Cool Valley kids get health lessons early

Some kids from Cool Valley Elementary School last month learned a lot of neat facts about their health. They also learned ways to keep good health in the future.

The kids were taking part in an after-school class called Sneakers. The four-week session was taught by a dietitian from BJC Health Systems.

(If you'd like your school to include a Sneakers class, see sidebar below.)

Nine-year-old Chereice White said she learned a lot about how her body works. "I learned you have 206 bones in your body," she said.

Nine-year-old Leroy Lee said he liked to learn how the muscles in his fingers worked. One activity involved the kids practicing with hand puppets. He said he used his thumb and little finger for the puppet's arms while the middle three fingers worked the head.

The after-school sessions included discussions about healthy diets as well as different exercises to strengthen your body.

Nine-year-old Samone Harris said, "I learned that bones break easy if you don't eat right." She said exercise is important. She added she does 30 sit-ups and 30 pushups every day.

Ten-year-old Darrius Lardge said he liked to learn about the different systems in the body. "They teach you that you breath in oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide and water," he said.

That's an example of the body's respiratory system. Other body systems studied included the muscular, skeletal and circulation systems, according to BJC dietitian Haylee Ross.

She's one of two dietitians who taught Sneakers programs in 11 St. Louis area schools during the 2001-2002 school year. The purpose of the extra-curricular class was to show young kids that "fitness and heart-healthy" foods can protect their health in the future.

Third-grader Leroy Lee said he learned the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise. The first works mostly to stimulate breathing and blood flow. Anaerobic exercise works mostly on muscles.

Leroy said he liked jumping jacks and jogging in place.

Fourth-grader Darrius Lardge said he liked jumping jacks and pushups. He also liked "six-inchers." Those are leg lifts where you lie on the ground and lift you feet just six-inches off the floor. He said they are good to strengthen stomach muscles.

Chereice said she liked the toe-lifts best because it strengthen her calf muscles.

The kids paid close attention to suggestions on healthy foods. Most of them said they liked the ideas of more dairy foods and fruits. Fewer liked the idea of more vegetables.

And only Darrius thought that broccoli was a good food. Even he drew the line at eating it raw. He said he liked broccoli best cooked and with cheese or ranch dressing.

Leroy Lee said he paid attention when the teacher told how lots of sugar in the diet causes tooth cavities. "I stopped eating sweets," he said. He said he likes fruits such as bananas, grapes and apples. But, when it came to vegetables, he just shook his head.

The kids said they all liked to exercise with sports, with basketball the most popular.

Darrius said he plays football with the Berkeley Falcons team. He also plays basketball at home and at school.

Chereice White played basketball with a club team. She also runs track.

About the future, she said, "I'm going to exercise and eat more dairy products. Also, I want to learn more about my body. I expect to be thin like my mom and dad when I grow up."

 

How to take part in Sneakers If you'd like to take part in a Sneakers class, you can ask your teacher to contact BJC Health System's School Outreach and Youth Development office. The phone number is (314) 286-0460. In addition to Sneakers, BJC offers a dozen other health related programs for school kids in the St. Louis metro area.