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 Published Month : <hide>2023-11</hide>November 2023 (1)
| | 11/28/2023 2:13 PM |
NOVEMBER 28, 2023 — How do kids consume more than 6 bags of sugar in a year?
They have just one sugary drink every day.
Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign is sharing new messages that show how sugar adds up quickly for little kids. The campaign’s new Weighed Down with Sugar video explores how the 3 teaspoons of added sugar in a fruit-flavored drink pouch or the 8 teaspoons in a small bottle of a fruit drink may not seem like a lot. But one of these sweetened drinks every day can add up to about a cup of sugar by the end of the week. One sweetened drink every day for a year can add up to more than 6, 4-pound bags of sugar.
“A few teaspoons of added sugar in one drink may not sound like much, but consuming that every day can add up to too much sugar for kids,” said Diane Peck, registered dietitian with Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “Over a year of drinking one sweetened drink a day, kids will have consumed a lot of added sugar and calories that can cause weight gain and health problems.”
Cut back on sugar by serving water or plain milk instead
Play Every Day is sharing new messages as videos, handouts and more to show how sugar can add up day after day and increase chances of developing health problems for children and adults. These health concerns include cavities, type 2 diabetes, unhealthy weight gain, and heart disease. The campaign’s new messages also explain why sugary drinks can be so confusing for parents trying to buy healthy options for their families.
The front labels of drinks often focus on what companies want you to see about their products. They can be filled with buzz words and misleading images. Words like “Vitamin C” and “All Natural” can make the drink appear healthier than it is. Drinks can be called “Organic” and still be loaded with added sugar. Front labels for drinks may show fruits that aren’t even in the drink.
To find out what’s really in the drink, look for the facts on the Nutrition Facts label. That label is often on the back of the drink or on the side of the box when buying multiple drinks at once. It has a line in the “Total Carbohydrate” section that says “Includes Added Sugars.” This line tells you how many grams of added sugar that item has in a serving size.
To cut back on added sugar, look for foods and drinks that have 0 grams listed on the “Includes Added Sugars” line. That’s the case for healthy drinks like plain milk and unsweetened plain or sparkling water.
Share Play Every Day materials at no cost
Share these new free Play Every Day materials with schools, preschools, child care centers, doctors, dentists and more to help families better understand what’s in the foods and drinks served to children.
| | Published Month : <hide>2023-10</hide>October 2023 (1)
| | 10/26/2023 10:29 AM |
OCTOBER 26, 2023 — Walk by an outdoor playground or park and you’ll see kids buzzing around as the air fills with screams and laughter. To adults, this is just kids playing and having fun. To kids, however, this is serious business.
 Children play outside at a Head Start program in Nome. These kids are working their bodies and brains. They’re developing stronger muscles and bones. They’re making brain connections, fine-tuning their motor skills, working on their social skills, and expanding their imaginations.
Outdoor play is more than letting kids expend some pent-up energy. It’s an important part of early development and learning. A review of current research by the Children and Nature Network shows that there are lots of benefits to playing outside.
Outdoor play promotes physical health
When children play outdoors, they stay far more active than when indoors. Children who participate in vigorous activities — such as running, jumping, and skipping — are more fit, have better bone health, and grow up at a healthier weight, compared to children who are more inactive.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that children ages 3 through 5 should be physically active for about 3 hours throughout the day for the best growth and development. Keep kids moving with a variety of light, moderate, and vigorous activities so they get some activity off and on throughout the day —unless they’re sleeping.
Parents and caregivers can encourage active play that includes a variety of activity types. Children benefit from structured activities — such as planned games or kicking and tossing a ball — and free play that lets them move as they want. Give children access to outdoor spaces that allow them to express themselves with more active movement, louder voices, and messier play.
Outdoor play invites children to learn
“Outdoor play is another classroom we often forget about,” said Vanessa Plourde-Smith. Plourde-Smith is a Professional Development Specialist with thread, a statewide organization that works to advance the quality of early education and child development. She provides training and technical assistance to child care providers and has special training in outdoor play and learning.
“While playing outside, kids are learning language, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), social-emotional skills, and being respectful of plants and animals,” Plourde-Smith said.
Outdoor play is more than letting kids loose on a playground or backyard with play equipment. It’s about helping children connect with nature. Adults can provide safe, stimulating outdoor spaces that allow curious children the opportunity to explore nature. Include natural materials in backyards and playgrounds. Plourde-Smith recommends tree stumps and logs for climbing and balancing on and rocky paths for building ankle strength.
“Taller plants where kids can ‘hide’ — although the adults can still see them — are good for kids to feel like they can get away and relax,” said Plourde-Smith. “Kids are also more likely to engage in dramatic play if they think they aren’t being watched.”
Set up a small garden or pots of herbs, vegetables, or flowers and let children help with planting, watering, and harvesting. On warm days, water play with buckets, squirt toys, and sprinklers is a real treat. If there’s a nearby berry patch, give kids small buckets or plastic baggies and go pick some berries. In winter, grab some sleds and challenge kids to pull and push heavy objects through the snow.
Take exploring walks around the yard or to a nearby park, woods, or beach in each season of the year. Talk about the plants, insects, birds, and animals you see and how they change from season to season. Using all the senses can develop a better understanding of the outside world. Touching tree bark, listening to birds, and smelling flowers connects kids with nature. Playing and learning outside may inspire a future scientist or farmer, or just a lifelong love of the outdoors.
Outdoor play improves mental health
Time spent outdoors can help children reduce their stress levels and improve self-esteem, self-regulation and overall happiness. Children become better learners in the classroom because they function better, are better able to focus, concentrate and sit still after being active outdoors.
Ever see a child covered in mud and smiling from ear to ear? Studies have shown that playing in the dirt isn’t just fun. It can boost overall happiness and health due to naturally occurring bacteria in soil that help children’s immune system and produce chemicals that improve mood. The National Wildlife Federation has an excellent booklet on how getting dirty outdoors benefits kids.
Outdoor play and learning don’t stop when the rain and snow falls
How do we keep playing when Alaska weather turns cold and wet?
“Preparation is the key to outdoor play,” said Plourde-Smith. “Start planning for winter in the fall, making sure you have the right gear on hand when the first snow falls.”
Great options in Alaska include raincoats, boots, parkas, hats, gloves, and even extra sets of clothes should the first set get wet or muddy. Plourde-Smith recommends saving money on winter gear by shopping at garage sales and thrift shops or connecting with other parents for hand-me-downs.
For extreme temperatures and bad weather, many child care sites follow guidelines from the National Weather Service, adopt the local school district policy on outdoor recess, or have a parent committee set a weather policy.
How do I get my child more active outdoors? Get out and play with them!
Parents and adult caregivers are role models for children. Join children’s games and active play. Children need to see the adults in their lives being active and having fun. Help your child develop a lifelong habit of being active outside.
More resources for outdoor play
- The State of Alaska Play Every Day campaign has lots of handouts, videos, and posters to promote and provide tips and ideas for active play every day.
- The National Wildlife Federation has a guide, Nature Play at Home, that’s filled with fun outdoor activities and ideas for creating outdoor spaces.
- The Alaska Farm to School and Farm to Early Child Care have resources to help schools and child care sites start gardens and teach children about food grown in Alaska.
- The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has early childhood resources to help teach young children about nature and exploring the world around them.
| | Published Month : <hide>2023-08</hide>August 2023 (1)
| | 8/11/2023 6:20 AM |
Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign shows that turning the drink around exposes the truth
AUGUST 11, 2023 — Wonder what’s actually in that bottle, pouch or box your kids are drinking?
It’s so hard to know by looking at the front label. Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign is sharing new messages to help families see beyond the hype on the drink’s front label to find the truth that’s often on the back. Its new short video recommends that families “Turn the Drink Around” to learn what’s actually inside it.
Turning around a drink or a food to find the Nutrition Facts label can help you quickly spot lots of sugar that’s added to fruit drinks, powdered mixes, cereals, yogurt, snacks and so much more. Cutting back on added sugar matters. Over time, too much of it can increase your chances of serious and potentially long-lasting health problems that include cavities, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and unhealthy weight gain.
“The front label focuses on what companies want you to see about their products,” said Diane Peck, registered dietitian with Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “Fortunately, the Nutrition Facts and ingredient list must be truthful by law. By turning the package around, we can quickly check those facts and tell what’s really in, or not in, that food or drink.”
Ignore the front label of a drink. Look at the facts.
Play Every Day is sharing new messages as videos, handouts and more to explain why sugary drinks can be so confusing.
On the store shelf, you see only the front label that can be filled with buzz words and misleading images:
- Words like “Vitamin C” and “All Natural” can make the drink appear healthier than it is.
- Drinks can be called “Organic” and still be loaded with added sugar.
- Fruits may be pictured, but they aren’t actually in the drink at all.
Pick up a lemonade on the store shelf, and it says it’s made with real lemons. Look closer and the amount of actual lemon juice is low. It does have a ton of added sugar, though – about 14 teaspoons of sugar in a 17-ounce bottle of lemonade. Pick up a fruit punch that shows juicy cherries on the front label, but there are no cherries or cherry juice it. Pick up a container of a sweetened, fruit-flavored powdered mix. Its front label says it has 100% of your daily Vitamin C needs, but the back says it also has almost 9 teaspoons of sugar in one serving.
Focus on the “Includes Added Sugars” line
To find out what’s really in the drink, look for the facts on the Nutrition Facts label. It’s usually near a list of ingredients that can include sugar and many other names for sweeteners: high fructose corn syrup, honey and more.
The Nutrition Facts label has a line in the “Total Carbohydrate” section that says “Includes Added Sugars.” This line tells you how many grams of added sugar that item has in a serving size. It helps you see how much of the sugar in a drink or food is added instead of natural.
Natural sugars are those found naturally in a food or drink. That includes the natural sugar in plain milk (called lactose) and the natural sugar in whole fruits like apples and oranges (called fructose). Added sugar is the sugar that’s added to a food or drink when it’s produced. That includes the sugar that’s added to instant oatmeal, snack bars, yogurts, even many drinks.
To cut back on added sugar, look for foods and drinks that have 0 grams listed on the “Includes Added Sugars” line. That’s the case for healthy drinks like plain milk and unsweetened plain or sparkling water.
Share these new free Play Every Day materials with schools, preschools, child care centers, doctors, dentists and more to help families better understand what’s in the foods and drinks served to children.
| | Published Month : <hide>2023-06</hide>June 2023 (1)
| | 6/27/2023 7:55 AM |
More added sugar means there’s less room for the healthy stuff
JUNE 27, 2023 – You’ve likely heard a few health reasons for cutting back on added sugar for your little kids. The more sugar kids eat and drink, the more health problems they may develop in childhood and later in life. That includes cavities in baby and adult teeth, gaining weight that can make it harder for kids to play and move, and developing heart disease.
But more sugary foods and drinks also means less room for the healthy stuff. Sugary treats and drinks can crowd out the fruits and vegetables; whole-grain cereals and breads; and proteins that include beans, fish, or lean meats.
Children at Cook Inlet Head Start in Anchorage enjoy milk, fruit and reindeer stew for lunch.
“Sugary foods and drinks are usually low in nutrients,” said Diane Peck, registered dietitian with Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “When young children fill up on sugary foods and drinks, they're not eating the healthy foods that provide the needed nutrients to grow and develop.”
Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign supports families to serve healthy drinks, like water or plain milk, to help children grow up at a healthy weight. The campaign has an online library of posters, handouts, videos, and other materials. Preschool and child care providers, teachers, pediatricians, dentists and others can download these materials or request free copies at playeveryday@alaska.gov.
Many kids start eating and drinking added sugar at young ages
For the best health, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend children younger than 2 have foods and drinks without any added sugar.
A recent national study showed that many young children have their first sugary drinks and foods before age 2, and often before turning 1 years old. This published study looked at food and drinks served among families with limited household incomes enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children program that provides nutrition education and healthy foods and drinks. This program is often abbreviated as WIC, and it helps 14,000 people in Alaska.
In Alaska, the WIC program helps 14,000 people.
This recent study showed most young children drink and eat added sugar very early. When looking at 3-year-old kids who were part of this study:
- 83% of the kids enrolled in WIC had their first sugary drink before turning 2.
- 91% of the kids enrolled in WIC had their first sweetened foods before turning 2.
The study had two key recommendations to help more children grow up healthy.
- Continuing a family’s WIC benefits for multiple years as a child grows may improve that child’s overall nutrition and reduce chances of consuming too much added sugar.
- Helping parents and caregivers understand the importance of delaying sugary drinks and foods served to young children can improve children’s food choices later in life.
“The WIC Program provides families with nutritious foods and nutrition education tailored to the needs of their family,” said Jennifer Johnson, Alaska’s WIC nutrition coordinator. “The food and nutrition education improve the food choices families make and the choices their children will make even later in life, which gives them a healthy start.”
Delaying the serving of sugary drinks is a priority in Alaska, too. Almost 1 out of 3 (31%) of Alaska 3-year-olds has a sugary drink every day, according to the ongoing Childhood Understanding Behaviors Survey (CUBS) of Alaska mothers of preschool-age children. Some of the most common sugary drinks consumed by preschoolers are sweetened fruit drinks and chocolate and flavored milk. One goal for Healthy Alaskans 2030 is to reduce the percentage of 3-year-olds who have sugary drinks daily. Running Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign that includes healthy drinks messaging is one strategy to meet that goal. A campaign evaluation published in 2022 showed Alaska parents reported changing the drinks they serve their families because of the campaign messages.
Switch out sugary drinks to cut down on added sugar
Added sugar is in many types of drinks that families serve. Sugar is added to sports and energy drinks, vitamin drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, chocolate and other flavored milk, sweetened fruit-flavored drinks, and soda.
Want to cut back on added sugar? Switch out sugary drinks for healthier options that contain no added sweeteners.
- Choose water, plain milk or fortified plain soy milk instead of sugary drinks.
- Pack water when you’re on the go. Make it easier to choose water by packing a water bottle in your child’s backpack or lunchbox.
- Make water tasty and fun. Add lemon, lime or mint to your glass. Freeze 100% fruit juice in small ice cube trays and toss a few cubes into a glass of water. Try unsweetened, sparkling, or carbonated water.
- Turn drinks around and look for the Nutrition Facts label. A line called “Includes Added Sugars” now makes it easier to spot the added sweeteners in foods and drinks. Choose options that say 0 grams, which means no added sugar.
