The overall educational experience goes much deeper than reading, writing and arithmetic. We expect our educators to set examples in school for the very simple reason that children do not have a switch to turn off and on when it comes to learning. Every action by authority figures can be expected to be emulated by students. They know they are there to learn. The language used by teachers is expected to be appropriate. The manner in which teachers conduct themselves is crucial to how our children are formed for social interaction. They begin the learning experience the moment the walk through the door.

Lunch is not a break time from learning. While it may be a break from math, the children are still learning. If they are learning that it is perfectly acceptable to eat low quality food, processed food, chemicals and trans-fats then that will certainly be carried over into their everyday lives. In a country that is riddled with obesity, it is the responsibility of the public school system to educate proper eating habits. A child does not have the ability, nor should they be required, to decipher the difference between what behaviors should be followed in school based on budgets and politics. This is a little like “do as I say, not as I do” method of teaching.

Providing healthy and nutritious meals are as essential to the learning process as up to date text books. There is no room for shortcuts in teaching the importance of diet than there is for science. After all, no one ever died of a heart attack from thinking the sun revolved around the earth. I dare say that teaching false science would raise attention. Teaching by example the importance of proper diet should be equal if not the forefront of the educational experience.

Child psychologist Paul Ballas has proposed that exercise ratings be applied to video games. Since the release of the Wii video game system, many children are now up off the floor and moving along with the latest video games.

According to Ballas, applying an exercise rating to video games could help fight against childhood obesity. Parents would be empowered with the ability to judge how much exercise their children are getting and limit video game time to certain videos that meet the criteria.

The rating system proposed by Ballas is broken down into four categories.

1. Sedentary: Games played by pushing buttons while seated. No increase in heart rate, no increase in metabolic rate. Comparable to reading or watching television.
2. Low intensity: Games that result in an energy expenditure of two to four times the resting metabolic rate. Comparable to walking.
3. Moderate intensity: Games that result in an energy expenditure of four to six times the resting metabolic rate. Comparable to brisk walking.
4. High intensity: Games that result in an energy expenditure of six to eight times the resting metabolic rate. Comparable to jogging.

This is an opportunity for video game makers to benefit by a new marketing strategy as well as helping to reduce childhood obesity.

The rating system would show how many calories are burned by certain games and levels, thus encouraging parents to allow their children to play. Time will tell if the marketing gurus for these games take advantage of what could be at the very least an aid in eliminating couch potato kids.

Children are exposed to a lot of stress factors nowadays. Stress often leads to eating disorders. To prevent these issues or even reverse the effects, yoga is a great way to exercise with your children.

There is homework that they do daily… the competition with other children…TV and computer games…
and even over-scheduling.

And just like adults these kids need something relaxing to turn into and that could be: Yoga.

Yoga for kids helps then develop better body awareness, it also delivers to them a total self control, flexibility and coordination.

All of these they could carry not just on their class but this exercises can help them with their daily routines.

Yoga for kids has shown to help children who are hyper active to tone down and to brighten up those attention deficit ones. Children today crave movement and sensory motor stimuli that can help then balance out their inner souls flow.

Yoga for kids helps them channel out this impulses in a positive way.

The main Yoga for kids poses that seem to work perfectly with kids are the warrior pose and the tree pose. These two yoga for kids poses helps instill in them calm, confidence and balance.

The trick to get them to do Yoga for kids is to go beyond just doing the proper poses, you should have to get them think about what the real posture means.

Let them think that they are really what the poses are symbolizing, let them be the postures – strong and confident like a warrior.

Yoga for kids with partners is also a good way to build up trust with you children. It develops their team skills and fosters a closer bonding.

Some kids when it comes to relaxation have a big trouble closing their eyes and having them focus on their exercises. One thing that encourages a child to relax is visualization. Let them think of something that they really like and let them imagine being like these things.

You may also have them focus out on belly breathing first and have them listen to soothing and relaxing music.

Then ask them to imagine their favorite spot in the house or let them think that they are in outer space floating, or let them visualize that they are at the beach, playing their favorite sport or doing the best activity that they like.

Sometimes for boys letting them think of a favorite girlfriend helps them relax, but this is sometimes hard to do because they become shy and intolerable when this kind of issues are discussed. Just stick to the visualization thing if this technique is quite complicated for you.

