes are watching your example. Model the behavior you want to see in your children! The Little Chap Who Follows Me Did you know that eating at home is on the rise? According to our partners at OSU Extension, eating at home is up 8% in the past two years. Perhaps that is the economy kicking in, but it is a trend worth growing! Eating at home enables better control of nutritional content as well as portion size. In the "Top Five Hottest Trends for Food and What it Means for Nutrition," the experts at OSU Extension also take a look at these hot new trends: Upscale is In-Exotic Ingredients and Cuisine; Portions and Convenience; Flavor and Smell and the impact of More Children Under 5. Check it out! |
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GetUp & Let's Move!
You may have heard of the national "Let's Move!" campaign and its efforts to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. This national effort is drawing significant awareness, resources and participation by key influencers to the issue of the overall state of children's health in America. Our local effort, GetUp Montgomery County, aligns perfectly with the goals of the Let's Move campaign. Our effort simply went public first, and is designed to address the specific aspects of the health of young people and adults alike throughout Montgomery County. Our partner-based grassroots efforts are equally important because what we see locally are the same trends shown across Ohio and nationally. More and more children are overweight and obese at younger and younger ages, and more children are experiencing significant health concerns and risks for adult illnesses like diabetes. We encourage you to learn more about the Let's Move initiative and its many resources. Click here for the latest report to the President by the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity. And visit the GetUp Wellness Policies page and School Policies page regularly for updates on information you need to know!
Inspire Change!
One truly inspiring aspect of participating in GetUp Montgomery County is seeing so many different community partners and programs come together. Our area has an abundance of wonderful programs and people dedicated to making a difference. What often happens, however, is that so many programs exist—and even struggle—without awareness of how to tap like-minded efforts. At GetUp, we believe it is important not to 'reinvent the wheel' but rather to enable partners to share and in many cases, simply grow awareness of their programs so local families can participate more often. Just as individuals enjoy many different types of activities, we know it is important to showcase a wide range of opportunities (and therefore partners) so that every family can find something interesting. We know that finding a new interest can inspire you to adopt new active play and nutrition goals. This is just one part of how we will collectively drive a culture change within Montgomery County so everyone has the opportunity to be healthier. New connections between GetUp partners are happening regularly now. For example, Five Rivers MetroParks was looking for ideas for National Get Outside Day (see story above) when GetUp connected with a representative of Western-Southern Life (visiting the PACE Expo; another event by a partner!). As also noted in the above story about the New Grocery Store, two partners—the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and the Junior League of Dayton—were able to connect with additional funders to make it possible! Inspired by GetUp, the Dayton Christian Center is also reaching out even more into the community. A new partnership with Garden Station will grow enough produce to feed all of the families served by the Dayton Christian Center's west Dayton day care center, and many more! Several entities are participating in this wonderful effort to grow local. It takes many voices to change a community. We hope your organization will join us! Check out the partner information on the GetUp & Inspire Change page for more information. There is no cost to become a partner organization, just a desire to collaborate and make a difference in the health of children, adults and families in Montgomery County. Please give an official shout out to the latest partners to join GetUp Montgomery County, including Asian Arts Taekwondo, Campfire USA (Greater Dayton Council), Dayton Gem City Jumpers, Key Sports & Business Promotions, Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services, Northridge Local Schools, Stillwater Center and Washington Township. We have met with well over 125 local partners and prospects. Is your organization in? GetUp partners will meet again on Thursday, June 17 at 3 pm at the Miamisburg Senior Adult Center. Check your emails for RSVP info. NOTE: The following information is for current GetUp partner organizations only. GetUp partners continue to reach out to other partners for assistance and ideas! Please contact the partner directly for more information.
Have a swap to share? Bring your ideas to the next Partner meeting! |
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