- Cut back on buying sugary drinks. If you choose sugary drinks, limit them to special occasions and cut down on the sizes served.
| | Published Month : <hide>2023-01</hide>January 2023 (1)
| | 1/27/2023 7:31 AM | JANUARY 27, 2023 — When you’re a kid, every semester is a fresh start. Your report card starts over. Your backpack is cleaned out and ready for class. And if you’re in elementary school, a new Healthy Futures Challenge is about to begin and get kids moving.
The spring Healthy Futures Challenge begins Feb. 1, 2023, in 89 Alaska elementary schools across more than 20 school districts, said Kayla Williamson, challenge coordinator. The free challenge is all about making physical activity a fun healthy habit every day. Kids who participate aim for the daily recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity — or play every day. They log that activity and win prizes when they're active at least 60 minutes a day for 15 days each month of the challenge.
Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign has been a longtime partner of the nonprofit Healthy Futures program because its ongoing challenge gives thousands of Alaska kids a free, fun way to get out and play. Alaska’s new Fresh Start campaign is also promoting the Healthy Futures Challenge as one if its free programs for better health. The challenge is designed for elementary school kids, but parents, grandparents, and siblings can join in and be active as a family. Kids can log active time in gym class and at recess. They can also count time going for walks with their grandparents, sledding with dad, or going skiing with mom.
Elementary schools in big communities like Anchorage and Juneau participate in the challenge, but so do schools in smaller ones like Diomede, Shageluk and Utqiagvik. It doesn’t matter where kids live, because they’re active wherever, however and whenever they want to move during the Healthy Futures Challenge.
Kids play outside at Fred Ipalook Elementary School in Utqiagvik, Alaska. Fred Ipalook Elementary is one of 89 schools signed up to join the free Healthy Futures Challenge this spring.
Find out if your child's school is signed up for the free challenge. If so, join your child in being active. If not, talk to your principal or teachers about signing up the school for this spring’s challenge. It’s not too late to join in February, March or April this year.
Healthy Futures is planning one more fun event in February. Its annual PLAAY Day will be held Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. From 12-12:30 p.m. that day, Alaska kids and families are encouraged to join a live broadcast and get moving with others across the state. They’ll do a mix of physical activities that include low-impact, advanced and adaptive movements. Alaska kids and families can join this event anywhere — in schools, at home or elsewhere. Find out more and register to join at https://plaay.org/plaay-day/. | | Published Month : <hide>2022-12</hide>December 2022 (1)
| | 12/28/2022 9:27 AM |
DECEMBER 28, 2022 – A year ago, Healthy Futures in Alaska started the new Game Changer program and gave it an important job: Remove whatever hurdle is blocking children from participating in sports or activities, and then get them back in the game.
Coaches, teachers, parents and other adults could apply for Game Changer scholarships so children could participate in physical activities, buy sports equipment, get basic clothing items and more. Once the word got out about the new program, the small Healthy Futures staff realized their own hurdle when it came to reviewing Game Changer applications: The need across Alaska was great and more funds were required to meet it.
Since January 2022, the nonprofit organization received 38 applications and awarded 17 scholarships.
“The sports represented for those 17 awardees are all across the board,” said Kayla Williamson with Healthy Futures. The Game Changer program has helped Alaska children participate in basketball, soccer, horseback riding, cross country skiing, running, baseball, swimming and snowshoeing.
Children at the small Rampart School have fun snowshoeing during the community carnival. The Healthy Futures Game Changer program funded a scholarship to help buy the snowshoes. Photograph courtesy of Healthy Futures.
During the past year, the Game Changer program awarded a scholarship to support starting a new cross country ski team for middle and high school students in Glennallen. The scholarship helped the team buy skis. The staff at Rampart School wanted to teach children how to snowshoe in the small Interior community. A Game Changer scholarship helped buy the new winter gear for the small school. The kids had a blast snowshoeing at the community’s carnival.
A parent of an Alaska child submitted an application to help him cover costs to compete in a Taekwondo tournament outside Alaska. Game Changer funded his scholarship.
“This youth’s hard work and dedication paid off,” Williamson said. “He came back with a gold medal in his age and weight class.”
Raising funds to offer more scholarships
Healthy Futures staff want to be able to fund more scholarships to support active Alaska kids. To meet that goal, the nonprofit organization held a one-week fundraiser this fall for the Game Changer program.
Healthy Futures worked with about 30 partners across the state to bring in donations. That included Alaska athletes, a coach of a local hockey team, community leaders, and the Chugiak High School cross country running team – which turned out to be the top fundraiser, Williamson said. Healthy Futures and the community partners raised more than $30,000. In the next year, these funds will be added to donations from businesses like GCI and ConocoPhillips that also support the Game Changer program scholarships.
“Immediately, the funds raised from the campaign are going to go back out into Alaska communities,” Williamson said.
Starting the Game Changer program
Healthy Futures created the Game Changer fund after it took over a long-running similar program that was called The Basics. The Basics was a nonprofit program that ran for almost a decade. That program worked with school districts and professionals across Alaska, including counselors, teachers and nurses. Those school leaders would hear about a child in need and request help through The Basics. Each time, the request was discreet, minimizing the chance a child would feel singled out or recognized as someone in need of shoes, coats or other items.
Between 2012 and 2021, The Basics helped 10,000 students in school districts from Dillingham to Kenai to Mat-Su. The Basics was able to fill these needs due to funding and support from partners.
In recent years, The Basics faced challenges staffing its volunteer board and looked for a way to continue the work through another organization. Healthy Futures took over that work in the new Game Changer program, believing it fit with the nonprofit organization’s mission to make it easier for all Alaska children to build the healthy habit of daily physical activity.
How to apply
Healthy Futures will consider Game Changer applications throughout the year. Any adult can apply, but the scholarship must go toward helping a child ages 5–18. Each request must be $500 or less, Williamson said.
Adults fill out application forms online. Each application includes a brief summary of the need, how the scholarship will be used, and academic accomplishments for the students involved. Needs can vary, which means one application may ask for funds to pay for new snowshoes while another asks to pay for a bus trip needed to take a sports team to a competition they otherwise couldn’t afford to attend. Applications could request help to pay for a student to take a class that builds skills in a physical activity, or could request gear, like shoes and other clothing.
Find the Game Changer program and Healthy Futures online.
| | Published Month : <hide>2022-11</hide>November 2022 (1)
| | 11/15/2022 9:00 AM |
NOVEMBER 15, 2022 — A new article published this week shows that a long-running health communication campaign in Alaska is changing the drinks parents serve to their young children.
The Play Every Day campaign run through the Alaska Department of Health has been sharing messages statewide to encourage families to cut back on sugary drinks — the leading source of added sugar in most people’s daily diets. Serving healthy drinks like water can reduce the amount of added sugar kids consume and help prevent serious health problems like type 2 diabetes, unhealthy weight gain, and cavities that can develop in childhood, as well as heart disease later in life.
The Play Every Day campaign shared several public service announcements (PSAs) with Alaska parents. These messages focused on the large amounts of sugar hiding in drinks, how to find that added sugar on labels, and ways to encourage choosing healthy drinks like water and plain milk.
“One out of 5 Alaska mothers of young children who had seen the Play Every Day campaign said they changed the drinks they served their family because of it,” said Katie Reilly, manager of Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Program. “That’s the ultimate goal of health communication campaigns like this — reaching Alaskans, improving their understanding of a health concern, and ultimately encouraging a positive change. Cutting back on serving sugary drinks during the early years of a child’s life can set them up for better drink choices, and better health, for years to come.”
Campaign evaluation shows health messages reaching Alaska families, leading to changes
The Alaska Department of Health shared Play Every Day’s success in an article published this month in Health Promotion Practice. This is a peer-reviewed journal, which means the featured article is examined by other experts in the field to ensure it is of high scientific quality prior to publication. The article explains the campaign evaluation that showed Play Every Day was reaching parents and leading to positive changes among Alaska mothers of 3-year-old children.
- In the past 12 months, 34% of mothers had seen the Play Every Day campaign about sugary drinks.
- Among mothers who had seen the campaign, 39% said the campaign gave them new information about drinks they served their children.
- Among mothers who had seen the campaign, 21% said they changed drinks they served their 3-year-old because of the campaign.
Play Every Day has been running for 10 years to support Alaska children growing up at a healthy weight. That’s an important goal in a state where about 1 out of 3 children has overweight or obesity. Play Every Day’s messages focus on two behaviors that help Alaska children — and their parents — maintain a healthy weight: getting daily physical activity and reducing the sugary drinks they consume, choosing water or plain milk instead.
Almost 1 out of 3 (31%) Alaska 3-year-olds has a sugary drink every day, according to the ongoing Childhood Understanding Behaviors Survey (CUBS) of Alaska mothers of preschool-age children. In 2020, the Alaska Department of Health started a new Play Every Day evaluation by adding questions to this CUBS survey. The questions asked about campaign messages that were running statewide, focused on serving fewer sugary drinks to young children. The first year of this evaluation was published in the new Health Promotion Practice journal.
The Health Promotion Practice journal published an article in November 2022 about a Play Every Day campaign evaluation. The evaluation showed that Alaska mothers changed the drinks they served their families because of the campaign.
Play Every Day partners with tribal health consortium to reach Alaska Native families
Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign works with partners that include the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), a statewide nonprofit Tribal organization that provides health care services, wellness and prevention programs, training and rural water and sanitation systems construction for Alaska Native people. This partnership with ANTHC — a trusted community-serving organization — played an important role in ensuring messages resonated across Alaska and were delivered to an Alaska Native audience.
“Reducing sugary drink consumption in young children is one of the key objectives for our statewide Healthy Alaskans 2030 health improvement plan,” said Dana Diehl, Director of Wellness and Prevention for ANTHC. “Partnering with Play Every Day is a key strategy in that effort. These efforts support the vision of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium that ‘Alaska Native people are the healthiest people in the world.’”
Many Alaskans consume sugary drinks daily, but improvements seen among young kids
Limiting or eliminating added sugar in foods and drinks is recommended for the best health. For adults and older children, the national dietary guidelines recommend limiting the amount of added sugar to less than 10 percent of total daily calories. Four leading health organizations published the Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids report stating sugary drinks aren’t recommended for children ages 5 and younger. In 2020, a new national dietary guideline said to avoid any added sugars in foods and drinks served to children younger than 2.
Sugary drinks include any drinks with added sugar: soda, sports and energy drinks, vitamin drinks, sweetened coffee and tea. Alaska parents have said that the most common sugary drinks they serve their little kids are sweetened fruit drinks, sweetened powdered mixes, and chocolate and other flavored milks.
Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program has been using many strategies, including the Play Every Day campaign, to encourage families to choose healthy drinks like water or plain milk instead of sugary drinks. The program helped child care providers implement national standards for nutrition, physical activity, and breastfeeding in child care centers and preschools. The program worked with ANTHC to support a new healthy food and drink policy on the ANTHC campus that limits the amount of sugary drinks available, prioritizes serving water, and encourages eating locally produced foods.
The published evaluation of Play Every Day showed Alaska parents are saying they’re changing drinks served to their young kids. Alaska’s health department is also seeing that supported through the ongoing statewide CUBS survey of Alaska mothers. The percentage of Alaska 3-year-olds who did not drink any sugary drinks during a day increased from 57% in 2008 to 69% in 2018.
The Alaska Department of Health also published earlier success in running Play Every Day messages to reduce sugary drink consumption among older children. Between 2014 and 2016, the percentage of parents in Alaska’s largest communities who reported serving sugary drinks to their school-age children in the past week significantly decreased during a time when Play Every Day was continuously sharing its health-focused messages statewide.
Play Every Day messages help families pick healthier drinks
Families, pediatricians, dentists, teachers, child care providers and more can share Play Every Day messages in many ways:
| | Published Month : <hide>2022-09</hide>September 2022 (1)
| | 9/12/2022 10:34 AM | 
SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 — After a two-year break due to pandemic challenges, Anchorage Running Jamborees are back.
In September, thousands of Alaska elementary students will be running through the wooded trails during the annual Cross Country Running Jamborees and similar fun runs. The Anchorage School District (ASD) is organizing three Running Jamborees. The North Star Borough School District in Fairbanks is holding two more races for elementary school students before the month ends.
The free Jamborees in Anchorage have been a fall tradition for about three decades but were not held in fall 2020 when school was virtual or fall 2021, when there was a wave of increasing numbers of Covid-19 infections. This year, race organizers are ready to invite children back to the trails.
“The Anchorage School District’s physical education teachers are excited to welcome our young runners back to the Elementary Cross Country Running Jamborees!” said Melanie Sutton, the district’s health and physical education curriculum coordinator. “The crunch of the leaves underfoot on the trail, the crisp autumn breeze on your face and the sheer joy of movement — does it get any better than that? We are looking forward to seeing the huge smiles as the runners cross the finish line to the cheers of their families.”
Alaska school districts work with the Healthy Futures program, the Play Every Day campaign, local athletes, and others to organize the fall running races in Anchorage and Fairbanks. All participants at the races will receive a Healthy Futures pin or medal when they reach the finish line, said Matias Saari, event coordinator for Healthy Futures.
While supporting these Jamborees, Saari’s program is also running the free Fall Healthy Futures Challenge in about 110 elementary schools across the state. Participating kids track their physical activity on simple logs and win prizes for staying active during September, October and November. Parents can find out if their child’s elementary school is signed up by visiting the Healthy Futures website.
Dates, times and locations for Anchorage Jamborees
The Anchorage School District Health and Physical Education (PE) Department is organizing several Jamborees in North Anchorage, South Anchorage and the Beach Lake area of Eagle River. Elementary students will run different distances, depending on their ages. The race course length ranges from about ½ mile to 1½ miles.
Race organizers request that runners bring their own water bottles to the event. Thirsty runners and their families will be able to drink water from multiple fountains and water bottle fill-up taps on a special “H2O 2GO” trailer from Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility (AWWU).
Below are the locations, dates and times for the upcoming Anchorage Cross Country Running Jamborees. For each race location, the first race for kindergarten students will start at 5:30 p.m. Races for additional grade levels will continue through 8 p.m. or until the last runner crosses the finish line.
- South Anchorage Jamboree — Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022
The Jamboree will be held at the trails near Service High School.
Learn more: Contact David Hall, Chinook Elementary PE teacher, at hall_david@asdk12.org.
