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 The Children's Expo is hosted by the Park District in conjunction
with the Logan County Department of Public Health and the Abraham
Lincoln Memorial Hospital Community Health Collaborative.
Students visited over 20 stations that provided lessons on topics
including healthy living strategies such as eating healthy foods,
being active, practicing healthy habits, and the importance of hand
washing to keep away bacteria and illness.
At some stations, students learned about the importance of physical
activity. ALMH Rehab taught students about the best types of
physical activity. Angie Whiteman of the Community Approach to Child
Health (CATCH) program spun a wheel and had them do activities such
as running in place, high knee kicks, and planking.
Patti Huffer of the University of Illinois Extension Office showed
students how to practice balance and coordination using pool
noodles.
"Just Dance" videos and an obstacle course representing the heart's
chambers gave the children other opportunities to engage in physical
activity.
Representatives from the Girls on the Run program, which focuses on
both physical and mental well-being, had students do burpees,
windmills, sit-ups, squats, down dog, and jumping jacks. They played
a game where they rolled the dice to determine which activity they
would do and how long they had to do it. Students also talked about
what brings them joy and wrote down their answers.
At the Memorial Behavioral Health station, students learned about
understanding their feelings and coping skills for wellness.
The Lincoln Center for Developmental Rehab helped students
understand what it would be like to be in the shoes of someone with
a mental disorder or intellectual or physical disability. A poster
showed several well-known people who have had to learn to cope with
ADHD, ADD, dyslexia, or other learning disabilities.
Students also learned about what to do in emergency medical
situations. Renee Gentry, a Registered Nurse, explained how to
recognize stroke symptoms, what to do if you see someone having a
stroke, and how to call 911 if it happens. Gentry showed students
how to do activities one-handed like some stroke victims have to do.
Kimberly Janssen of the Epilepsy Foundation taught students first
aid for seizures including what seizures are, what seizures look
like, and what to do when someone is having a seizure.
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Nancy Kyrouac of the National Injury Prevention Foundation taught
the children about preventing brain and spinal cord injuries by wearing helmets
when riding bicycles and always wearing seatbelts in a vehicle.
At other stations, students learned about making healthy and responsible
choices.
At the SIU School of Medicine Nutrition program station, students
learned reading food labels is a healthy habit. Using "play food," the children
put them in baskets labeled GO, WHOA, or SLOW based on their nutritional
content. Through the CATCH program, they have been taught that everybody should
"eat more GO foods than SLOW foods and more SLOW foods than WHOA foods."
Students learned about the importance of keeping their teeth and mouth clean at
the SIU School of Medicine dental hygiene exhibit.
Students could see the effects of making unhealthy choices, too.
Christy Fruge and Jason Rohrer of the D.A.R.E. program had students wear goggles
to play ball so they could see what it feels like to be under the influence of
alcohol.
At the American Cancer Society station, Bill Post showed children what your
lungs might look like if you smoke.
Chris Schaffner of Peoria's Human Service Center showed students a video about
making good choices by avoiding drugs. Representatives from the Tazwood Center
showed what happens to your brain when you use drugs.
Elaine Woolard and Floyd Schmidt with ALMH Community Health Partnership talked
to students about the harmful effects of drugs on their lungs, mouth, brain,
skin, and heart.
The fifth graders were also able to participate in a photo contest. Students
submitted photos depicted themselves with their favorite healthy “GO Food" along
with a few sentences explaining why it’s their favorite. First, second, and
third prize winners were selected from the entries with a great selection of
prizes including a Lincoln Park District family pool pass, an indoor pool party
at Lincoln College and a bowling party at Logan Lanes. These photos will be
displayed at Saturday's Community Wellness Expo.
At the Wellness Expo, these students learned many tips for living healthy lives
and making healthy choices.
[Angela Reiners] |
