By Mary Ann Fraser, Walker 2007
I.Q. is getting
fit, and you can, too.
Here's how:
1. Eat a Balanced Diet
A. Make a food rainbow. For each color draw a picture of the foods in that category as follows:
 |
red - fruits |
|
orange - grains
| yellow - fats and oils
| green - vegetables
| blue - milk and dairy products
| purple - meat, beans, fish, and nuts |
B. I.Q. has brownies on his food pyramid. What's in yours? Make a sketch of your own food pyramid.
Clip out pictures of food and paste them in the correct areas of the pyramid. For a reference, check out http://www.mypyramid.gov/
2. Drink plenty of water
When you're really thirsty, cold water is the No. 1 thirst-quencher. Sometimes you will want something other than water to drink. Milk is another great choice. Kids need about 800 milligrams of calcium a day for strong bones. There are 600 milligrams of calcium in 2 cups of milk. it's OK to have 100% juice, but try to avoid drinks with a lot of sugar like sodas, juice cocktails, and fruit punches.
3. Get Lots of Sleep
The Sleep Game
Kids between the ages of 5 and 12 years of age need 10-11 hours of sleep. Adults can manage with about 7 hours of sleep.
Can you match each animal with the number of hours of sleep it needs each day?
|
Koala Giraffe Lion Pig Cat Chimpanzee Mouse Elephant
|
12 20 12 8 30 minutes 18-20 16 4-6
|
Scroll to the bottom of the page for the answers.
4. Stay Active
Keeping fit by yourself
|
Use a pedometer to count the number of steps you take in one day | ||||||
|
Practice hopscotch.
| Count how many times you can hop on one foot. Try again with the other foot.
| Do jumping jacks.
| Use a stopwatch to see how fast you go. |
|
Have a cartwheel contest.
| Invent dances to your favorite songs.
| Jump rope together.
| Put on helmets and ride bikes.!
| Practice pitching and hitting a baseball. |
Keeping fit with a group
|
Play tag.
| Play outdoor hide-and-seek.
| Have a three-legged race |
Have some ideas of your own? Send them to me by clicking here.
Anwers: Koala - 18 to 20 hrs; Giraffe - 30 minutes; Lion - 20 hrs; Pig- 8 hrs; Cat - 16 hrs; Chimpanzee - 12 hrs; Mouse - 12 hrs; Elephant - 4 to 6 hrs