Every day at the end of each relaxation exercises, encourage the children to share their own experiences. Ask them to tell to the group what it was like to be in their visualized surroundings. Ask them also to share what place have they imagined they where in.

Another approach is to create a guided imagination by telling them a story with a calming theme of some sort.

As you know children have the most active imagination, they imagine all sorts of things. And at this point of imagination it makes them feel calm. So when doing yoga for kids let them think that they are walking on a green pasture.

You can even let them think that they are butterflies in a beautiful garden. The main idea in here is to instill a sense of peace and feeling of oneness with nature.

Yoga for kids should be taught more often and in different places. It is important to teach children the meaning of union of mind, body and spirit.

There is such a wealth of knowledge we can offer our children with the practice of Yoga.

Whole Foods Market Inc. (Nasdaq:WFMI) announced that it has vowed to bring more fresh fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains to school lunch rooms.

A popular organic food market across the country and based in Austin Texas, Whole Food Market co-CEO Walter Robb stated that, “With childhood obesity levels at an all-time high, everyone has a stake in this fight and must take action to help change the way our children eat both at home and school.”

TheLunchBox.org initiative is a program by Whole Foods Market and has an offshoot called www.SaladBarProject.org, which is being funded through donations by Whole Foods Market shoppers until Sept. 29th. The Salad Bar Project will assist with providing schools with the $2,500 each school requires to install a salad bar.

For any public school to be eligible for the grant it must be within 50 miles of  a Whole Foods Market. Determination of eligibility will be based on the school’s percentage of students in the Free and Reduced Meal Program.

Awardees will be based on the school’s percentage of students enrolled in the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Program and a show of dedication to maintaining the salad bar with healthy and fresh food for students.

One would think that underprivileged regions in the US would be the hardest hit when it comes to nutrition for school children. This is not the case. While many would believe that the privileged are often catered to extravagantly, the second wealthiest community in America, Fairfax County Virginia, serves some of the lowest quality food in the nation.

These “silver spoons” are dishing out synthetic food dyes, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, soy-based meat substitutes, and a heavy dose of salt.

While a small rural community, Arlington Vermont, which has a high rate of free and reduced lunches, provides students with healthy as well as delicious meals.

This goes to show that the National School Lunch Program is not a problem based on wealth or status, but a national issue for all children. Every child should be provided with a nutritious meal that will play a major role in their ability to learn and function well in school.

The ability to learn, as well as appropriate behavior, has been linked directly to nutrition. By providing our children with healthy meals we are helping to secure the future of the country with a constant supply of highly educated graduates from all walks of life.

Please take a moment to sign this petition to help in the fight against childhood obesity and provide children with adequate nutrition.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Real-Food-For-Kids.

First Lady Michelle Obama has introduced a challenge that is being greeted with enthusiasm by schools across the country.

“Chefs Move to Schools” is another step towards the fight against childhood obesity, in which top rated chefs adopt a school. These culinary experts then train school cafeteria workers to prepare food by healthier methods.

Chefs across the country will go back to school for what has been coined “lunch lady boot camp”. Enthusiastic workers will be adopting techniques on how to cut fresh vegetables into cool shapes, making them more appealing to students. The old adage “it’s all in the presentation” will be put into practice by lunch ladies and their new knife skills.

The program is attracting a lot of attention that seems to be catching on. Denver Colorado has 600 cafeteria workers currently lined up for retraining.

Cooking from scratch has been a time consuming endeavor that has caused schools to gear towards more processed foods. By training cafeteria workers to cook from scratch efficiently, a large decrease in processed foods will surely follow.

It’s all about the incentives. Getting people to change is no easy task; whether those people be friends, family or the general public. Getting underfunded organizations to change is a monumental challenge but is no different. Incentives are the best way to create change where change is needed.

Congressman Nick Rahall has introduced a bill that creates an incentive to public schools to provide fresh fruit and vegetables as well as low fat and healthy hot meals. The School Enhancement of America’s Talented Students Act is a competitive grant for schools that meet the nutritional guidelines. The bill is part of the Child Nutrition Act that passed out of the House Committee on Education and Labor. The grant will provide districts with $8 million dollars over three years.

“What we’re doing in this particular bill is creating a competitive grant program for schools that’s use the least amount of processed food, and we give in this legislation, priority to schools where over 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch,” Rahall said.

This grant will provide the extra funds needed to eliminate the cheaper processed foods and provide healthier meals to school children.