Do you remember playing outside with your siblings and friends? Perhaps you spent hours building a fort, climbing a tree or digging in the dirt. Unfortunately for today's children, opportunities for outdoor play have been replaced with memories of electronic games, sporting events and test preparation. According to the Children & Nature Network and recent studies, children are smarter, more cooperative, happier and healthier when they have regular opportunities to engage freely in unstructured outdoor play. If you're looking to learn about nature play and practice easy ways to create, facilitate and maintain nature play opportunities, please click here for a link to a recent webinar offered by KaBOOM! and the Säjai® Foundation. The presenter was Melissa Hanson, President of the Foundation. Listen, learn, and enjoy!
First Lady Michelle Obama Focuses on Childhood Obesity
Michelle Obama has chosen as her priority focus for 2010 the issue of childhood obesity and how to get kids to live healthier lives. The Foundation is delighted with that focus, as obviously it's our primary focus too, and we hope her work will drive initiatives that can support our work with children. The timeliness of her focus could be very positive, for children, and for the youth-serving organizations we partner with. Shining a brighter spotlight on childhood obesity can help today's children become tomorrow's healthy adults!
The Säjai® Foundation is pleased to participate in an important initiative for developing healthier lifestyles. In late 2008, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the first Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. To build on the momentum created by issuance of the Guidelines, work has begun on development of a comprehensive National Physical Activity Plan. A central element in the planning process was a National Conference that occurred July 1-2, 2009, in Washington, DC. Preparation of the National Plan has been organized around eight societal sectors, and for each of these sectors a Working Group is being formed. A Working Group will be asked to generate recommended policies, practices, strategies and initiatives that should be included in the overall National Physical Activity Plan. Melissa Hanson, the Foundation's President, is a member of the Working Group for the Parks, Recreation, and Sports sector. This is an opportunity for the Foundation to be involved in making a critical contribution to the development of the National Plan. We're excited and thrilled to participate in this important mission!
