Healthy Hearts after school program comes to Ogden

Teaching kids how to exercise, eat right and decrease screen time – while having fun – is the goal as Boone County ISU Extension and Outreach offers the Healthy Hearts After School program to students in kindergarten through fourth grade at Ogden Elementary School from 2:10-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoons this February.

Each program will start with an exercise to get kids moving. The students will roll exercise dice for an invigorating activity to participate in, such as jumping jacks or push-ups, or they’ll pull action cards for fun activities such as hopping like a bunny for 30 seconds or crawling like a cat. They’ll get to take exercise dice home with them to continue exercising after the program. And they’ll learn how exercise can be incorporated into everyday life.

Eating healthy foods is another habit the program encourages. Students learn what the five main food groups are with My Plate, and they learn to eat healthy selections from each of the food groups every day.

“One of the reasons why this is a good activity is they learn about fruits and vegetables,” said Lauren Britton, Boone County ISU Extension and Outreach Youth Outreach Coordinator.

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