Get moving - that's the message of a new program that was introduced at two local schools.
F.W. Howay and Lord Kelvin elementary schools are participating in the Active8 program, developed by Sandy Earle, the City of New Westminster's active communities coordinator.
"It's an eight-week program. We are challenging kids to be active outside of just the required 30 minutes of daily activity mandated by the province," said Stephanie Musgrove, a kindergarten teacher at Kelvin.
Students from kindergarten to Grade 7 are participating in the program, which is led by the teachers with Earle's help.
"Sandy has come into the school several different times and done special activities with us," Musgrove said.
"She did a circuit bootcamp with us for our big kick-off. Her daughter Lisa came in and did a big aerobics class with all of the kids. They also designed an activity brochure, which leads the kids through eight weeks of activity tracking."
The students are in their fourth week of the program.
"Older kids I get to see, wow, they're actually active - their faces are getting red, they are getting sweaty and they're not just hanging around chatting. It takes effort to be active," she said. "And the younger kids, they get to see that it's really fun to be active."
Musgrove said the program benefits kids who don't participate in sports outside of school.
"Lots of families aren't involved in community sports," she said.
"So we just want to push ourselves as educators to provide more activity minutes for these kids."
- Niki Hope, staff reporter
