By Kristin Finney Greene Publishing, Inc. Childhood obesity is
an epidemic that has swept the nation in the last decade.
Students are gaining weight and becoming less active every
generation. The temptation to sit around and play video games
while eating a bag of chips is far greater now than it was ten
years ago. Being a child is not like it used to be. Days are not
spent roaming through the neighborhood with friends until it
gets dark. Now, it is too dangerous to let children roam the
neighborhood or play with stranger’s children. In this new
generation, children are taught that strangers are bad and video
games are good. This mindset has led to far more children being
inactive and far fewer going outside. As warm weather approaches
in north Florida, it is time to encourage children to go outside
and play. Invest in a bicycle and let them ride up and down the
street, or get a football and throw it with them in the front
yard. Building a tree house is a great way to get children to be
active. Trampolines are