KANSAS
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
BILL GRAVES, GOVERNOR
Clyde D. Graeber, Secretary
For Immediate Release
Contact: Don Brown, 785-296-1529
Kansas Kids Fitness Day Events Will Involve over 16,000 Third Graders Statewide
Thousands of Kansas third grade students will rally in the name of good health and fitness on May 7,1999 as part of Kansas Kids Fitness Day. Flagship events will be held at the Cedar Crest Governor's Mansion in Topeka and at Historic Fort Larned, along with local events at schools all across Kansas.
"Our children need regular physical activity to stay fit and grow into active and healthy adults," said Governor Bill Graves. "It is one of the most important and enjoyable things we can do to stay healthy, and it's fun!"
Kansas Kids Fitness day activities will include the following:
• Running, jumping, throwing, and pushing giant earth balls, kids across Kansas filled 36 locations with the sounds of fun and physical activity on Friday, May 7.
• Activities at all events are non-competitive and include special SAFE KIDS events designed to teach fire safety and injury prevention.
• Kansas Kids Fitness Day celebrations mark the completion of a year of increased physical activity made possible through an integrated curriculum based on the Santa Fe Trail.
• Governor Graves is Honorary Chairman of the flagship event held on the grounds of Cedar Crest, the Governor's residence in Topeka, where 700 third graders from schools across the state attend if their school is selected through a drawing.
• Special guest at Cedar Crest is Drew Bartlett, National Youth Safety Star
• A second flagship event is conducted at historic Ft. Larned on the Santa Fe Trail, where 400 third graders delight in donning calvary uniforms to haul cannon and join bucket brigades in recreations of historically accurate physical activity.
Studies indicate that participation in all types of physical activity declines strikingly as age or grade in school increases. The Santa Fe Trail curriculum was designed to increase physical activity for third graders through an integrated curriculum incorporating Kansas history, math, science, art, music, and geography. Kansas Kids Fitness Day events celebrate this increased physical activity by providing a day of non-competitive physical activity for third graders across Kansas.
In this year's events the sponsors, Kansas Council on Fitness and the Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition, combined efforts by incorporating fire safety and injury prevention into the Fitness Day events. SAFE KIDS Gear Up is a program that teaches children, parents and caregivers to use the right safety gear to help keep kids safe from the number one killer of children ages 14 and under - preventable injury. "SAFE KIDS Gear Up is a fun and effective way to teach children and parents the appropriate safety behavior and gear for home, school, and play and the importance of using it correctly," said Bob Frederick, KU Athletic Director.
All children and teachers participating in Kansas Kids Fitness Day received health enrichment packets full of information on nutrition, tobacco abstinence, physical activity, and safety, and a Kansas Kids Fitness Day water bottle. These items were provided through the generosity of the Kansas Health Foundation, the American Cancer Society, Tobacco Use Prevention Program, Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services of the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Kansas Council on Fitness, and the Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition.
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