- Beach Lake (Eagle River) Jamboree — Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022
The Jamboree will be held at the Chugiak High School trails.
Learn more: Contact Caela Nielsen, Ravenwood Elementary PE teacher, at nielsen_caela@asdk12.org.
- North Anchorage Jamboree — Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022
The Jamboree will be held at the trails near Bartlett High School.
Learn more: Contact Benjamin Elbow, PE teacher at Rogers Park and North Star elementary schools, at elbow_benjamin@asdk12.org.
Elementary students can attend any of the Anchorage Jamborees, regardless of where they live or where their elementary schools are located. Parents are encouraged to pre-register their children for the Jamborees at their schools. All children must have a signed waiver before participating in the event. Ask your child’s PE teacher for more information about the Anchorage Jamboree in your area.
The Anchorage Jamborees will wrap up by the end of September, but Anchorage parents and children will have weekly opportunities to keep running or walking as a family through the end of October. The popular Tuesday Night Race series begins Sept. 13, 2022, at Kincaid Park. The series continues on different trail systems throughout Anchorage every Tuesday through Oct. 25, 2022.
Dates, times and locations for Fairbanks running events
Two elementary schools in the North Star Borough School District are hosting running races during the remainder of the month. Each race will be timed and ribbons will be given to top finishers, Saari said.
- Salcha Elementary School — Thursday, Sept. 15, starting at 5:30 p.m.
- Chena Lakes Recreation Area — Thursday, Sept. 22, starting at 5:30 p.m. This event is hosted by Watershed School.
Race organizers note that parking will be limited so students are encouraged to use either carpools or available buses to get to each race. For more information about Fairbanks events, contact Norm Davis at norm.davis@k12northstar.org.
Photograph courtesy of Healthy Futures | | Published Month : <hide>2022-08</hide>August 2022 (1)
| | 8/23/2022 4:47 PM | AUGUST 23, 2022 — Want to improve your chances of going to the store and buying a healthy drink? Spend more time reading the back of the label than the front.
When walking the aisles in a grocery store, all we can see is the front of packaging for foods and drinks. The front labels don’t always have the facts, and instead are likely to show images and words that imply the drink is healthier than it is:
- The drink includes natural flavors.
- It has 100% Vitamin C.
- The front label shows pictures of fruits and vegetables that aren’t actually in the drink.
 Look for images or words on front labels that may imply a drink is healthier than it is.
We shop with the best of intentions, but the front of labels can mislead us. Families buy certain drinks because they believe those drinks are healthy based on words or images they see on the labels. Many times, those drinks actually have high amounts of added sugar. Serving these drinks to kids, often every day, can lead to health problems during childhood and later.
In 2022, lead authors from the Harvard, Johns Hopkins and University of North Carolina Schools of Public Health published a study that showed most fruit drinks and flavored waters purchased by families with children ages 5 and younger included words or images on the front labels “that may lead consumers to believe the beverages are healthy and natural.”
It’s not a common practice for all of us to turn those drinks around (about 40% of Americans say they don’t look at the back label). Adding that step in the store, however, will reveal more about a food or drink. The Nutrition Facts label on the back of a drink gives the true list of ingredients and the amount of added sugar — which can be just as much for a fruit drink as a soda.
“Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign has been creating messages to help Alaska parents spot these misleading words and pictures on sugary drinks and then pick healthier drinks for their families, like water and plain milk,” said Katie Reilly, program manager of Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Program. “A survey of Alaska mothers shows that about 1 out of 3 preschoolers drinks some type of a sweetened beverage every day. Cutting back on added sugar helps kids prevent cavities and unhealthy weight gain during their early years and type 2 diabetes and heart disease as they grow up.”
Most fruit drink labels have claims that could be misleading
Alaska parents say sweetened fruits drinks are a common type of drink they serve their young children. That includes drinks sold as sweetened powdered mixes or liquids in boxes, bottles, cartons or jugs. The Play Every Day campaign has been creating and sharing messages about these fruit drinks to help parents better understand and spot them in stores, and then choose healthier drinks like water or plain milk instead.
Here’s what the earlier-mentioned 2022 study showed after the Schools of Public Health examined claims and images on the front labels of drinks bought by hundreds of households with children ages 5 and younger:
- Most fruit drinks (73%) made claims about nutrients that could be misleading. One of the most common claims was that the drink contained some amount of Vitamin C.
- Almost half of fruit drinks (44%) included images or text on the front label that appealed to children.
- Almost half of fruit drinks (47%) included claims like “contains juice” or “made with whole fruit.”
- Almost all fruit drinks (94%) showed a picture of a fruit or vegetable on the front label. Most of these drinks, however, did not have fruit or vegetable juice or juice concentrate as a first or second main ingredient.
“Strikingly, 40% of fruit drinks and 88% of flavored waters depicted a fruit/vegetable on the (front of the label) that was not included at all in the ingredient list as a juice or concentrate,” the study said.
Better health comes when you cut back on added sugar
Sugary drinks of all kinds are the leading source of added sugar for most people’s diets – regardless of their age. Limiting added sugar in drinks and foods can improve health, which is why many health organizations recommend cutting back on sugar.
Pediatricians, pediatric dentists, and dietitians agree sugary drinks aren’t recommended for children ages 5 and younger. For the best health, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend children younger than 2 have foods and drinks without any added sugar. The healthiest drinks for children ages 1 and older are water, plain white milk or fortified unsweetened soy milk.
These national guidelines also recommend that older children and adults limit added sugar to a small amount — less than 10 percent of the total calories they consume every day. That means an adult consuming 2,000 calories a day should limit daily added sugar to 200 calories or 50 grams of sugar —which is the same as 12 ½ teaspoons of sugar.
“You can drink 12 1/2 teaspoons of sugar very quickly,” Reilly said. “Just one sugary drink, like a 20-ounce bottle of soda or a fruit drink, can have about 16 teaspoons of added sugar. That’s more sugar than is recommended in an entire day for most of us. Checking the backs of labels and looking for the amount of added sugar can help us choose drinks and foods with no or low amounts of sugar.”
 Choose foods and drinks without added sweeteners. You’ll know that’s the case if the “Includes Added Sugars” line says 0 grams.
| | Published Month : <hide>2022-05</hide>May 2022 (1)
| | 5/26/2022 12:00 PM | May 26, 2022 — Children as young as 3, 4 and 5 eat duck soup for lunch at King Cove’s Head Start. In Chevak, these preschoolers eat caribou stew. In the Bristol Bay Borough School District, the little ones’ families sit at the table to eat traditional foods together.
That’s how child care and preschool programs are introducing Alaska foods and traditions to children at very early ages. That helps kids learn about and celebrate their cultures, and at the same time serves nutritious meals to children who are still exploring food and drink options.
Young children feel their best when served healthy foods and drinks with little or no added sugars, and traditional Alaska foods meet that need. Serving local, regional foods to children as early as possible can help them learn to love eating these healthy foods for the rest of their lives.
Children at Cook Inlet Head Start in Anchorage enjoy reindeer stew for lunch.
Traditional foods have become less familiar to children
Tracy Stewart is the Traditional Foods Program Coordinator with the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA). According to Stewart, a survey conducted by APIA in 2002 showed a decline in the use of traditional foods, while obesity and diabetes increased.
Traditional Alaska foods — such as fish, wild game and berries — are great sources of nutrients and healthy fats with no added sugars. Store-bought foods, on the other hand, are often highly processed with lower amounts of nutrients and higher amounts of unhealthy fats and sugars.
“The nutritional value and benefit from traditional foods is important for the people in the region,” said Sue Unger, Wellness Lead at APIA. “It’s important for them to get healthy foods.”
Stewart and Unger helped develop a traditional food curriculum for its Head Start programs.
“We got feedback from the Head Start programs that a lot of the nutritional materials that were being used weren’t applicable to our region,” Stewart said. “It would give examples of a star fruit or a passion fruit, something that these kids had no access to and had never seen before.”
Fish, however, is available at all Head Start sites in Stewart’s region, so she includes fish on lunch plates and in lesson plans.
“The kids have really enjoyed the salmon unit and doing projects with them, like painted fish prints,” Stewart said.
 Artwork for the Qaqamiiĝux̂ Head Start Traditional Food for Preschoolers Curriculum, by Sharon Kay
Cultural, nutrition-focused education looks different everywhere it’s taught
Learning about traditional foods is as important as eating them. Child care programs across Alaska have created lesson plans that feature foods that are important in their regions.
Lea Palmer is the Dietitian and Food Service Lead with the Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP) Head Start Program. They are trying their new Got Neqpiaq Traditional Foods Head Start Curriculum at 12 Head Start sites this year.
“I love that this curriculum teaches children about healthy living in a way that is culturally relevant,” Palmer said. “Healthy living does not have to look the same for everyone. Every culture has healthy aspects. When those healthy traditional lifestyles are embraced in lessons, young children can develop healthy habits that will not only support their growth and development, but also help them develop a sense of connection to cultural values, community, and family, and a sense of self-identity.”
RurAL CAP’s Got Neqpiaq, which means “Got Real Food,” curriculum focuses on healthy, traditional living in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region. Each themed unit teaches Head Start students the importance of eating healthy subsistence foods, staying active with traditional dancing and games, learning from family and elders, and connecting to cultural values.
In the Aleutian Pribilof Islands region, Unger joined elders, community leaders and local traditional food experts to write a book to help preserve local traditional food knowledge and improve people’s health. Qaqamiiĝux̂ — which means “to hunt or fish for food and collect plants” or “subsistence” —includes information on harvesting, preserving, and nutritional facts, as well as recipes using foods of the Aleutian region. This book and information is the basis for the Qaqamiiĝux̂ Head Start Traditional Food for Preschoolers Curriculum. Each lesson focuses on a local plant or animal and includes a poster showing how that food is harvested and preserved, fun activities, stories, and the Aleut “unangam tunuu” (language) and “unangax” (values).
In the Bristol Bay Borough School District, Esther Pepin is working on a new curriculum for their Yup'ik and Dena'ina preschoolers. Pepin, the Early Childhood Director, said the district is designing meaningful play materials, such as small-sized plexiglass and wood ulus.
“The felt fish we were able to make with a 3-D printer are a big hit with the kids,” said Pepin.
Child care sites and schools must meet the Alaska Food Safety and Sanitation Program requirements and guidelines for serving traditional foods, including how foods should be harvested, prepared and stored. Many traditional foods must be donated, not purchased, so programs work with community members to get the donated foods they need.
Learn more through Alaska traditional food resources
There are many resources to help child care providers teach young children about traditional Alaska foods:
- The Wellness Guide for Alaska’s Young Children has a section on including traditional foods for child care providers.
- The Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) has a “Tundra to Table” video and mini-magazine series featuring blueberries, cranberries, fiddlehead ferns, fireweed, rhubarb, salmonberries and sourdock.
- The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Wellness Program has The Store Outside Your Door video series that highlights harvesting and cooking traditional foods from around the state.
- The Alaska Department of Fish & Game has information and lessons on Alaska’s wild animals and fish for early childhood teachers.
| | Published Month : <hide>2022-04</hide>April 2022 (1)
| | 4/26/2022 2:00 PM | APRIL 26, 2022 — Teachers like Abe Salmon can see when their students need something that’s keeping them out of an activity. The physical education teacher in Wasilla knew kids would be cold when he took them outside for class, given many didn’t have coats.
As the wrestling coach at Wasilla’s Redington Sr. Junior and Senior High School, Salmon could see some students were lacking a key piece of gear: special shoes that can cost up to $100. Finding the money to buy the coat or cover those wrestling shoes was too much for many families.
“Sometimes even that is a barrier to competing,” Salmon said. “If I can take that barrier out the way, I will.”
Salmon wanted to put these kids at ease, help them not worry about the cost. Join the wrestling team, he said, and we’ll figure out the need for shoes once we get rolling.
Salmon figured it out by working with a new program in Alaska called the Game Changer, which is run through Alaska’s nonprofit Healthy Futures. Throughout the year, Healthy Futures staff consider and approve Game Changer applications to provide scholarships that help children ages 5–18 participate in activities, buy sports equipment, get basic clothing items and more.
This winter, Salmon filled out an application to cover the cost of shoes and new protective head gear for his school’s wrestlers. The next month, his application was approved. This year, paying for the cost of shoes wouldn’t prevent a student from joining Salmon’s wrestling team.
And that’s the whole point of the Game Changer program: Remove whatever hurdle is blocking a child from participating, and then get them back in the game.
The Basics program provided running shoes to help a rural school host its first cross country running meet.
Creating the Game Changer program
The goal of Game Changer isn’t new in Alaska, but the name is. During the past year, Healthy Futures took over a long-running program that was called The Basics and then expanded it, renaming it the Game Changer fund.
The Basics was a nonprofit program founded and run for almost a decade by Pam Skogstad. Skogstad, who lives in Hope, is a physical education specialist with about 30 years of experience adapting PE for children of all abilities in Alaska’s public schools.
From the beginning, The Basics set out to improve equity in terms of youth participating in healthy physical activities. What could it provide to ensure more kids could participate in activities and sports? Skogstad knew the need was there for a program like The Basics. A nurse at a Mat-Su school let Skogstad know a student got off the bus wearing only socks. Another student wore bags taped around their shoes to keep them from falling off.
The Basics worked with school districts and professionals across Alaska, including counselors, teachers and nurses. Those school leaders would hear about a child in need and request help through The Basics. Each time, the request was discreet, minimizing the chance a child would feel singled out or recognized as someone in need of shoes, coats or other items.
The Basics program sent gym shoes to elementary-age students who needed them in Mat-Su Borough schools.
Between 2012 and 2021, The Basics helped 10,000 students in school districts from Dillingham to Kenai to Mat-Su. The Basics was able to fill these needs due to funding and support from partners, including the Mat-Su Health Foundation, ConocoPhillips, GCI, and others. Over the years, The Basics supported so many students that success stories started stacking up. A rural Alaska school needed gear to outfit a cross country running team. If they had that gear, they could compete and host the school’s first invitational cross country meet. The Basics provided the team with shoes and the meet was scheduled.
“Being able to put on a meet has immediate and long-term benefits for youth, their families and communities,” said Kayla Williamson, who worked with The Basics.
An Alaska wrestling team had enough students to compete, but they couldn’t afford the gear. The team was from a Title 1 high school, which means the school serves a high percentage of students from families with lower incomes. The Basics provided wrestling shoes and gear to the team.
