Fun-fly-fit! Fun-fly-fit!
Fun-fly-fit! Fun-fly-fit!
It wasn’t the kind of chant that you usually hear on a football field. But on a recent sunny Tuesday afternoon, 20 students at LaSalle Elementary School in Northeast Washington were beginning their twice-a-week effort to become healthier.
The chant was Step One.
The students were starting the second week of the six-week Fun Fly & Fit program, a signature effort of United Way of the National Capital Area to build youth fitness.
The children were all third, fourth or fifth graders. They all live in the nearby Michigan Park or Lamond Riggs neighborhoods. They were dressed as kids typically are—blue jeans, tank tops and T-shirts, sneakers of every conceivable color and shape.
But these were kids whose overall health is hampered by a lack of fitness. They had been recommended by LaSalle faculty, and they were being supervised by 12 volunteers from two national sororities.
The Fun Fly & Fit program is tightly organized. Children do calisthenics, relay races and stretching. They learn about healthy eating choices. And their parents get involved by attending evening meetings where tips about better diets are shared.
The LaSalle program is one of five currently underway around the Washington area.
Two elementary schools in Alexandria and one in Fairfax County are also taking part. So is Martha’s Table, a soup kitchen on Fourteenth Street, NW. Fun Fly & Fit was launched at two elementary schools in Loudoun County and Washington,DC last fall.
Jumping jacks began the day at LaSalle. Toe touches followed. Then the kids split into four teams for a relay race. Each child had to walk about 20 yards on top of two upside-down plastic cans, which the child held in place with strings. It was very easy to lose one’s balance, and many participants did. But that was fine with Shawntae Ray, age 12, “because it’s fun and you get exercise as you’re having fun.”
“It just teaches you how to do a lot of things,” added her friend, Raechon McCall, also 12.
Mia McCall, age 10, said she was an enthusiastic FFF participant because “it makes you lose weight.” How much did she hope and expect to lose? “A lot,” Mia replied.
The 45-minute session ended with a lesson about why fruits are a better diet choice than candy or ice cream. Then the group formed a circle and ended the way they had begun--with a chant.
Fun-fly-fit! Fun-fly-fit!
“See you Thursday,” said one of the volunteers. The kids nodded and smiled. Bodies and eating habits might take a while to change. But attitudes are already well on the way.
*For more information about bringing the Fun, Fly & Fit program to your community, please contact Euniesha Davis, 202.488.2024 or edavis@uwnca.org
*To sponsor a school or partner with UWNCA on this program, please contact Elizabeth Zacharias Owens at 202.488.2125 or eowens@uwnca.org
It wasn’t the kind of chant that you usually hear on a football field. But on a recent sunny Tuesday afternoon, 20 students at LaSalle Elementary School in Northeast Washington were beginning their twice-a-week effort to become healthier.
The chant was Step One.
The students were starting the second week of the six-week Fun Fly & Fit program, a signature effort of United Way of the National Capital Area to build youth fitness.
The children were all third, fourth or fifth graders. They all live in the nearby Michigan Park or Lamond Riggs neighborhoods. They were dressed as kids typically are—blue jeans, tank tops and T-shirts, sneakers of every conceivable color and shape.
But these were kids whose overall health is hampered by a lack of fitness. They had been recommended by LaSalle faculty, and they were being supervised by 12 volunteers from two national sororities.
The Fun Fly & Fit program is tightly organized. Children do calisthenics, relay races and stretching. They learn about healthy eating choices. And their parents get involved by attending evening meetings where tips about better diets are shared.
The LaSalle program is one of five currently underway around the Washington area.
Two elementary schools in Alexandria and one in Fairfax County are also taking part. So is Martha’s Table, a soup kitchen on Fourteenth Street, NW. Fun Fly & Fit was launched at two elementary schools in Loudoun County and Washington,DC last fall.
Jumping jacks began the day at LaSalle. Toe touches followed. Then the kids split into four teams for a relay race. Each child had to walk about 20 yards on top of two upside-down plastic cans, which the child held in place with strings. It was very easy to lose one’s balance, and many participants did. But that was fine with Shawntae Ray, age 12, “because it’s fun and you get exercise as you’re having fun.”
“It just teaches you how to do a lot of things,” added her friend, Raechon McCall, also 12.
Mia McCall, age 10, said she was an enthusiastic FFF participant because “it makes you lose weight.” How much did she hope and expect to lose? “A lot,” Mia replied.
The 45-minute session ended with a lesson about why fruits are a better diet choice than candy or ice cream. Then the group formed a circle and ended the way they had begun--with a chant.
Fun-fly-fit! Fun-fly-fit!
“See you Thursday,” said one of the volunteers. The kids nodded and smiled. Bodies and eating habits might take a while to change. But attitudes are already well on the way.
*For more information about bringing the Fun, Fly & Fit program to your community, please contact Euniesha Davis, 202.488.2024 or edavis@uwnca.org
*To sponsor a school or partner with UWNCA on this program, please contact Elizabeth Zacharias Owens at 202.488.2125 or eowens@uwnca.org
posted by Bob Levey's United Way at
8:34 AM
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