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The INDEPENDENT, September 7, 2011
Children need more physical activity
Between the ages of six and
11, children experience many
physical changes. Children’s
arm and leg coordination in-
creases, their ability to use
their fingers and hands for
crafts and writing improves,
and their interest in games with
rules and organized sports
grows.
Unfortunately, many of to-
day’s youth do not get enough
exercise. Did you know that:
• 9 out of 10 parents believe
their children are physically fit,
but in reality only 1 in 3 children
are?
• 63% of children are physi-
cally inactive by the time they
are in high school?
• 20% of the average child’s
waking hours are spent watch-
ing television?
• Children who are physical-
ly active experience fewer
chronic health problems than
sedentary children?
• Physically active children
have higher self-confidence
and better self-image?
Parents, teachers, and fit-
ness professionals all have a
role to play in promoting physi-
cal fitness among children.
However, the parents’ role is
the most important. Children
model their parents’ behavior,
so parents must be physically
active too. So, what can par-
ents do to promote physical ac-
tivity among their children?
• Plan family exercise activi-
ties so that parents and chil-
dren can exercise together and
have fun! For example: take
walks (in the mall, at the zoo,
with the family pet), go on bike
rides and nature hikes, run
races, jump rope, play games,
go swimming in the summer
and sledding in the winter, cre-
ate an obstacle course.
• Make sure family activities
are fun, not overly competitive.
Give children lots of praise and
reinforcement.
• Let children help plan fam-
ily activities. They will feel more
invested in the activities and
will be likely enjoy it more.
When physical activity is fun,
children are more likely to be-
come active and stay active.
• Because children’s bones
and muscles are still develop-
ing during the elementary
school years, be sure that fit-
ness activities include time for
stretching.
• Always remember to take
safety precautions such as
wearing a helmet when biking
and putting on sunscreen when
swimming in the summer sun.
• If television viewing is a
concern, try this simple equa-
tion, where children earn their
television time: 1 hour of read-
ing/studying = 1/2 hour TV, or 1
hour of active play = 1/2 hour
TV.
Have fun, and get fit as a
family!
Sources: Amy Halliburton, Gradu-
ate Research Assistant and Sara
Gable, Ph.D., University of Mis-
souri-Columbia
This is National Preparedness Month
September is National Pre-
paredness Month, and the U.S.
Department of Homeland Se-
curity has joined with more
than 6,000 federal, tribal, state
and local coalition members
from across the country to en-
courage Americans to prepare
their homes, businesses,
schools and communities for
disasters of all kinds. According
to FEMA Regional Administra-
tor Ken Murphy, this year
marks the eighth annual obser-
vance of National Prepared-
ness Month, and the ten year
anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist
attacks.
“This year’s National Pre-
paredness Month theme is: A
Time to Remember. A Time to
Prepare,” said Murphy. “We fo-
cus on taking simple, but po-
tentially life-saving steps to en-
hance preparedness, includ-
ing: Get an Emergency Supply
Kit; Make a Family Emergency
Plan; Be Informed about the
different types of emergencies;
and Get Involved in your com-
munity’s preparedness efforts.”
“Preparing for disasters
means that we must plan for
the Whole Community, includ-
ing people of different ages and
those with various access and
functional needs,” continued
Murphy. “It means planning for
children – and not just thinking
of them as small adults. It
means planning for the elderly,
and planning for families with-
out access to personal trans-
portation. Whole Community
preparedness means more
than just planning for what’s
easy – we have to plan for
what’s real.”
National
Preparedness
Month is sponsored by the
Ready Campaign in partner-
ship with Citizen Corps and the
Advertising Council. For more
information on National Pre-
paredness Month activities,
and how to become a coalition
member, visit Ready.gov,
www.fema.gov, or CitizenCo
rps.gov.
State Farm ®
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710
Bunny Girt, Agent
503-901-1705
1229 N. Adair
PO Box 543
Cornelius, OR 97113-0543
Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667
bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com
Two child safety seat events set
for Columbia County this month
Columbia County Safe Kids
will be holding two child safety
seat check-up events: one on
Thursday, September 8, in St.
Helens from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
at the St. Helens Fire Station,
105 S. 12th Street, St. Helens;
and another one on Saturday,
September 24, from 10 a.m. to
Noon at the Columbia County
Rider Transit Center, 280 E.
Columbia River Hwy. in Clat-
skanie. The clinics are free.
The clinics provide an op-
portunity to have a child safety
seat checked by a certified
technician, who can correct
misuse, help with installation
and teach you how to correctly
install the seat. Technicians
can also check for seat recalls.
There is no cost to have a tech-
nician check your child safety
seats. Please plan to spend 30-
60 minutes at the event.
Through a grant funded by
ACTS Oregon, Columbia
County Safe Kids can provide
low-cost child safety seats to
families in need. Families who
receive Temporary Assistance
to Needy Families (TANF)
should contact their worker
about payment for a seat. For
more information about the
clinic or the Columbia County
child safety seat program,
please contact Natalie at 503-
410-3169.
Clatskanie Health Fair on Sept. 24
Clatskanie Health & Safety
Fair will be held on September
24, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00
p.m. at Clatskanie PUD, 495 E.
Columbia River Hwy. Clats-
kanie.
Everyone is welcome to at-
tend.
Columbia County
Domestic Abuse
Mental Health
Hotline
800-294-5211
503-397-6161
-----------------
or
Suicide Hotline
866-397-6161
1-800-
-----------------
784-2433
or
1-800-273-
TALK(8255)
Military Helpline
888-HLP-4-VET
(888-457-4838)