“The team went on to win the state championship,” Williamson said.
Winning a championship is success enough, but Williamson said that win can lead to other wins for student athletes. It could improve their chances of earning a scholarship for college, building healthy habits and simply boosting confidence.
In recent years, The Basics faced challenges staffing its volunteer board. Skogstad and board member Rick Hansen looked for a way to continue the work through another organization.
“I couldn’t just walk away from the need,” Skogstad said.
Hansen helped connect Skogstad with Healthy Futures. Harlow Robinson, executive director for Healthy Futures and the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, worked with board members to take over the role of The Basics, believing it fit with the Healthy Futures mission to make it easier for all Alaska children to build the healthy habit of daily physical activity. Then Healthy Futures hired Williamson, who had worked with The Basics and would now oversee the Game Changer program for Healthy Futures.
How to apply
Healthy Futures considers Game Changer applications throughout the year. Any adult can apply — a teacher, principal, coach, nurse, or parent — but the scholarship must go toward helping a child ages 5–18. Each request must be $500 or less, Williamson said.
Adults fill out application forms online, which are then considered by a small group that includes a Healthy Futures staff member, a board member of Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, and a representative from Healthy Futures’s partner on the project – Alaska’s News Source. Each application includes a brief summary of the need, how the scholarship will be used, and academic accomplishments for the students involved. Needs can vary, which means one application may ask for covering the cost of a bus trip to a cross country running meet, and another may ask for help flying a sports team to a competition they otherwise couldn’t afford to attend. Applications could request help to pay for a student to take a class that builds their skills in a physical activity, or could request gear, like shoes and other clothing.
Sometimes, just one pair of shoes is all it takes to open up possibilities. | | Published Month : <hide>2022-03</hide>March 2022 (1)
| | 3/17/2022 10:39 PM | 
March 18, 2022 — Riding all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) helps many families make the most of Alaska — adventuring outdoors, staying active, even getting place to place. Families in Alaska use ATVs regularly and many depend on them to get around their communities.
One of the best ways to protect your brain is wearing appropriate helmets for your sport of choice, including ATV riding. Families want their kids to enjoy riding ATVs, but like many great Alaska adventures, riding requires taking a few safety steps. Riding ATVs comes with increased chances of bumps, blows, jolts, or piercing injuries to the head, which can cause a traumatic brain injury. Luckily, these types of injuries can be prevented.
“We only get one brain,” said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer. “Strapping a helmet on is the best way to defend it, even for those quick trips.”
Wear helmets on ATVs
Dr. Zink knows Alaska kids are active — climbing, jumping, and riding ATVs and snow machines.
“But their developing brains are vulnerable, and you never know when you might fall or hit a rock,” Dr. Zink said. “It’s important to wear a helmet every single time to protect our head, even for quick trips to a friend’s house or store.”
Alaska has one of the highest rates of people experiencing traumatic brain injuries in the nation. From 2012-2016, about 1 out of every 5 reported injuries in Alaska included a brain injury, according to an analysis done by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. In 2019, the Alaska Native Medical Center reported an increase in head injuries — and many involved people not wearing helmets on ATVs.
ATV and snowmachine crashes are among the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries in Alaska, along with falls, other motor vehicle crashes, and assault. The American Academy of Pediatrics shared that ATVs seriously injured 26,700 children younger than 16 in 2015. That’s about 73 children getting injured each day. Many young people experiencing head and neck injuries from ATV accidents are 12 and younger, according to a study of National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data from 1990-2014.
“There is no good way to fix your brain once you’ve hurt it,” Dr. Zink said. “It comes down to how well your brain is protected. Safety gear like helmets make an astonishing difference when you get into an accident.”
Take other steps to prevent traumatic brain injuries while riding ATVs
Gear Up
A well-fitting helmet is your most important piece of protective equipment for defending your brain. Your helmet should be snug, but still comfortable. It should feel a little tight as you put it on. If your helmet is too loose, it will not be able to protect your head properly. Look for a Department of Transportation (DOT) label to ensure helmet quality.
Helmets experience wear-and-tear over time and can get damaged after crashes, so they should be replaced every five years or after one impact. You can read more about ATV helmet safety on page 5 of the ATV Safety Institute’s ATV Tips Guide.
Wear other protective gear while riding, too. Goggles, long sleeves, long pants, boots, and gloves help protect your eyes and skin.
One size does not fit all
“Another way to help keep children safer is by putting kids on the right-sized equipment to reduce the speed at which they’re traveling,” Dr. Zink said.
Riding ATVs that are appropriate for different ages and sizes of kids can help prevent injuries. Follow the manufacturer’s minimum age warning label on the ATV for kids younger than 16. Below are the five different sizes recommended by age.
Follow the recommendations for riders
Following rider recommendations can also reduce injuries related to ATVs. Many ATVs are not designed to safely carry passengers. On a single-rider ATV, the driver should be the only passenger. On an ATV designed for two people, there shouldn’t be more than one passenger on board.
Find out more about ATV safety
For more information of ways to prevent traumatic brain injuries from ATV riding and more, visit the State of Alaska Injury Prevention traumatic brain injury website.
Following local laws and ATV Safety Institute riding rules can go a long way toward protecting kids who are riding ATVs.
- Make sure children under the age of 16 always have supervision and support while riding.
- Talk with your family about never riding under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
The ATV Safety Institute provides many free resources for parents and children riding ATVs. You can explore some of their resources below:
The DOT helmet Image was provided from United States Department of Transportation’s Check Safety Ratings. The ATV age and size image was provided in the ATV Safety Institute’s Tips & Practice Guide for the All-Terrain Vehicle Rider, page iii. | | Published Month : <hide>2022-02</hide>February 2022 (1)
| | 2/1/2022 6:00 AM | FEBRUARY 1, 2022 — As adults, we often jump-start our physical activity each new year by joining a gym or setting a goal to walk, ski or move more.
We can ignite that spark for activity in our kids by signing them up for a free activity challenge that’s unique to Alaska. This Healthy Futures Challenge kicks off today in more than 100 elementary schools across the state. Schools and home school programs can still sign up online so more Alaska families can participate and be active together.
For the past 20 years, the Healthy Futures Challenge has provided a fun, free way for Alaska children to track any activity they do inside and outside of school. Over the months, children in grades K–6 earn prizes for meeting their physical activity goals. Over the years, they build a habit that has a long list of positives. Daily activity helps them — and all of us — feel better, reduce anxious feelings and stress, focus on tasks, improve sleep, and prevent many health problems that could develop years later.
Healthy Futures provides a free way for families wanting a healthier 2022
Throughout this year, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is running Healthy You in 2022 to share many ways to feel better, body and mind. These include no-cost and low-cost programs that we support, like the Healthy Futures Challenge.
In 2011, the Alaska health department and its Play Every Day campaign started working with the Healthy Futures program, an Alaska-based nonprofit organization. That partnership continues today to ensure as many schools and children as possible can participate and stay active.
Each school year, Healthy Futures runs a three-month challenge that takes place in the spring and fall for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The Spring Healthy Futures Challenge will begin Feb. 1, 2022, and will continue through April 30, 2022.
Children who participate in the Healthy Futures Challenge aim for the daily recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity — or play every day. Participating elementary-age students will keep a simple log of their daily physical activity with the goal of being active at least 60 minutes a day for 15 days each month. They can count active time in gym class and during recess.
Over the years, Healthy Futures has been able to expand the challenge to more school districts, elementary schools and students. In the program’s early years, it offered a free physical activity challenge in about 30 elementary schools during the 2003-04 school year. About 2,300 students participated in that challenge. Today, 106 elementary schools have signed up for the challenge that starts in February. These schools represent 26 school districts that serve large communities like Anchorage and Fairbanks and small ones like Pilot Point, Utqiagvik and Ketchikan.
“During the past two decades, we’ve watched tens of thousands of children participate and stay active,” said Harlow Robinson, executive director for Healthy Futures. “Even during the pandemic, almost 100 schools found ways to keep participating to help children stay active no matter where or how they were learning. Last fall, more than 7,000 Alaska children met their Healthy Futures activity goals, and we’re hoping even more children participate and have fun moving this spring.”
It’s not too late to sign up
Healthy Futures is able to continue offering the challenge to schools and students for free due to funding and support from multiple partners. Long-time partners include the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and Play Every Day campaign, as well as Alaska Kidney Foundation, Mat-Su Health Foundation, ConocoPhillips Alaska, and Providence Health & Services Alaska. The success of the challenge to support thousands of active Alaska children also depends on principals and teachers. These teachers, often physical education and health teachers, volunteer their time to run the challenge in their schools, collect activity logs, and hand out prizes to students who meet their activity goals. Schools also earn banners to hang in their gyms, recognizing high participation among students and longtime commitment to the challenge.
Is your child’s school signed up for the Spring Healthy Futures Challenge? It’s not too late for schools or home school programs to sign up online, making the challenge available to more families across Alaska.
To find out more about the Healthy Futures Challenge, visit the program’s website or contact Healthy Futures Coordinator Kayla Williamson at kayla@healthyfuturesak.org. | | Published Month : <hide>2022-01</hide>January 2022 (1)
| | 1/3/2022 6:00 AM |
 Move to improve: Making this one change can help so many things feel betterJanuary 3, 2022 – Many of us likely started this week with a plan to feel better in 2022. It’s been a long past couple of years, and all of us are looking for a change.
If your goals this year include any of the following, there is one small change you can make that will make a big difference. That change is being physically active. The list of benefits from activity is long, so hold on:
- feel better in all kinds of ways
- sleep better
- reduce stress
- feel less anxious or depressed
- improve your mood
- improve your chances of living not only longer, but with better health in later years
- get stronger
- improve the health of your heart and lungs
- reduce your pain
- improve your brain, including your memory and ability to focus
- improve performance at school, including a link to higher test scores
- prevent falls
- maintain or obtain a healthy weight
- reduce your chances of conditions that can last a long time — like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and some types of cancer
- prevent a serious illness from COVID-19 if you get infected
Moving your body every week can make all of these positive things happen. Looking for more details on the connection between activity and these positive results? Find them in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans online (PDF).
And don’t think it’s too late to start moving and feeling better.
At age 63, Kevin Armstrong of Anchorage began 2020 with a plan to be more active and eat healthier. Facing higher chances for developing diabetes, he signed up to work with a coach through one of Alaska’s diabetes prevention programs (more on those below). He started doing activities he enjoyed: swimming, golfing, walking, lifting weights. By 2021, he weighed 75 pounds less. He lowered his blood pressure. His blood sugar returned to healthy levels.
“I’m going to change my life for me,” Armstrong said before recording his story to share.
And he did.
“I feel fantastic. I haven’t felt this good in 30 years.”
Getting the most benefits from activity
The most benefits from activity come when you get enough of it every week. The ideal amount depends on your age. Preschool-age children feel their best when they’re active throughout the day. School-age children see the most benefits when they’re active at least 60 minutes every day. For adults, it’s 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each week. Moderate activity could be walking at a brisk pace or household activities like raking leaves. Vigorous activity steps up the pace to include jogging and running or activities like shoveling snow.
Some benefits of physical activity are immediate. Just one session of activity can cut your current feelings of anxiety, states the physical activity guidelines (PDF). Being active can lower your blood pressure that day, improve your memory and ability to stay focused, and help you sleep better that night.
Play your way
For 10 years, Play Every Day has been talking about the value of kids getting out to play every day for the best health. Taking a recess in the middle of the day isn’t just for kids, though. What if you scheduled time on your daily calendar for physical activity like your kids do for PE class?
Great, you say, so just do it! For some, blocking 30 or 60 minutes a day for physical activity is possible, but others might need to fit in shorter breaks. No problem: Active breaks of any length, even a few minutes, add up to feeling better.
Alright, you’re ready to move. Maybe you started the year with a new gym membership. That’s great, but keep in mind a gym might be the right place for some, but it’s not actually needed to feel better.
Physical activity doesn’t have to happen in a gym, in a pool, or on a treadmill to count. Walking is one of the easiest, most accessible and effective activities, in terms of healthy results. Walking is easier on the joints than running and can be done pretty much anywhere. All you need is a pair of shoes, boots or ice cleats and the right kind of outerwear for the weather. If you put your minutes into walking, which is the easiest activity for many of us to actually do, you’ll get all the benefits mentioned earlier.
That’s the beauty of making this one change. Physical activity can happen on your own terms when it works best for you. Get your heart pumping and your muscles moving by doing activities you like. Find ways to get as close to 150 minutes a week of movement, because that’s when you’ll start feeling the most benefits. Schedule active time for yourself like you do a meeting. Set up a date with a friend every weekend to catch up and move at the same time. Taking care of yourself is worth it.
It all counts. It all adds up.
Follow along for a Healthy You in 2022
We’re all ready to feel better in some way. Follow along during the next 12 months as the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services shares ways to feel better, body and mind. The department offers and supports many no-cost and low-cost programs that can help. Here is just a sample — all free:
- Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line – Ready to quit tobacco or e-cigarettes? You don’t have to do it alone. This service provides a coach to help you quit and free nicotine replacement therapy if needed. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800-784-8669, text READY to 200-400, or visit alaskaquitline.com.
- Online program to prevent or manage diabetes – Run through Omada, this program is offered to any eligible adult across the state. You can participate from home, whenever it works best for you.
- Telephone-based program to prevent diabetes – Run through InquisitHealth, this program is offered to eligible adults statewide. You can participate from home, whenever it works best for you.
- Online program to manage high blood pressure – Also run through Omada, this program is offered to eligible adults across the state.
- Careline – Need to talk? Call anytime if you need someone to talk to, if you are in a crisis, you are thinking about suicide, or you’re concerned about someone else. The conversation is confidential and you’ll be treated with respect. Call 1-877-266-4357 or text 4help to 839863 from 3 p.m.–11 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Visit Careline at https://carelinealaska.com.
Now back to physical activity. Here’s one more way for families to be active together.
- Healthy Futures Challenge – Teachers and families with young kids, get ready for this free physical activity challenge to start Feb. 1, 2022. It’s not too late for teachers and principals to sign up so their schools can participate. The spring challenge will run February through April. Children in grades K–6 at participating schools will win prizes for tracking their activity and getting at least 60 minutes of activity, 15 days each month. Learn about the challenge online.
