Summer Olympics – How to get the Kids Into the Games

Paula — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 12:50:36 +0000

The Summer Olympics are almost here, and I am excited! It’s hard not to get hyped over the Olympics, whether winter or summer. It’s so exciting to watch competitors battling it out for the coveted gold. But what I love more than that is a good personal story behind the athlete’s journey to the games. I’m interested in the Summer Olympics. I think the games provide a great learning opportunity, but my kids are on summer break and they don’t really want to hear about learning right now. That’s why I decided to brainstorm some ways to get kids into the upcoming Olympics. This is what I came up with. Getting the Kids Excited About the Summer Olympics I remember when the Olympics were the biggest deal in the history of sports. I mean, you had to wait for 4 years, and by then the entire lineup of superstars had changed. After all, the Olympics is a young man and woman’s venue. And you could only see them on network television. It was such an ordeal to watch sometimes, but it was so worth it. These days, you can stream everything live on your phone with real time updates and everything else. Here are some ways to inject a little excitement into the Summer Olympics to get the kiddos off of their tablets, smart phones, and consoles and actually watch a little bit of sports history. Themed Treats If you plan ahead, you can make themed treats for the games. For example line up cupcakes with blue frosting and a yellow frosted line down the center. You’ve got an Olympic pool. Is soccer scheduled for the day? Make up some circular Rice Krispies Treats and ice them up to look like soccer balls. Be creative and get the kids to help! Backyard Track and Field Track and field has always been one of my favorite parts of the Summer Olympics. To add in a little physical activity and some family bonding time, why not have a track and field meet in the backyard? Throw a soccer ball shot-put style or lay out a track for the kids (and grownups) to do some racing on using rope. Incorporate Crafting If your kids are into crafting, try incorporating that interest to get them excited about the Summer Olympics. For example, look up Olympic crafts on Pinterest and I am sure you’ll find a tonne of ideas. Here are a few more Olympic ideas for you to consider. Use Technology Remember the streaming everything I mentioned at the beginning of this post? Use that to your advantage. Use all technology to your advantage. Kids love the immediate gratification of today’s connected world, so use it! Pull up your country’s Summer Olympics competitors on your tablet, smartphone, or computer and check out their stats and what they’ve done. Then see if you and your family can guess how well they’ll do in the games. EVERYONE loves to speculate, after all. 😉 Summer Olympics – Get Your Kids Into the Games The Summer Olympics have always been such a big part of our lives, but in a world with tablets, smartphones, and instant media coverage, the games have a lot to compete with. Use any or all of the suggestions above to get your kids more interested in these historic games and less interested in what they’re doing on their tablets. What are some ways you think you’d be able to get your kids more interested in the Summer Olympics?

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Canada Global Nutrition Challenge #MyRoadToRio

