Renee Steinkruger
Project Coordinator, 308.865.8177
Nebraska on the Move (NOM) Kids Fitness and Nutrition Day 2004 will take place 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15, at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Foster Field and Cushing Coliseum.
More than 450 Buffalo County fourth grade students, along with teachers and parents, will participate in the day. A week before to the event, classroom teachers will be asked to administer a nutrition education survey to their students. In addition, teachers will receive pedometers for their students and themselves to wear for one week before the event. Students will log their daily physical activity for five days and use it as an educational tool during the fitness and nutrition day.
Kearney schools registered include Bryant Elementary, Central Elementary, Emerson Elementary, Glenwood Elementary, Kenwood Elementary, Meadowlark Elementary, Northeast Elementary, Park Elementary, Windy Hills Elementary and rural Stone School. Other area schools include Elm Creek Elementary, Gibbon Elementary, Riverdale School and Shelton Elementary.
While on campus, participants will rotate through 14 physical activity stations at UNK’s Foster Field. These activities include an obstacle course, parachutes, soccer kicking and jump ropes. A safety station which incorporates physical activity led by Kearney firefighters is also planned. Students will get to move, dance and learn new skills while working with UNK athletes, students and community members.
“The focus of the stations will be to teach children and adults that physical activity is fun and can be obtained in many ways,” said Renee Steinkruger, Nebraska on the Move coordinator.
Participants will also attend five nutrition education stations at the UNK Cushing Coliseum. Stations include ideas of how to make healthy snacks, understanding of basic concepts of energy balance, how to make smart choices when eating at home and in restaurants, as well as education regarding harmful effects of soft drinks and high sugar foods.
All participants will be provided with a healthy sack lunch. Teachers and parents will have the opportunity to attend a session on how to incorporate energy balance into their curriculum. They will also receive information about Nebraska on the Move and how to incorporate it into their daily lives.
Sponsors for this event include the Nebraska Beef Council, Buckle, the Two Rivers Health Department in Holdrege and Nebraska on the Move at UNK