Feeling better starts with small steps. You can do this, and we can do this, Alaska! The important thing is to just start moving.
| | Published Month : <hide>2021-11</hide>November 2021 (1)
| | 11/4/2021 11:47 AM | NOVEMBER 4, 2021 — Staying active makes you stronger. It improves your heart health. Just one session of activity can make you feel less anxious. A new study published this fall shows regular physical activity improves something else that’s critically important given the continuing pandemic in Alaska: It can make a COVID-19 infection less serious.
The study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine focused on almost 50,000 adults who had a COVID-19 infection in 2020. This journal is peer-reviewed, which means the featured research is examined by other experts in the field to ensure it is of high scientific quality prior to publication.
The new study in this journal showed that those who were consistently active were less likely to have a serious COVID-19 infection. That means adults who met the national physical activity guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each week were less likely to need hospitalization or die from COVID-19 infections than adults who reported less activity each week.
Physical activity benefits apply to everyone
One of the most important notes in this study was how strong this connection is between staying active and your body’s ability to fight infectious diseases like COVID-19. This connection between activity and less serious COVID-19 holds no matter:
- your age,
- your body weight,
- whether you smoke, or
- if you have other health conditions that can increase severe outcomes from COVID-19.
“Regardless of anything else about us, being physically active can improve our body’s ability to fight an infectious disease like COVID-19,” said Karol Fink, manager of Alaska’s Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
“That’s a powerful thing to learn from this study, especially because physical activity can be available to most of us at little or no cost. Activity can look any way you want it to look. You can go for a walk, you can hike on trails, or play outside with your friends from school.”
Strong link between staying active and improving outcomes after infections
Not getting enough physical activity week after week has been linked to increased chances of several ongoing conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and living with an unhealthy body weight. But what about a link between being inactive and outcomes related to shorter-term, infectious diseases like COVID-19?
The new study published this fall identified 48,440 adults who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 1, 2020, and October 21, 2020. These adults had reported to their doctor at least three times during the past two years whether they had been consistently inactive (10 minutes or less of activity each week), doing some amount of activity (between 11–149 minutes of activity each week), or consistently meeting the guidelines of at least 150 minutes of activity each week.
Results showed that getting closer to or meeting the weekly physical activity recommendations reduced your odds of having a serious COVID-19 infection. Adults who were consistently inactive were more than twice as likely to require hospitalization or die from COVID-19 than adults who consistently met the physical activity guidelines.
Play Every Day and Healthy Futures support active Alaska families
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services provides programs and works with partners to make physical activity easier for families.
Play Every Day – For the past 10 years, the Division of Public Health has run this statewide public education campaign to help children grow up at a healthy weight. Campaign messages and related programs support children in getting 60 minutes of daily physical activity (the recommended amount for school-age kids), as well as choosing healthy foods and drinks without added sugar. Find, follow and share these educational messages from Play Every Day on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube at playeverydayak. Healthy Futures – Play Every Day’s long-time partner is the nonprofit Alaska program called Healthy Futures. Every school year, the program offers a free physical activity challenge for participating elementary schools and students statewide. This fall, about 90 elementary schools are participating, with thousands of Alaska children already turning in monthly logs showing their commitment to 60 minutes of activity many days of the month. Find out if your child’s school is signed up for the fall challenge, which continues through the end of November. The spring Healthy Futures Challenge will begin February 1, 2022.
| | Published Month : <hide>2021-09</hide>September 2021 (1)
| | 9/7/2021 12:00 PM | SEPTEMBER 7, 2021 — Jack Foldager of Anchorage has hit the big time in the social media world — over 14,000 followers on his family's TikTok account and 3 million video views by the start of September. Big deal, you think. Well, he’s 4-years-old.
Lots of news media have picked up his story, including CNN. Why? Jack loves eating vegetables straight from the garden.
Jack’s dad, Trent Foldager, posted a video of Jack in their garden, eating a turnip right out of the ground and spouting nutritional facts about the vegetables surrounding him.
“It was a simple, cute, fun story,” said Trent about why the video went viral. “Jack’s not the only kid who’s taken a vegetable out of the garden and wiped dirt on his pants. People resonated with it.”
Offering little kids like Jack two healthy choices
While some parents have a hard time getting their kids to even try vegetables, Jack eagerly eats them. How did his parents do it?
Jack’s mom, Oksana Foldager, explains: “We cook our meals and sometimes Jack wouldn’t want what we were eating. We started giving him a choice. ‘Do you want broccoli or beans, a radish or a carrot?’ When he makes the choice, he feels like he had a success.”
In the video, Oksana mentions that they practice “Two Healthy Choices” with their kids — a message that the Play Every Day campaign is promoting in a new video this year.
“Two Healthy Choices” models a parenting technique that’s often taught to families with toddlers and preschool-age children. Parents want their children to have healthy foods and drinks. Children want to be in charge of their choices. Recognizing that, parents can give them choices, but limit those options to two and make sure both choices are acceptable to the family. By offering two healthy choices, the child feels empowered to make a choice and the parent is happy with it either way.
Play Every Day supports giving children food and drink options that will keep kids healthy. Eating a variety of healthy foods and drinks supports children as they grow, develop and learn. Healthy options also help protect children from diseases that occur later in life, like diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Whole-grain foods, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and protein give children more energy to play every day, too.
Giving children two healthy choices can help them build confidence and make better decisions about their food choices as they grow up.
“It’s our responsibility as parents to set them up for a healthy future,” Oksana said.
Kids can be picky. Just keep trying.
Gardening and a favorite book about eating plants have helped spur Jack’s love of vegetables, but there are other ways to get kids more involved with the food they are eating. The Foldagers also take Jack to the local farmers market and grocery store. Jack helps pick the produce the family will eat for the week.
“Kids naturally gravitate towards colorful foods,” Trent said. Involving young kids in picking out groceries, helping prepare food and choosing what to eat can make it easier to get them to eat healthy foods.
Jack is still a typical young child with those finicky eating habits that can drive parents crazy.
“He might eat cabbage one week and then kale the next,” said Trent. “We don’t always know what he’s going to want to eat, so we try different things.”
Oksana recommends that parents be patient when it comes to food for their kids.
“Incorporate variety, try new things. All kids can be picky. You just have to keep trying,” she said.
The Foldagers don’t limit their children to healthy food only, but they’ve found that Jack often gravitates toward healthier choices on his own. Recently, they took the family to the Alaska State Fair and bought crab cakes and fries. Jack didn’t want that. Jack had his eye on the carrots at the farmers market stand.
Photographs courtesy of Foldager family
Play Every Day is a campaign with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to help Alaska children grow up at a healthy weight and encourage families to be physically active and choose healthy foods and drinks. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/playeverydayak or www.playeveryday.alaska.gov. | | Published Month : <hide>2021-08</hide>August 2021 (2)
| | 8/24/2021 8:40 AM | AUGUST 24, 2021 — A lot of Alaska kids have challenged themselves to get out and play during the past 10 years: Tens of thousands of kids.
Play Every Day and the Healthy Futures program began working together in 2011. The Play Every Day communication campaign with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services was brand new at that time. The staff running it wanted to offer a free program that helped children get closer to the daily recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity — or play every day. It turns out, that program already existed in a nonprofit Alaska-based organization called Healthy Futures.
Still in its early years, Healthy Futures was small, but growing. During the 2003-04 school year, the program offered a free physical activity challenge in about 30 elementary schools. About 2,300 students participated in this early challenge, tracking their daily physical activity. By 2011, 35 schools had signed up to participate. The short-term goal for students was turning in a completed physical activity log for prizes. The long-term goal was — and still is — building the daily healthy habit of physical activity for a lifetime.
Fast forward 10 years to 2021. The Fall Healthy Futures Challenge will begin Sept. 1, 2021, through a continued partnership between Play Every Day and Healthy Futures. This Healthy Futures Challenge is a three-month challenge that takes place each spring and fall for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Participating elementary-age students will keep a log of their daily physical activity with the goal of being active at least 60 minutes a day for 15 days each month. They can count active time in gym class and during recess.
More schools, students participate over the decade
Over the past 10 years, participation in this challenge multiplied, both among schools and students. By fall 2016, 175 elementary schools across the state registered to participate. About 15,000 individual students tracked their activity and turned in logs. Since then, more than 100 elementary schools signed up during most challenge periods in school districts that serve large communities like Anchorage and Fairbanks and small ones like Aniak, Utqiagvik and Petersburg.
During the 2020-21 school year — taught entirely during the pandemic — almost 100 schools found ways to keep participating, even though students were learning at home during some or most of that year.
“We learned over this past 18 months that our program provides value, no matter what mode of education a school is using,” said Harlow Robinson, executive director for Healthy Futures. “Pandemic or not, children benefit from learning to build lifetime habits around being physically active. Regardless of what the future has in store, Healthy Futures and our great partners will be dedicated to helping Alaska kids make activity a fun, healthy part of every day.”
Sign up for the free physical activity challenge
Over the years, Healthy Futures has continued to offer the challenge for free to schools and students. That’s due to multiple partnerships, including teachers in participating schools who volunteer their time to collect activity logs and hand out prizes to students who meet their activity goals.
Students earn monthly incentives for successfully completing an activity log, and one student from each participating school will be selected to win a grand prize at the end of the school year. Choices for grand prizes have included active games, like Spikeball and Cornhole. Students who complete more months of the challenge will have increased chances of winning a grand prize. Participating schools can earn gym banners for high participation rates and longevity with the program.
Is your child’s school signed up for the Fall Healthy Futures Challenge? It’s not too late for schools to sign up online, making the challenge available to more students across Alaska. To find out more about the Healthy Futures Challenge or to sign up your school or home school program, contact Healthy Futures Coordinator Matias Saari at matias@healthyfuturesak.org. Support your child to get out and play this year.
Play Every Day is a campaign with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to help Alaska children grow up at a healthy weight and encourage families to be physically active and choose healthy foods and drinks. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/playeverydayak or www.playeveryday.alaska.gov.
| | 8/3/2021 9:00 AM | AUGUST 3, 2021 — Busy parents want to serve their children healthy options — quick and easy.
Little children want to be in charge.
Play Every Day’s new messages focus on helping parents and children get what they both want when it comes to healthy foods and drinks. A new message shared this week models a parenting technique that’s often taught to families with toddlers and preschool-age children. Children want to be in charge of their choices. Recognizing that, parents can give them choices, but limit those options to two and make sure both choices are acceptable to the family. That way, the child feels empowered to make a choice and the parent is happy with it either way.
“Our new message uses this technique with serving food and drinks,” said Diane Peck, registered dietitian with Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “The parent offers two choices to the little child, both of them healthy. The child can have unsweetened applesauce or a little orange, whole grain crackers or cheese, water or milk. Serving kids grab-and-go options can be quick and easy, and this message shows there are a lot of options that don’t have added sugar.”
This new message will be shared along with Play Every Day’s other new 30-second video showing little kids eating the healthy options they're offered — no added sugar needed. Play Every Day supports giving children food and drink options that will keep kids healthy. Eating a variety of healthy foods and drinks supports children as they grow, develop and learn. Healthy options also help protect children from diseases that occur later in life, like diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Whole-grain foods, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and protein give children more energy to play every day, too.
Giving two healthy choices to children
The technique of giving two choices to children can help them build confidence and make better decisions about their food choices as they grow up. Many young children enjoy being involved in picking out groceries, helping prepare food and choosing what to eat. Children are learning all about control and autonomy during the toddler and preschool years. Involving little kids in deciding what they want to eat can make incorporating these healthy choices into their diets much easier, Peck said.
“Keeping healthy snacks at home and having them ready to take with you wherever you go makes offering healthy choices easier,” Peck said. “Unsweetened yogurt with berries, a small box of raisins or diced dried fruit, apple and orange slices, raw veggies like baby carrots or snap peas, small bags of unsweetened whole-grain dry cereal, and hardboiled eggs are delicious and easy options to offer your children. Pack a water bottle so you have a healthy drink to give a thirsty child.”
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. And again.
Sometimes little kids like unsweetened foods right away. This summer, we filmed little kids who happily ate unsweetened yogurt, broccoli, oat cereal and fish. They drank plain milk and water. Some kids need to try these foods and drinks more than once, maybe many times, before they’re interested in eating them regularly.
If you’re having a hard time getting children to eat new and healthy foods, you’re not alone. The American Academy of Pediatrics shares tips for helping toddlers choose healthy foods and drinks. It’s common for kids to be stubborn about trying new foods. They may repeatedly ask for unhealthy snacks like cookies and sugary fruit drinks. Don’t worry too much if that happens, Peck said. Instead of offering sweetened options, keep encouraging children by offering new healthy foods and drinks many times.
Repeated exposure to new foods can include merely seeing a new food on the table, helping prepare the food, or trying a small bite. It may take 10 or more times of seeing a new food before a child is willing to try it. Continue to offer healthy foods to your child with a positive attitude. These frequent exposures can help encourage children to eat healthier for a lifetime.
Choosing healthy doesn’t have to be hard
When you’re in a hurry, you’re looking for convenient options. Grab-and-go doesn’t have to mean heading to a drive-through restaurant and doesn’t require packaged food with added sugar. Added sugars are sugars that are added during food processing, not sugars that occur naturally in foods like whole fruits.
Families with hectic schedules can use several strategies to serve their children healthy, convenient options. Keeping healthier choices in your fridge and pantry means there are better snack choices when you need them. Buying healthier packaged snacks without added sugar or making your own small bags of healthy snacks can make it more convenient to eat when time is short. You can pack small bags of whole wheat crackers and small single servings of cheese. Older kids can eat string cheese. Families can find yogurts and pouches of pureed fruits and vegetables that are easy to carry in a backpack and come with no added sugar. Check the Nutrition Facts label and choose options without sweeteners. You’ll know that’s the case if the “Includes Added Sugars” line under “Total Carbohydrates” says 0 grams. It is easy for processed foods and drinks to hide added sugar, making it important to keep checking nutrition labels.
Find and share Play Every Day materials
Play Every Day will be sharing more of its new messages for families in the coming months on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and playeveryday.alaska.gov. The webpage housed on the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services website is currently unavailable, but repairs are underway. Email playeveryday@alaska.gov to request print and other materials to share in schools, preschools, child care centers, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, and other locations.
