Building Strong Bones and Muscles : 71 Activities

Osteoporosis and related fracture are serious problems for adults—and the best protection against bone loss later in life is to achieve optimal bone strength during childhood and adolescence. As a teacher or recreation leader, you have the opportunity to enhance children's bone health and muscle strength by using the evidence-based programs and activities provided in Building Strong Bones & Muscles. The book offers practical games and activities that are

-research based so you know recreational or PE time is spent on effective, health-promoting activities;

-classroom tested to ensure the activities are not only worthwhile but also fun for children;

-easy to implement by the general classroom teacher or other leader because they use commonly available physical activity equipment or no equipment at all;

-fully illustrated to make the games and activities easy to implement with minimal preparation with the use of reproducible task cards; and

-appropriate in a variety of settings, with activities and teaching techniques for three developmental levels, multiple cross-curricular connections, and activity variations.

The book presents a variety of ideas for circuits and stations, games, gymnastics, dance, and supplemental activities. You'll also find these features:

-Cross-curricular worksheets and reproducibles

-Assessment tools
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-Achievement recognition and motivation tools that make it easy to implement the activities effectively

In as little as 10 minutes a day, three times a week, the preventive measures in Building Strong Bones & Muscles can help your students achieve optimal bone health and muscle strength and decrease their risk of developing osteoporosis.

Graham Fishburne, PhD, is professor of education at the University of Alberta. He is recognized as an international leader in the world's “Who's Who in Sport Pedagogy Theory and Research” and has received numerous research and teaching awards, including the Canadian National Teaching Award as one of Canada's top teachers. His major areas of expertise are in children's motor development and effective teaching. Professor Fishburne has authored many books and articles on elementary school physical education and has 30 years of teaching experience at all levels of school and university education. He is an internationally recognized educator, and is regularly consulted by government agencies to offer advice and leadership on developmentally appropriate physical education programs for children and youth, and to offer guidance on the most effective programs for teacher training and professional development.

Heather McKay, PhD, is professor in the departments of orthopaedics and family
practice at the University of British Columbia. A Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research senior scholar, Dr. McKay is internationally recognized for her research related to physical activity and children's health and their applications in community and school settings. Dr. McKay cofounded ActionSchools BC! (www.actionschoolsbc.ca) in partnership with numerous community and government stakeholders.

Stephen Berg, MEd, is a graduate student in the department of elementary education at the University of Alberta and a member of the Canadian Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. He has received two university teaching awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching and has taught K-12 physical education. He currently teaches undergraduate courses in elementary school physical education curriculum and instruction. He is doing his PhD work on effective delivery of a healthy bone program in elementary schools.