[March 29, 2014]      

The Logan County Children's Health Fair took place on Friday. Fifth-grade students were bused to the Lincoln Park District SportsCenter, where they met a host of experts from health and fitness fields, as well as medical, safety and emergency response professionals.

Moving from station to station, the students were challenged to do a variety of physical activities and were provided a wealth of information.

The students were informed and encouraged in making good life choices that would protect them from accidents or illnesses, such as wearing a properly fitted helmet during risky activities to prevent brain injury, and they were given the newest nutritional guidelines.

Warm-up activities included all sorts of fun with running games. Then the students moved on.

One of the featured physical activities was a giant heart course. The course demonstrates how the heart works in carrying blood throughout the body and the importance of exercising the heart. Students listened to their own resting heart rates through stethoscopes, then worked the course and listened to their hearts again, working harder this time.

The course included students sitting on wheeled platforms and moving along by pulling an overhead rope, using only their hands, as well as crawling through tunnels, jumping rope, bouncing balls while hopping through rings, and more — a full-body workout.

Students learned what it would be like to be blind by swinging a bat at a ball while blindfolded.

Pictures by Jan Youngquist