Play Every Day is a campaign with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to help Alaska children grow up at a healthy weight and encourage families to be physically active and choose healthy foods and drinks. For more information, visit www.playeveryday.alaska.gov.
| | Published Month : <hide>2021-07</hide>July 2021 (1)
| | 7/27/2021 8:30 AM | JULY 27, 2021 — For the past decade, Alaskans have watched the Play Every Day campaign create new messages with younger kids. We’re still focused on supporting children to get daily activity and choose healthy foods and drinks, but we’re trying to start those habits earlier.
This summer, we invited a handful of families from Anchorage to Wasilla to work with us and create new messages. Moms and dads sat their little kids — no more than 8 months to 24 months old — in a highchair. Then they put plain, unsweetened yogurt in front of them. And we waited.
An 8-month-old boy grabbed a container full of yogurt and waved it around. He dug his fist into the yogurt and crammed it into his mouth. Another toddler grabbed a spoonful of yogurt and ate it, too, along with broccoli and unsweetened oat cereal.
It turns out little kids would eat the healthy options they were offered. No added sugar was needed.
And that’s the message shared in Play Every Day’s new 30-second video: It matters what we serve our kids during the early years. The flavors and variety of foods given to toddlers can influence the type of foods they’ll choose and enjoy later in life. Research shows that increasing the number of times you serve unsweetened, unsalted foods and drinks can decrease your child’s preference for sweet and salty options as they grow up. Reducing added sugar also lowers their chances for developing serious health problems later, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Added sugars are sugars that are added during food processing, not sugars that occur naturally in foods like whole fruits.
“Kids often surprise their parents,” said Diane Peck, registered dietitian with Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program that runs Play Every Day. “Parents may worry children won’t like foods and drinks if they’re not sweetened or packaged in labels that show fun colors or cartoon characters. Little kids enjoy many unsweetened foods and drinks right away. And even if they don’t like them at first, it’s worth giving it another shot. Keep trying to serve these unsweetened options to your kids, because chances are they’ll eventually eat and drink them.”
The value of starting early
Diseases developed over a lifetime can often be prevented in childhood. That includes chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and other conditions that go on for a long time and often don’t go away completely. Choosing foods without added sugars and serving water or plain milk to children when they are little can help protect them from developing these diseases many years later.
Play Every Day’s new messages support a new recommendation from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to cut out all added sugars in foods and drinks for toddlers under the age of 2. Young children eat such small quantities of food, so every bite matters. Establishing healthy eating habits between birth and age 2 supports brain development and growth in young children. Healthy eating means offering many different types of foods rich in vitamins and minerals and delaying sweet foods and drinks. It’s also important to wait to offer solids or liquids other than human milk or infant formula until children are about 6 months of age or developmentally ready to begin to eat solid foods.
Healthy foods for toddlers include whole grains like oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and whole-grain crackers; fruits and vegetables; lean meats and dairy; and a small amount of healthy fats, such as avocados and olive oil.
“The early years are all about taking the taste buds for a test drive,” Peck said. “Parents can introduce their little kids to a wide variety of healthy foods when they are ready to try them. What’s served early on often becomes a habit, and those early habits pay off later to prevent diseases that can develop over a lifetime.”
Added sugar sneaks into foods and drinks marketed for toddlers
Families know that cake and cookies have a lot of sugar. Many other foods and drinks marketed for children can hide a large amount of added sugar, including cereals, flavored milk, sweetened yogurt and some (but not all) grab-and-go purees of fruits and vegetables.
Serving only water, plain cow’s milk and unsweetened, fortified soy milk is a great way to start cutting out added sugar. Consuming sugary drinks before age 2 can increase children’s chances of drinking more sugary beverages later in life, which then increases their chances for related long-term diseases and cavities. Soda comes to mind quickly as a sugary drink, but other sweet drinks are marketed to children. Those include sports drinks, powdered drink mixes, vitamin-enhanced waters, fruit drinks and punch. What looks like 100% fruit juice often isn’t. A drink can have a fruit in the name or a fruit pictured on the label and have very little or no fruit juice. Flavored milk, like chocolate milk, adds teaspoons of sugar to plain cow’s, soy or other plant-based milks. Then there’s a newer drink called toddler milk or toddler formula, which often includes added sugar that little kids don’t need.
How to spot and avoid added sugar by looking at the label
Families can look at the Nutrition Facts label on foods and drinks to make sure they’re choosing options with no added sugar. Sugar can go by many names, including sucrose, honey, corn syrup and more. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires added sugars to be listed in a special line under “Total Carbohydrate.” Look for this line that says “Includes Added Sugars.” A food or drink has no added sugar if this line says “0 grams.”
Some foods are sold with and without added sugar. The yogurt that the toddlers ate during filming of Play Every Day’s new message was plain yogurt with no added sugar. Families can find that yogurt in large tubs or small portable containers. If children are old enough to eat berries, families can add blueberries or another fruit to naturally sweeten the yogurt without adding honey or other types of sugar.
Packaging can be tricky for pureed fruits and vegetables that are sold in pouches, tubes or small containers. These are very convenient for families on the go, but they can include added sugar. Fruit and vegetable pouches, such as unsweetened applesauce, are available with no added sugar and are a healthy option for little children.
Find and share Play Every Day materials
Play Every Day will be sharing more of its new messages for families in the coming months on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and playeveryday.alaska.gov. The webpage housed on the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services website is currently unavailable, but repairs are underway. Email playeveryday@alaska.gov to request print and other materials to share in schools, preschools, child care centers, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, and other locations.
Play Every Day is a campaign with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to help Alaska children grow up at a healthy weight and encourage families to be physically active and choose healthy foods and drinks. For more information, visit www.playeveryday.alaska.gov. | | Published Month : <hide>2021-06</hide>June 2021 (2)
| | 6/18/2021 10:45 AM | JUNE 18 , 2021 — Even in the best of times, it can be challenging for Alaskans to buy fruits and vegetables to feed their families. The cost may be too high, especially in rural Alaska communities. This year, the pandemic made buying healthy food even harder for many families who lost jobs or faced reduced work hours.
This summer, Alaska’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program is offering and expanding many programs to make it easier to buy fruits and vegetables. WIC serves pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as new mothers, dads, grandparents, foster parents, and working families with babies and children up to age 5. Their programs provide nutrition and breastfeeding education, referrals to needed services, and benefits to buy nutritious foods.
WIC families can eat more fruits and vegetables this summer
Alaska families enrolled in WIC can eat more fruits and vegetables thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act, also called the federal COVID-19 stimulus package. Benefits will be increasing for each mother and child enrolled in WIC between June through September to buy fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables at over 160 participating stores across the state.
“We’re excited for the increase in funds for fruits and vegetables because they contain so many vitamins, nutrients and fiber,” said Jennifer Johnson, a registered dietitian and Alaska WIC Nutrition Coordinator. “Also, the fruits and vegetables don’t need to be fresh. Frozen and canned are just as healthy.”
The Alaska WIC program has been working hard this past year helping parents who are having a difficult time providing healthy food for their families. Enrolling has never been easier. Some application requirements have been waived. Families no longer need to come into the WIC office in person to apply. Applying and enrolling can now be done over the phone. No matter where you live in Alaska, WIC can come to you. Even in areas with low access to grocery stores, WIC participants can go online or place an order over the phone and have foods mailed directly to them.
“A personal recommendation from a friend or provider to use WIC services can really go a long way,” said Taryn Bliss, registered dietitian and the Alaska WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator. “When you participate in WIC or tell others about WIC services, you’re showing the need for healthy foods and resources for your neighbor and yourself and showing how much Alaskans value these services for their community.”
Check out the prescreening tool today to see if you qualify for WIC services. You can call the WIC clinic nearest you to apply. To find a nearby location, enter your zip code on the WIC sign-up page. Note that the Department of Health and Social Services website is unavailable at this time. Department staff are working to get the website back online. In the meantime, WIC is best reached by telephone at (907) 465-3100.
Alaska families can find help through additional food programs
WIC Farmers Market Program
In some Alaska communities this summer, each WIC participant may be able to receive an additional benefit to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs from local Alaska farmers. They can use these funds at certain farmers markets with participating farmers who are approved for this program. See which markets and farmers are participating here. The WIC Farmers Market Program operates in Anchorage, the Mat-Su Valley, Fairbanks, North Pole, Kenai, Soldotna, Sterling, Kasilof, Homer, Haines, Juneau, Sitka and Petersburg.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
The Alaska SNAP program provides food assistance to eligible Alaska residents. SNAP benefits can be used to buy food from eligible stores statewide and participating farmers markets. The online application can be downloaded here, is available at public assistance offices, and can be mailed to you if requested. An electronic application is not currently available. You can email (hss.dpa.offices@alaska.gov) your application or mail, fax, or drop it off at any public assistance office when completed. Individuals who need assistance with their application or have questions can call the Division of Public Assistance’s Virtual Contact Center at 1-800-478-7778.
SNAP COVID-19 Emergency Allotments
Through emergency allotments, SNAP households will receive the maximum allowable benefit for their household size regardless of the income being counted. Individuals do not need to apply for emergency allotments. They will automatically be made available on recipient cards.
Expanded options at local stores
The Food Bank of Alaska and the Municipality of Anchorage are sponsoring SNAP produce vouchers at Carrs–Safeway stores. SNAP recipients shopping at Carrs–Safeway stores in Anchorage, Eagle River and Girdwood who spend $10 on fresh produce will receive vouchers at the bottom of their receipt for another $10 of produce to use on their next shopping trip. These vouchers don’t expire until July 31, 2021.
Additional help
Dial 2-1-1 or 1-800-478-2221 for a variety of resources and support including food and shelter, child care, and more. Sometimes it can be easier to ask questions over the phone than looking online. Alaskans who need food will find food banks and pantries across the state. Click here to find a pantry that’s open today.
Play Every Day is a campaign with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to help Alaska children grow up at a healthy weight and encourage families to be physically active and choose healthy drinks. For more information, visit www.playeveryday.alaska.gov. | | 6/16/2021 7:30 AM | JUNE 16, 2021 — Summer break for an Alaska kid looks much more fun than it did a year ago.
Children spent the past 12 months creating new ways to learn and keep seeing friends. Early in the pandemic, they organized drive-by parties to celebrate a birthday. They kept playing together outside — wearing masks and giving each other some space. They hopped on Zoom meetings to stay connected virtually.
When the pandemic started, families had to consider the terrible tradeoffs, said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer: If kids chose to play with friends, could they get each other sick, and then unintentionally pass the virus to their mom, dad or grandparent? This summer, many moms, dads and grandparents are protected from Covid-19 with the vaccine. Now, those who remain unvaccinated are mainly younger Alaskans, including kids 11 and younger who likely won’t be eligible for vaccines until fall. Most children do not get very sick from Covid-19, Zink said.
Making the most of this summer is critical, said Zink.
“Supporting our kids to eat well, be physically active and play with other children is critically important to their health and development,” she said.
Zink said there are two ingredients that make activities safer this summer: vaccination plus being outside. When one or both of these isn’t possible — such as young kids not being eligible for vaccines — then families can make adjustments to stay active in the safest ways.
The great news about Alaska’s response is that the statewide numbers of Covid-19 cases are very low. Continue to monitor the Covid-19 trends in your communities. Follow state and local guidance, which may differ one community to the next. Consider extra steps your family may need to take to protect others in the household. Have patience with each other and be kind, Zink said.
While masks are no longer required in many places, you will still see them being worn in public. That mask may make some people feel safer, Zink said. They might have a health reason for wearing it, or they are trying to protect a family member who’s not fully vaccinated or has a compromised immunity.
“If you are not feeling well, if you are unvaccinated or live with someone who has a compromised immunity— masks work,” Zink said.
Zink and Dr. Elizabeth Ohlsen, public health physician with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, answered questions to help families encourage their young kids to keep playing and see friends this summer.
What play looks like for kids this summer
What does physical activity look like for kids 12 and older who are fully vaccinated?
Zink said this summer looks awesome for older kids. She says all options are open for fully vaccinated children, without wearing masks or needing to keep distance. Full vaccination allows them to play sports and do other activities, indoors or outdoors. They no longer need to quarantine after being exposed to a teammate or friend who has Covid-19, Ohlsen said.
Zink talked about her 16-year-old daughter returning to the activity she loves. Her daughter is fully vaccinated and participates in running club without a mask.
“Go run. Don’t worry about how close you are to people,” Zink told her daughter. “Have a great time.”
What does play and physical activity look like this summer for Alaska kids 11 and younger?
“It’s outside, and it’s awesome,” Zink said. “For those 11 and younger — particularly if they are in a fully vaccinated family — I wouldn’t worry so much about distancing at the park and the playground.”
The Covid-19 virus passes mainly through the air we are breathing, not by touching surfaces that others have touched.
“Wiping down playground equipment isn’t something that’s recommended anymore,” Ohlsen said.
Zink encouraged kids to keep washing their hands before and after playing. Families also shouldn’t have kids play with each other if they have been feeling sick. Otherwise, Zink gave her doctor’s orders: Have a really fun summer. Get out and play, pick berries, fish, hike, run, and ride bikes while wearing a helmet.
Wearing masks outside is the family’s choice, Zink said. Kids playing outside are much less likely to spread Covid-19 than if they played inside, but a mask provides good protection for those who cannot be vaccinated, like young children. If your kids will be playing near others, then parents can consider having their children wear masks— even outside, Zink said. Some kids prefer wearing masks outside because they worry less about keeping distance from others, she said. Parents may choose to put a mask on a child who faces higher chances of a serious illness from Covid-19.
What about indoor play dates that include children 11 and younger from different households?
Indoor visits can be safer if young children are wearing masks while playing. According to the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) summer camp guidance, “mask use indoors is strongly encouraged for people who are not fully vaccinated including children.” The guidance also states no child under the age of 2 should wear a mask.
Zink said parents also should consider who lives inside the home. Adults are more likely to spread Covid-19 to children than children spreading the virus to adults, she said.
Sports and camps for kids who are unvaccinated
What are some considerations for kids 11 and younger playing soccer and other sports?
Have an awesome time, but don’t share water bottles, Zink said.
Ohlsen recommended masks for kids playing indoor soccer. This follows the CDC summer camp guidance regarding mask wearing.
Masks wouldn’t be needed during outdoor soccer while the children were playing and running around. Ohlsen said children should have masks ready to put on during huddles and on the sidelines when they have sustained close contact with others and can’t stay at least 6 feet apart.
