February 2002 Issue

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An Online Educational Community

A newsletter that educates parents, teachers, and
students.

February 2002 Issue #31
Austin Simms, Editor, mailto:editor@innovamultimedia.com
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Welcome to the thirty-first issue of "An Online Educational
Community". To read past issues of our newsletter, visit
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/archive.html or to learn
more about us, check out our website at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com

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You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a
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Each month we will focus on a different educational theme
and base our feature article and learning tips around that
particular theme.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Feature
=> Contest - Win a Whale
=> This Month's Free Lesson Plans
=> More Great Education Web Sites
=> Whale Links for Whale Lovers
=> Feedback

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Feature
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Promoting Healthy, Active Lifestyles in Children

Ask any primary or elementary school child what his or her
favorite subject is and chances are you won't have to wait
very long for a reply. A very large percentage of the children
will respond with 'gym' or physical education. However, the
percentage of students who choose physical education as their
favorite subject, early in their education, declines as they
ascend the educational ladder to junior and senior high school.
Many reasons account for this, two of which include:

· less periods of physical activity per week.

· physical education not being mandatory; especially, at the
senior high level, where students are often forced to choose
other subjects to fulfill graduation requirements.

When many students finish school or college and move into
adulthood, once again their participation in physical activity
declines. With the lack of an active lifestyle and a healthy
diet, a large number of these people adopt a sedentary
lifestyle which over time often lead to chronic diseases such
as: cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
These diseases place a tremendous strain on the health care
system.

So, what can be done, at the school level, to increase rather
than decrease physical activity as a person gets older? Here
are a number of suggestions:

1. Develop a school policy that promotes good nutrition
and exercise.

2. Ensure that students receive 30 minutes of quality
physical activity daily.

3. Make physical education compulsory at all grade levels.
All students, in middle and upper grades, who attend
private schools in the United States are required to
participate in one sport daily during each of the three
terms.

4. Structure physical education classes so that all
students, regardless of their skill and fitness levels,
receive a high performance workout during each session.

5. Promote regular physical testing of the students so that
they can be aware of their fitness level.

6. Promote intramural as well as extracurricular sports
programs.

7. Initiate a school breakfast or lunch program where
students receive nutritious meals.

8. Invite a nutritionist to attend a P.T.A. meeting to
inform parents about preparing nutritious lunches and
snacks for their children.

9. Invite a cardiologist, general practictioner, or public
health nurse to attend a P.T.A. meeting to give a
presentation on the topic, "Physical Activity is Essential
for a Healthy Lifestyle".

10. Provide meetings or workshops to educate parents and
teachers on how to be role models for the children through
promoting healthy eating and regular physical activity.

11. Devote a segment of the school's monthly newsletter for
nutrition and exercise tips.

12. Encourage the after hours use of school facilities by
community based organizations.

It stands to reason that children who develop and maintain a
healthy, active lifestyle during their school years will
most likely continue to do so as adults.

For further information on this topic, please visit the
following web sites:

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/dnpaaag.htm

http://www.cahperd.ca/e/advocacy/

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Contest - Win a Whale
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INNOVA Multimedia Ltd. is giving away TEN of our "A Whale of
a Tale" educational software lessons and the latest version
of LessonBuilder, a custom course-creation utility, as a
FREE DOWNLOAD on our website! Visit
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lbuilder.html
to download your free copy.

When you download LessonBuilder you are
automatically entered in our contest to win a free CD-ROM
from our "A Whale of a Tale" series. Good Luck!

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This Month's Free Lesson Plans
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Teachers, check out free "A Whale of a Tale" lesson plans on
our website at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lp_index.html

Surf into Science 3 - "Endangered Species" at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/sci3g.htm encourages
children to define the term "endangered species".

Surf into Science 3 - "The Planets" at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/sci3h.html encourages
children to name the planets and show each planet's position in
the Solar System in relation to its orbit path around the Sun.

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More Great Education Web Sites
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Check out these INNOVA recommended resource sites:

Biology Label Me! Printouts
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/label/biology.shtml
This site contains over 40 elementary-level printouts on the
anatomy and life cycles of various plants and animals. The
child reads the definitions of each anatomical part of an
organism and then labels the diagram. At this site they
learn about such topics as: baleen whale anatomy, ear
anatomy, and dolphin anatomy. The children can also trace
the development of the butterfly from egg to larva to pupa to
adult as they study the butterfly life cycle.

Saint Patrick's Day Themed Math Pages
http://www.kidzone.ws/math/patrick/index.htm
This site contains free printouts of Math worksheets for
Grades One to Five based on the Saint Patrick's Day Theme.
The worksheets include the math. operations of addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division as well as a number
of magic square and math table activities.

National Geographic Xpeditions Atlas
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html
This site contains nearly 600 National Geographic maps designed
for printing and copying. Start by selecting a continent of
the world, then a country, followed by a state or province as
you narrow your search for the required map.

Waterford Press: Free Games, Activities & More
http://www.waterfordpress.com/entergame.html
This site contains a plethora of activities that help nuture
an interest in the natural sciences. The materials range
from simple games and quizzes to activities and experiments.
Subject areas include animals, plants, weather, geology, and
astronomy. Simply copy materials to your desktop and print
out as needed.

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Whale Links for Whale Lovers
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Check out these INNOVA recommended whale sites!

Mingan Island Cetacean Study
http://www.rorqual.com/
MICS is a non-profit research organization dedicated to
ecological studies of marine mammals. Founded in 1979 by
Richard Sears, MICS was the first organization to carry out
extensive long-term research of cetaceans in the Gulf of
St. Lawrence. The principal study area is along the Quebec
North Shore in the Mingan Island/Anticosti Island region.
MICS is best known for being the first organization to carry
out long-term studies of the endangered blue whale
(Balaenoptera musculus).

Ocean Mammal Institute
http://www.oceanmammalinst.com/
OMI is unique as a research organization. They collect data
on the impact of human marine activities on whales and dolphins.
The research results are used to develop guidelines to protect
these marine mammals. OMI is unique because they use their
scientific data to directly protect whales and dolphins.

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Whale Trivia:
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- Narwhals prefer to live in colder climates like the Arctic
Ocean.

- Narwhals like to eat squid, cuttlefish and crustaceans such
as shrimp.

- Like elephant tusks, Narwhal tusks are made of ivory.

- Adult Beluga Whales are completely white, while newborns are more
pinkish, brown and gray.

- The Killer Whale and Sperm Whale are the most common species
of toothed whales.

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Feedback
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If you have comments or suggestions concerning our online
newsletter or website, please direct them to
mailto:editor@innovamultimedia.com

Your comments and suggestions will be published in the
feedback section of future issues.

Past Online issues can be found at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/archive.html

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