Paula — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 13:33:48 +0000

It’s easy to take things for granted when you live in Canada. We have what we need. We live in one of the richest countries in the world. As a parent, it’s my job to challenge my family and my children to see beyond our backyard. I’m raising my kids to be global citizens who care and believe they have power to help change the world for the better. So, what does that look like? This summer as the Rio Olympic games get started, I’ll use the media coverage to find moments to talk to my kids about issues like malnutrition, and children’s health and welfare around the world. My kids know children have a voice. Once I took my older daughter to an event where environmentalist Severn Cullis – Suzuki, who spoke in Rio at the Earth Summit when she was only 12 years old, discussed women’s role models. We have attended We Days over the years and a few years ago I encouraged both of my daughters to write to our city council about a decision they didn’t support. Together as a family we work with charities that are close to our heart – ones that build a better future for children. That’s why RESULTS Canada has our interest this summer. I believe that children and youth have a voice and that they have power as well. I think that is a lesson worth repeating often. That’s why I will take some time this summer to talk to my kids about The Road To Rio Challenge, the movement called RESULTS Canada and the realities of global malnutrition and undernutrition, and poverty. RESULTS Canada is a global movement of people passionate about ending extreme poverty. RESULTS Canada combines voices of grassroots advocates with advocacy. The group raises money to help build programs and improve policies to give the world’s poorest people access to health, education and the opportunity to thrive. The Road to Rio Challenge is a fundraising campaign that will help RESULTS Canada raise $50,000 to fund advocacy work. The challenge will demonstrate Canadian support for ending malnutrition worldwide. It will also help ensure that every child has a healthy start in life. [tweetthis]RESULTS Canada hopes to raise $50,000 to fund advocacy work that tackles poverty. #MyRoadtoRio[/tweetthis] Those taking the challenge will walk, run, and roll a collective 9,000 kilometres (which is the distance between Ottawa and Rio De Janeiro ) by August 4th, while asking friends and family to donate to RESULTS Canada along the way. Road to Rio is a global fundraising and advocacy effort that includes RESULTS Canada, RESULTS USA and RESULTS UK. You can learn more about Road to Rio here: http://results.akaraisin.com/RoadToRio/ You can also follow along with committed RESULTS Canada members who are walking, running, rolling, or even trotting, as is one case with a horse-loving volunteer member. In the global nutrition sector, “malnutrition” actually encompasses several conditions, including undernutrition, being overweight and obesity. RESULTS Canada focuses efforts on undernutrition in developing countries. Undernutrition keeps people from reaching their full potential. Undernourished children underperform in school, limiting potential for future job opportunities. Undernourished adults are less able to work, contribute to local economies, and provide care for their families. Undernourished mothers are more likely to have underweight children, who will in turn have a higher risk of physical and cognitive impairment. That perpetuates the cycle of poverty. As a parent raising youth and growing advocates I am always interested in learning more about causes that might prompt a passionate response from my own children. I took some time to interview RESULTS Canada Volunteer Roshelle Filart by email. Roshelle Filart says she first became aware and interested in the issue of malnutrition and poverty when she was a student. She is committed to raising $500 and traveling 500 km by bike to help raise awareness. Her Road to Rio will help raise money to help the group achieve their advocacy goals before the start of the Rio summer Olympics. From Roshelle on Canada Global Nutrition Challenge: “Whether I was student teaching in an economically disadvantaged neighbourhood in downtown Toronto or teaching in rural southern and West Africa, the effects of poor nutrition on early childhood development and later educational outcomes were more or less the same. It was simply impossible to teach children who were too hungry and too tired to learn. In Canada, malnutrition tends to manifest as obesity or diabetes and other chronic diseases rather than the classic stunting and wasting seen in many developing or conflict-ridden countries. But whatever form it takes, we need to address malnutrition wherever it exists because it deprives so many people of their dignity and potential.” “We need to make more Canadians aware of malnutrition in all its forms and the impact it has on a child’s cognitive and physical development. We need people to understand that when 795 million people around the world do not get enough to eat we all suffer the global economic burden,” says Filart. Some Facts About Malnutrition and Undernutrition: On average, global nutrition-specific programming accounts for only 1% of official development assistance, while malnutrition plays a role in the deaths of 45% of all children under the age of five worldwide. Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies cost up to USD$2.1 trillion per year to the global economy 870 million people face chronic hunger USD $3.5 trillion lost annually in productivity and healthcare costs. 793 million people are undernourished globally (macro- and micro-nutrient deficiencies) 159 million children are affected by stunting (low height-for-age), which leads to weaker immune systems and diminished cognitive capacities 50 million children are affected by wasting (low weight-for-height). Children with severe wasting are 11 times more likely to die than their healthy counterparts The Canada Global Nutrition Challenge Makes an Impact: RESULTS Canada is on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram The Canada Global Nutrition Challenge is simple to do and makes a dramatic impact on children’s health. Read more or donate here. Take the Canada Global Nutrition Challenge and commit to helping RESULTS Canada tackle poverty, and malnutrition world-wide. Donate to help now and talk to your family and friends about changing the world with RESULTS Canada. This post is sponsored by Social Diversity Media Inc. on behalf of RESULTS Canada. All opinions are my own.

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Summer Olympics – How to get the Kids Into the Games

Canada Global Nutrition Challenge #MyRoadToRio