You are going on a hike with your family and you pass others. What should you do?
Say ‘Hi,’ Zink said. You’re outside, so it’s lower risk and masks aren’t needed for kids.
Are masks needed for outdoor, summer day camps attended by children 11 and younger?
Zink encouraged parents to send kids with a mask in their pocket, ready to use if they need to go inside for any reason or if they will be playing close to other kids. Check the camp’s rules, however, so your family can follow the guidance set by each.
What about indoor day camps?
Follow camp guidelines and consider having your child wear a mask. Pack extra masks in case one gets wet, Zink said.
How about overnight camps?
This is a harder question, Zink said, especially if the camp is attended by unvaccinated children. The CDC updated its online guidance related to day and overnight camps. Camps with any campers or staff who are not fully vaccinated should use multiple strategies to protect people who are not vaccinated. One strategy is assigning campers to small groups to reduce the chance of spreading Covid-19 from group to group.
Another strategy involves wearing masks. The CDC said it strongly encourages people who are not fully vaccinated, including children ages 2 and older, to wear masks while indoors. The CDC said, in general, people do not need to wear masks outside. The guidance does recommend that people who are not fully vaccinated wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings or during activities that involve sustained close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated. This is particularly important in communities with high transmission of Covid-19.
The CDC said camp directors can choose to require mask-wearing and other strategies, so be sure to check the specific guidance for your child’s camp. The federal health agency also encouraged people to support campers or staff members who choose to wear a mask, even if they are fully vaccinated.
More information for attending camps can be found at this CDC website.
How can you navigate the summer with a partially vaccinated family?
Many families are partially or mostly vaccinated, but have one or two children who are healthy overall and aren’t eligible yet to be vaccinated due to age. What steps could vaccinated family members take to protect unvaccinated children?
Zink said her family had a special discussion about this topic. This discussion will look different across families and will depend on how they balance risks and benefits.
“The vaccine is amazing at preventing me from getting really sick,” Zink said, “and it does reduce the chance that I will spread it to my unvaccinated kids in my household. But it’s not zero.”
Zink’s family decided to limit some activities until all her kids could be fully vaccinated. Zink said she is looking forward to celebrating her family’s full vaccination by eating together at a restaurant.
Play Every Day is a campaign with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to help Alaska children grow up at a healthy weight and encourage families to be physically active and choose healthy drinks. For more information, visit www.playeveryday.alaska.gov.
| | Published Month : <hide>2021-05</hide>May 2021 (1)
| | 5/6/2021 10:39 AM | MAY 6, 2021 — Your 11-year-old son announces that he’s not eating meat from animals anymore. Is that OK for a growing child?
You have been following a vegetarian diet for several years and now wonder if that will be safe for your 1-year-old.
 “A vegetarian diet can absolutely be safe for kids if it is not overly restrictive and healthy alternatives are provided,” said Lea Palmer, registered dietitian and Food Service Lead for Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP) Head Start Program. Many health professionals, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, agree.
At any age, eating less meat and high-fat dairy foods can lead to consuming less unhealthy saturated fat and cholesterol and more healthy fruits, vegetables and fiber. That helps maintain a healthy weight and reduces chances for developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers. Eating more plant foods has also been shown to boost mood and mental well-being.
What does plant-based mean?
“Plant-based” and “plant-forward” are popular terms right now that mean a diet that contains mostly plant foods. Plant foods include fruits, vegetables, grains, dried beans and lentils (also known as legumes), nuts and seeds. Plant-based and vegetarian diets have become so common in recent years that it’s now easy to find vegetarian meals at restaurants and meat alternatives, like veggie “burgers,” in grocery stores.
There are different types of plant-based diets. A flexible diet may be mostly plant foods but includes small amounts of meat, chicken or fish. Some vegetarians don’t eat meat, but do eat eggs and dairy products, like milk, yogurt and cheese. A strict vegan eats plant foods only.
There is no one way or right way to follow a plant-based diet. These diets don’t have to be “all or nothing.” Eating no animal foods doesn’t automatically mean “healthy.”
“Just like any way of eating, there are definitely ways to make a vegetarian diet unhealthy,” said Palmer. “By paying special attention to providing substitutions instead of just eliminating meat, and choosing a variety of whole, healthy foods, a plant-based diet can be a part of a very healthy lifestyle for a child.”
Foods to focus on for plant-based kids
Kids eating a plant-based diet need to eat more foods that are high in vitamins B12 and D, iron, zinc and calcium. Most of these nutrients are found in dairy products and eggs. Fortified products — such as cereals, breads, soy milk and orange juice — can provide these nutrients for kids who don’t eat any animal products.
Plant foods also contain these nutrients. Dried beans and lentils are a good source of iron, zinc and calcium. Dark green leafy vegetables — such as kale, spinach and broccoli — are a good source of calcium and iron. Iron can be found in dried fruits (especially dried apricots), edamame (soybeans) and tofu. Zinc can be found in wheat germ, oatmeal, nuts and pumpkin seeds. Some mushrooms have vitamin D.
Will my child get enough protein?
 “Healthy protein foods are very important for growth, and can be found in plant-based foods, such whole grains, dried beans, edamame and nuts,” Palmer said. Most vegetarians can meet their protein needs by eating a variety of plant proteins and getting enough calories.
Plant milks can be a good source of protein, but not all plant milks are nutritionally equal. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend fortified soy milk as the only substitute for cow’s milk. Other plant milks — such as those made from oats, rice or almonds — don’t have the same protein and nutrients as cow’s milk. Fortified soy milk can be started at age 1. “Toddler milks” or toddler formula often contain added sugar and fats. These are not recommended for children.
Many kinds of meat alternatives are available, so plant-based kids can have their veggie burgers and hot dogs, too. Many schools are including these items, and other vegetarian options, on their menus.
Soy foods — such as tofu, edamame, and textured vegetable protein (TVP) — contain a plant-based hormone like estrogen. While soy foods are part of a healthy diet, studies of soy consumption among children is limited and more research is recommended. Plant-based families should aim for variety, mixing soy foods with other protein sources. The Dietary Guidelines recommend eating an assortment of soy foods and limiting them to 4–9 ounces per week to ensure kids are meeting their nutrient needs.
Talk with your pediatrician, health care provider or a registered dietitian if you have any questions or concerns about your children's diet or growth, soy foods, or if you think they need to take a supplement.
Ideas for plant-based meals
Plant-based meals don’t have to be fancy or complicated. When there’s meat on the table, include a heat-and-eat meat alternative, like a veggie burger, for your vegetarian. Support your plant-based kids by having some meatless meals for the whole family. Try new plant-based foods together. Eating more plants is healthy for everyone.
“Many family favorite recipes can be modified to become vegetarian by substituting the meat for ground tofu, beans, or nut or seed butter,” said Palmer.
Breakfast
- Hot or cold whole-grain cereal with fortified soy milk, nuts and dried fruit
- Whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and banana slices. Try other nut butters, like almond or sunflower.
- Smoothies made with soy milk or soft tofu, and frozen fruit.
Lunch
- Minestrone soup with baked sweet potato fries
- Pita bread stuffed with hummus and raw veggies
- Fresh, frozen or canned fruit
Dinner
- A salad with a baked potato topped with no-meat chili
- Pasta with tomato sauce and chopped mushrooms, along with steamed broccoli
- Whole-wheat tortilla stuffed with black beans, brown rice and salsa. Add regular cheese or vegan cheese if desired. For a more nutritional punch, include grilled veggies like zucchini, onions, peppers and cauliflower.
- Fresh, frozen or canned fruit
Snacks
- Dried fruit and nuts
- Fortified soy yogurt with fresh berries
- Whole-grain crackers and fortified soy milk
There are lots of kid-friendly plant-based and vegetarian recipes and cookbooks available online. Start with the USDA Eating Vegetarian website for more resources and recipes. Go to the Fruits and Veggies website for recipes, nutrition, storage and handling information on a variety of fruits and vegetables.
The Dietary Guidelines (pages 147 and 148) show healthy vegetarian recommendations for different calorie levels and include recommendations for toddlers ages 12 months through 23 months. These guidelines are designed to meet nutrient needs while not going over the recommended amounts for calories, added sugars, saturated fat and sodium.
| | Published Month : <hide>2021-04</hide>April 2021 (2)
| | 4/19/2021 7:38 AM | APRIL 19, 2021 — Over the past 10 years, the state’s Play Every Day campaign has been sharing health messages with thousands of Alaska families. Parents have seen posters about daily physical activity at their children’s schools and child care centers. They’ve flipped through guides about choosing healthy drinks at dentists’ offices. They’ve seen short videos while waiting at doctors’ offices and using social media.
 Families living thousands of miles from Alaska are now seeing these messages, too. Other states and countries have asked to share them, and Play Every Day staff have made it even easier to do so. The campaign’s most recent videos, several posters and educational handouts are now added to the State and Community Health Media Center, managed through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This national library makes health-focused video, radio, print, social media and online messages available at no or low cost. The additions include this short video about the large amount of sugar hiding in fruit drinks, another short video about parents as role models choosing healthy drinks, this handout and posters.
“Our Physical Activity and Nutrition Program in Alaska is committed to running a public education campaign that supports all of the work we do to help Alaska children grow up at a healthy weight,” said Ann Potempa, communications director for the campaign. “We make sure we’re listening to Alaska families as we create our materials. We strive to reach these families wherever they are — in cities to very small villages — and on whatever forms of communication they use. We want to share these messages with other health departments that are striving to help families in their communities, but may not have enough resources or staff to do it. The CDC Health Media Center provides a great way to share our work with as many people as possible.”
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services joins other state and local health departments, nonprofit organizations and federal agencies to create all the materials included in the media center. The center’s materials focus on promoting physical activity, nutrition, emotional wellness and more. They also emphasize the importance of preventing ongoing chronic diseases that can last a lifetime, such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Sharing materials helps more families receive messages to improve health
 CDC’s State and Community Health Media Center makes finding, choosing and using materials easy and cost-effective. Interested organizations can search by topic, name of health department that created the materials, type of message (video or print, for example), and more.
The media center prioritizes materials that have been tested with audiences. Play Every Day’s most recent materials that are included in the library focus on choosing healthy drinks instead of sugary drinks. Play Every Day tested these messages with Alaska parents of young children before producing and sharing them. Campaign staff created messages that parents considered the most meaningful and motivating. During a three-year period of consistently sharing Play Every Day messages, a series of surveys completed by thousands of Alaska parents showed a significant decrease in families serving sugary drinks during the past week and in increase in serving water.
Reaching families across the world
Play Every Day’s success in reaching Alaska families to improve health behaviors attracted the attention of global public health organization Vital Strategies. The organization’s partners in Jamaica and Barbados asked Play Every Day staff for permission to re-create the campaign’s short public service announcement (PSA) linking sugary drinks to tooth decay. The Heart Foundation of Jamaica tested the Play Every Day campaign’s “Tooth Decay” PSA with the Jamaica audience. The PSA tested well, reinforcing the messaging that sugar adds up and leads to serious health consequences.
“Decades of industry marketing and promotions have enticed consumers to drink sodas and similar sugary beverages. Our campaigns face a significant challenge — changing these long-established positive attitudes towards sugary drinks,” said Sandra Mullin, senior vice president of policy, advocacy and communication at Vital Strategies. “The Play Every Day campaign tells a powerful story presenting a simple and clear message that resonated with our audience.”
The Heart Foundation of Jamaica selected and adapted Play Every Day’s “Tooth Decay” concept for its “Are Our Children Drinking Themselves Sick?” campaign, which launched in fall 2018. In 2019, the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados adapted the Play Every Day PSA for the launch of its “Switch It Up” campaign. The post-campaign evaluation conducted in Jamaica in early 2019 revealed that more than 6 out of 10 Jamaica respondents remembered the PSA. Nine out of 10 (96%) respondents supported public education campaigns like these.
Find free Play Every Day materials online
You can find all of Play Every Day’s messages available at no cost on its website. Visit this webpage to find current and past messages focused on cutting back on sugary drinks and choosing water or milk instead. Visit this webpage for current and past messages focused on getting daily physical activity and participating in the Healthy Futures Challenge, which is a free, school-based physical activity challenge for elementary-age children in Alaska. Find Play Every Day’s materials on the CDC State and Community Health Media Center online.
| | 4/2/2021 7:27 AM | APRIL 2, 2021 — A year like this gives plenty of opportunities for reflection. On the first day of school, hundreds of Alaska physical education teachers faced a challenge no one would have anticipated a year before: The subject they’re passionate about would have to look entirely different during a pandemic than it did in a typical year — with big gyms and equipment for everyone — if it could be taught at all.
PE specialists in Alaska know this year didn’t provide the best way to teach children physical education. They recognize that a child’s access to PE varied across the state and school by school — from receiving no or little physical education to having a full-time PE teacher. Getting kids to move using a computer wasn’t always easy, and moving in person at open schools also required new rules and limitations.
 “We didn’t give up what we know the kids need,” said Melanie Sutton from the Anchorage School District. That’s learning physical education, nutrition and overall health along with other core subjects like math and reading, said Sutton, the district's health and PE curriculum coordinator.
Not giving up meant PE teachers invented new ways to move and found pockets of time in the day — sometimes before or after school — to make sure those opportunities were available.
In Fairbanks, PE teacher Kayla Clark knew her elementary school would start the school year with learning from home, like Anchorage schools did. She began recording PE videos that students could do at home.
In Anchorage, Natalie Washington learned that she and many PE teachers would be general teachers first, and then see how, or if, physical education could be added in during the school day.
In Wasilla, Nancy Blake at Goose Bay Elementary spent the end of summer on hands and knees, painting an outdoor gym space that looked just like her school’s indoor gym. Kids would come back in person there, but they’d need to move differently with plenty of space and masks.
First Quarter
Sutton is a former PE teacher and now works with more than 140 health and PE teachers in Anchorage. Sutton calls PE and health teachers the glue that holds a school together. In a given week, they teach every student in the building. They know every child’s name, every child’s family.
So when specialists in the school — PE, health, music and art — started first quarter in Anchorage as generalists supporting classroom teachers, Sutton said PE teachers were primed for the pivot.
“They were really ideally positioned to connect with those kids in a new way,” she said.
PE teachers retrained themselves. They learned how to support math, language arts, science and more.
