Get Fit With Books
By Sandy Meagher

Linda Mains' third graders had a delicious combination of stewed apples and good books during a recent lesson.

Our school district, along with many others, is striving to keep children and staff healthy. So where do books fit into this effort?

"Apple Crunch Day""
In celebration of "Apple Crunch Day," Linda Mains' third graders snacked on healthy stewed apples, which they simmered in crockpots in the classroom. In an effort to add other points of learning, the students completed "apple graphics" and worked on capitalization.

A class cookbook of healthy snacks could also be an interesting activity combining health awareness across the curriculum. This could incorporate writing sentences, revising, editing and checking accurate measurements.
A good book to go along with this lesson might be Strudel Stories by Joanne Rocklin (Delacorte Press, 1999, ISBN: 0-440-41509-8). Seven generations of a Jewish family hear stories of their family history while making apple strudel.

Teacher resources
Another good teacher resource is Teaching Science Through Literature, grades 4-6 by Nancy J. Keane (Linworth Publishing, 2002, ISBN: 1-586-83069-4). Some of the chapters deal with culinary information and animals and include websites and books related to the subject matter.

There are other excellent books in the Heinemann InfoSearch series, including Why Should I Eat This Carrot? and Other Questions About Healthy Eating by Louise Spilsbury, (Heinemann Library, 2003, ISBN: 1-403-44680-6). Some of the chapters discuss the importance of healthy eating, how humans turn food into energy and identifying healthy snacks, among many other subjects. An entire year of health classes could be constructed from this series.

I can't forget the book Nutrition Anyone? by Kristin Petrie (ABDO Publishing, 2004, ISBN: 1-591-97404-6). It does an excellent job of introducing and explaining nutrition labels.

More titles
Blue Bowl Down An Appalachian Rhyme by C.M. Millen (Candlewick Press, 2004, ISBN: 0-763-61817-9) incorporates some great rhymes, but also introduces a tradition of singing or chanting while making bread. Students could write their own chants for making, for example, applesauce. They could even create a cookbook with songs attached.

Jump! From the Life of Michael Jordan by Floyd Cooper (Philomel Books, 2004, ISBN: 0-399-24230-9) is a great book to kick off a fitness campaign. I especially like Cooper's introduction: "This is not to dissect and examine how to be great, but simply to suggest that with perseverance and determination, a greatness may be within reach of us all."

An inspiring picture book is Wilma Unlimited, by Kathleen Krull (Harcourt, 2000, ISBN: 0-520-12672). To realize that Wilma Rudolph overcame crippling polio as a child to become the first woman to win three gold medals in track in a single Olympics is enough to encourage any child to persevere.

A refreshing book that presents basketball superstars in poetic form is Hoop Kings by Charles R. Smith Jr. (Candlewick Press, 2004, ISBN: 0-763-61423-8).

For the little ones
Preschoolers will have fun imitating the activities in the board book The Rooster Struts by Richard Scarry, (Golden Books, 2004, ISBN: 0-375-83006-5) and Got To Dance by M.C. Helldorfer (Doubleday Books, 2004, ISBN: 0-385-32628-9). The rhyme, the rhythm and the great language will be inspirational for the younger set.

Delicious poetry
Lee Bennett Hopkins selected some great food poems and put them in a menu format in Yummy! Eating Through the Day, (Simon & Schuster, 2000, ISBN: 0-689-81755). With this book as inspiration, I am sure that students could write their own food and school menu poems for a month.

Some essential health related poetry can be found in Scien-trickery by J. Patrick Lewis (Harcourt, 2004, ISBN: 0-152-16681-5). This book will surely challenge students to write their own science riddles.

Clean hands
Staying well also involves knowing how to avoid germs. One of the most humorous books dealing with this subject is Germs by Ross Collins, (Bloomsbury Children's Book, 2004, ISBN: 0-761-12980-4).

A great text for hands-on science projects is Pop Bottle Science, by Lynn Brunelle, (Workman Publishing, 2004, ISBN: 0-761-12980-4). All of the experiments can be done by following the easy directions in the book and by using the accompanying pop bottle.

SPECIAL SECTION
Getting Parents Involved

Parents and teachers certainly play an important role in helping improve children's fitness. They set the tone by leading healthy lifestyles in their everyday lives.

Many students are interested in sports and I try to find books to support those interests. For example, many students at my school are interested in horseback riding; I introduced them to the book Horse Showing for Kids by Cheryl Kimball (Story Kids, 2003, ISBN: 1-580-17501-5). I try to incorporate the use of fiction to compliment 'how-to' sports books.

In addition, we live in an area of great natural beauty, so I try to encourage children to take advantage of outdoor sports like fishing or skiing.

If parents and teachers work together, we can encourage a healthier lifestyle for us all.

Sandy Meagher is the Library Department Chairperson and School Librarian in the Wayne Highlands School District, Honesdale, PA.