Each season, the Department of Parks and Recreation rolls out new programs and new initiatives to engage Moorestown residents in fun and exciting programs and activities. Having shed its former image of “just soccer and basketball for kids” the Department of Parks and Recreation has developed a wide variety of programs for all ages and all interests from pre-school activities to Senior Trips and more.
This fall the new program, 3rd Floor Fun, will engage second and third grade children in a wide variety of activities from fitness to carpentry to weaving and more. Each session of 3rd Floor Fun will offer a new activity and focus.
Beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 3, the new 3rd Floor Fun program kicks off with the first installment called “Fitness Fun.” This four-week session is just the first chapter of 3rd Floor Fun. Under the direction of instructor Debbie Flick, second and third graders will learn the basics of healthy exercises, easy and healthy snack options and healthy lifestyle options. Flick is a seasoned instructor, a registered nurse and sports referee. Her goal is to provide children with a fundamental understanding of the importance of healthy life choices that set the stage for a healthy future.
As a parent of three adult children, Flick knows the importance of setting the stage for success. Children are surrounded by media and environmental influences that not only advertise unhealthy lifestyles and habits, but also encourage them. From low nutrition and high calorie foods to the increasing amount of time children spend on technology and media, the youth of 2015 as a whole are less healthy than their parents were.
According to National Public Radio and a piece on public health by Nancy Shute, children’s aerobic fitness has declined by 5 percent since 1975. Children worldwide spend more time on media outlets than physical outlets. Increased body weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) from poor nutritional choices contributes to the 30 to 70 percent decline in children’s aerobic fitness. Currently, researchers have found that despite U.S. health authorities studies showing children need more than 60 minutes of active play each day, and the numerous media messages encouraging physical activity, only about a third of children are doing so.
Think of the compounding factors: more TVs, live streaming, computers, hand-held devices, smart phones and tablets are present today (compared to roughly one television per household in 1970); low nutrition, high calorie, pre-packaged foods for the “on-the-go-lifestyle” we have all adopted; and, because of our manic lifestyle, no one has time to walk or ride their bikes anywhere.
So how do we combat this rising epidemic? We do it through early intervention in the healthy lifestyle arena. Offer children basic knowledge and information to help them make healthy choices and develop a healthy lifestyle as they grow. “Fitness Fun” is just one of the many programs offered by the Department of Parks and Recreation to help all community members develop and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.
For more information about this new program or any of the Recreation programs visit our website at www.moorestown.nj.us/253/Parks-Recreation . New installments of Third Floor Fun will be offered throughout the year in 4-week sessions.