“They had to learn a whole new career at the same time they were delivering it,” Sutton said.
 What that looked like was long days, packing in support for the whole school while still finding unique ways to keep offering PE. Rogers Park Elementary PE teacher Ben Elbow started every day of first and second quarter by running a special PE Zoom session before school even started. Elbow, Washington at Taku Elementary, Jason Payne at Homestead Elementary, and other Anchorage PE teachers set up cameras in their garages and living rooms to provide extra remote PE classes on top of supporting classroom teachers. Washington joined Payne and two other elementary PE teachers to record more than 200 slideshows this year to teach movement skills to students learning from home. Payne, president of the Society of Health and Physical Educators, Alaska, said the organization provided Zoom sessions twice monthly to teachers throughout Alaska to share health and PE resources and ideas. The group launched a new website to improve access to these resources across the state. The Alaska Departments of Health and Social Services and Education and Early Development supported the group’s efforts through grant funding.
Making this shift from PE specialist to providing more general support was critical to help all students this year, but it still felt like a loss to some. PE teachers had spent their careers training in a subject they believed in wholeheartedly. Not every child will play a sport, and sports teams don’t have slots for any kid who wants to join. But PE is open to all. Trained PE specialists teach children of all abilities the skills to move in many ways so they can enjoy being active and use activity as a way to stay healthy for a lifetime — body and mind.
“They know the kids needed it all,” Sutton said, “and they worked so hard to provide that.”
“They are an amazing group of educators.”
Second Quarter
As some districts continued online, PE teachers came up with more ways to keep kids active. Washington in Anchorage has been a PE teacher at Taku Elementary for 19 years, but she spent most of this year matched with classrooms to teach math, language arts and more. Taku is a Title 1 school, which means it has a high percentage of students living with families who earn lower incomes. Washington wanted to help all students stay active, but she knew every child wouldn’t have the same PE equipment at home. Given Anchorage school buildings were still closed, all the great equipment she had in the school’s gym was no longer an option.
“I had to figure out how to get those kids excited and moving,” she said. Washington’s solution came with a partnership with her school’s PTA. They put together bags of PE equipment that went home to every child. When they showed up for a PE Zoom class, the kids each had a jump rope, some balls, and other basic equipment. As classes heard what she could offer, Washington added more remote PE classes. Every 20 minutes, she built in movement breaks for her classroom, too.
The Mat-Su Borough School District had in-person learning for most students throughout the year. As winter approached, Blake in Wasilla noticed the ground under her outdoor gym space was getting too icy. The PE classes moved back to the indoor gym space. Inside, she focused on helping kids keep their hands clean and sanitizing equipment between uses.
Third Quarter
 For thousands of Alaska children, third quarter started a shift. Many headed back to school buildings. Some found more options for PE and activity, but that depended again on the school, the assignment of the PE teacher, even whether the gym was open for activity or repurposed for something else. As one example, PE teacher Elbow moved back into the Rogers Park gym, but he changed its purpose. For the remainder of the year, he’d teach all subjects to a sixth-grade class, setting up their desks in the gym.
Teachers and staff at Anchorage elementary schools increased physical activity options in other ways. Each student returning in person got 30 minutes of daily recess, Sutton said. A number of schools, including Rogers Park and Taku, had maintained outdoor ice rinks open to families.
Washington combined her passion for PE and her new placement in a classroom by taking students out to skate during school days. Right before spring break, she organized the first family ice skating night of the year at Taku. The large rink allowed families to finally get together, while still giving skaters plenty of space.
“It was perfect,” Washington said.
Fourth Quarter
Fourth quarter in much of this country starts with rain boots and ends with sunshine and green grass. This year’s abundant snowfall in parts of the state means Clark in Fairbanks returned to teaching in-person PE with a plan to start snowshoeing with students. Blake in Wasilla also started fourth quarter with outdoor snowshoe scavenger hunts. When the snow starts melting and muddy ground returns, Blake is planning to start circus activities in the gym – juggling, hula hooping, even balancing on stilts. The students will end with a virtual circus performance for families.
Washington has something exciting planned for Taku students in Anchorage, too. Approaching the year’s end, Washington feels grateful for the chance to help classroom teachers and learn from that experience. Even so, she’s looking forward to returning to the gym next year, knowing it’s important to teach kids how to move and offer them opportunities to do that every week.
“I have always wanted to be a PE teacher,” she said.
Sutton seconded the importance of returning the focus to PE and health for all students next year. The past 12 months, she said, have really reinforced the value of staying in the best health possible.
“The health of the world was on display,” Sutton said. Having underlying health conditions, like unhealthy weight and diabetes, can make it harder to fight viruses like Covid-19 and lead to more serious infections. Most Alaska adults have at least one of these health conditions. Getting out to play during the pandemic was important for physical and mental health, but it became harder for many to do so. Alaska parents reported their kids were getting less activity during the pandemic than before it.
“How do we help them come out of it and return to a state of wellness?” Sutton asked. Returning to teaching children PE and health helps them learn how to take care of themselves for a lifetime, she said.
Washington said she’s got a finale for this school year that will give her students hope for next school year. She’s working with her principal to bring back an outdoor field day on the last day of school. Sure, it will need to follow different rules during the pandemic, but she’s coming up with ways to provide fun activity stations for playing tug of war, running races and enjoying water games.
“I think it’s going to make them super excited to come back next fall,” Washington said.
| | Published Month : <hide>2021-03</hide>March 2021 (1)
| | 3/18/2021 3:58 PM | MARCH 18, 2021 — Starting at a very early age, a lot of sugar can sneak in — even when we have the best of intentions to keep foods and drinks healthy.
When little kids try new drinks, they may get added sugar in toddler milks, powdered and liquid fruit drinks, and chocolate milk. When new foods are introduced, toddlers can eat sugar in cereals, yogurts and squeezable fruit pouches.
Cutting out sugary drinks and serving water, plain cow’s milk or unsweetened soy milk instead is one of the best ways to cut out sugar for children. But what about other sources of sugar?
“National dietary surveys are clear: Sugary drinks are the top source of added sugars for toddlers through adults,” said Diane Peck, registered dietitian and Early Care and Education Coordinator for Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “But there are many other foods that come with added sugar and empty calories — or calories with no nutritional value.”
Added sugars are those that are added during processing and not found naturally in a food. Natural sugars include those in whole fruit and plain white milk. Foods and drinks with added sugars often contain calories with few, if any, nutrients.
There’s not much room for added sugar in a healthy daily diet
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans talk a lot about added sugar. The new guidelines recommend that children younger than age 2 should have no foods and drinks with added sugars.
Nutrient requirements for infants and young children are high because they are growing very quickly. The amount of food they eat is small, so it’s important that what they eat and drink is healthy, rich in nutrients, and low in added sugars.
The Nutrition Facts label makes it easy to see how much sugar has been added. Just look for the line that says "includes Added Sugars" and pan over to see the percent daily value of sugar in the product.
For everyone over age 2, the Dietary Guidelines continue to recommend limiting foods and drinks with added sugars to less than 10% of calories each day. The Dietary Guidelines recommend everyone eat a healthy daily diet that includes whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean meats and dairy, and a small amount of healthy fats in amounts that provide nutrients for good health and calories to maintain a healthy weight. Meeting food group recommendations requires most of a person’s daily calorie needs, leaving few calories for extras like added sugars and fats.
While knowing the amount of added sugar in a product is easy, knowing your or your kids’ recommended limit is a little trickier. Daily calorie needs are different for everyone, depending on age, sex, and daily physical activity. The percent daily value on the Nutrition Facts label is based on an adult daily diet of 2,000 calories. For that adult, the daily limit of added sugar should be 200 calories or 50 grams of sugar — which is the same as 12 ½ teaspoons of sugar. About 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. Since kids need fewer calories than adults, the daily added sugar limit shrinks for little kids. The general calorie levels for a very active 3-year-old girl and a moderately active 6-year-old girl are similar, and both should limit added sugar to under 22 grams a day, or 5 ½ teaspoons each day.
The American Heart Association provides a simpler recommendation for limiting added sugars: all kids ages 2 to 18 and women over 18 should have fewer than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day. Men over 18 years old should have fewer than 9 teaspoons a day.
How much sugar do most people actually eat or drink?
Every day, added sugars account for almost 270 calories — 17 teaspoons of added sugar — for the typical American. This average is reported in a national health and nutrition survey that’s shared in the current Dietary Guidelines.
“A national dietary survey shows that sugars are often consumed above recommended amounts beginning at an early age,” said Peck. “That survey shows the average child ages 2 to 5 gets about 11 teaspoons of added sugar every day. That’s an extra 176 calories from just added sugar each day.”
“The survey also showed that children who followed the recommended limit of less than 10 percent of the total calories from added sugars had better eating habits than those who ate or drank more added sugars,” Peck said. “That’s why it’s so important to start kids out at the beginning with healthy foods and drinks.”
Other sources of sugar add up quickly
Sugar sneaks into children’s foods in many ways. According to Peck, yogurts marketed for kids are a big source of added sugar for infants and young children.
“Yogurt is one of those foods that should be healthy,” Peck said. “It’s a good source of protein and calcium. Unfortunately, many yogurts — especially those in tubes and pouches — contain added sugar. One small 3-ounce berry-flavored yogurt in a squeeze pouch has 2 teaspoons of sugar. While that doesn’t sound like a lot, the sugar quickly adds up meal after meal to be more than the daily recommended amount for kids.”
After sugary drinks, several types of foods are the major sources of added sugars for all ages. Note that amounts of added sugar are based on a typical serving size and brand. Actual amount of added sugar will vary among brands and sizes. Sugar can be added to the following types of foods:
Sweet baked treats
After sugary drinks, the second largest source of added sugar in children’s diets is sweet baked treats, such as cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, doughnuts, sweet rolls, and pastries. Two small brownie “bites” or 3 small chocolate chip cookies can have 3 teaspoons of added sugar each. One small slice of plain chocolate cake can have 9 teaspoons of added sugar.
Candy
Candy comes next. One 1.55-ounce chocolate bar can have just over 5 teaspoons of added sugar. One small single-serving package of chewy fruit candies can have 11 teaspoons of sugar.
 Sugary breakfast cereals and bars
It’s easy to start the day with a load of added sugar. One chewy chocolate chip granola bar can have 2 teaspoons of added sugar. One cup of either a honey oat cereal or a sugar-coated corn cereal can have 3 teaspoons of added sugar. You can read more about sugary cereals and breakfast foods in this Play Every blog.
Dairy desserts
Dairy desserts include ice cream, frozen dairy treats like ice cream sandwiches, and puddings. One small 3.5-ounce vanilla ice cream sandwich can have 3 teaspoons of added sugar. One 3.25-ounce chocolate pudding cup can have nearly 4 teaspoons of added sugar.
 Flavored milk
Flavored cow’s milk, like chocolate or strawberry, contains the same nutrients as plain white milk, but has added sugar. One 8-ounce carton of chocolate milk can have 2 ½ teaspoons of added sugar. Flavored plant milks also can contain added sugars. One 8-ounce carton of chocolate almond milk can have 4 teaspoons of added sugar and one 8-ounce carton of chocolate soy milk can have 5 teaspoons of added sugar.
How to limit added sugar
Eating and drinking less added sugar is important for everyone’s health now and in the future. Cutting back on added sugar can help maintain a healthy weight, prevent ongoing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and reduce the chances of getting cavities.
One of the biggest ways to cut out the most added sugar is to drink fewer sugary beverages. Parents can drink coffee without sugar or sweetened syrups, and cut back on sodas and sports, energy and vitamin drinks. They can serve children water or plain milk instead of fruit drinks. If parents plan to serve 100% fruit juice, make sure that is what's in the container (fruit drinks may look like they’re 100% fruit juice, but instead contain added sugar). Then keep those juice servings small. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that toddlers have no more than 4 ounces (1/2 cup) in a day.
The next step is to eat fewer sugary foods. If you do have sweetened foods, take a smaller portion size than you typically would eat. Here are some swaps to consider: Peck recommends serving fresh fruit, or fruit canned in water or juice, instead of sugar-loaded desserts. Choose unsweetened applesauce instead of applesauce with added sugar. Serve plain yogurt and add frozen berries, instead of flavored yogurt with added sugar. Prepare plain oatmeal with fruit instead of oatmeal packets that come with added sugar. Snack on raw veggies, or cheese and whole grain crackers, instead of cookies or candy.
Read the Nutrition Facts label on foods and drinks to choose options with no or low added sugar. Visit this Play Every Day website to help you figure out how much sugar is hiding in your foods and drinks.
Get more tips for reducing added sugars from the American Heart Association. Learn more about healthy eating and get personalized calorie and meals at MyPlate.gov.
| | Published Month : <hide>2021-02</hide>February 2021 (2)
| | 2/16/2021 9:08 AM | FEBRUARY 16, 2021 — For 40 years, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been providing recommendations about what to eat and drink for better health.
The newest edition issued at the end of December — Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 — had some big changes. These are the first guidelines that include infants and toddlers (children under 2 years), and breastfeeding and pregnant women.
Since 1980, an updated version of the Dietary Guidelines was released every five years. The basic guidelines have remained the same over the years: Eat more whole grains; fruits and vegetables; lean meats and dairy; and a small amount of healthy fats like avocados, nuts and olive oil. Each update contained some small changes that reflected the advances in nutrition research and how the foods and drinks we consume play an important role in preventing diseases.
Stephanie Shryock is a registered dietitian, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant and coordinator of the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) for the Kodiak Area Native Association. Shryock said she was excited about the new Dietary Guidelines, calling them a “wonderful resource for families and health care workers.”
Shryock has worked with infants, toddlers, pregnant and breastfeeding women for the past 10 years.
“These categories of people need special guidelines for several reasons, but primarily due to their body going through an especially critical time in the lifespan,” she said. “For example, a pregnant or breastfeeding mother’s eating habits and lifestyle choices may not only affect her health, but may also affect her child’s health too.”
 Science shows that early food preferences influence later food choices.
“The time from birth until two is vital for establishing healthy dietary patterns and eating habits that may influence a person’s health throughout the rest of their life,” Shryock said.
Guidelines for infants and toddlers through 2 years old
The new Dietary Guidelines align with the feeding recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics that have been around for several years: Feed infants only human milk for the first 6 months if possible. If breast milk is not available, an infant should have only iron-fortified commercial formula.
Babies should continue to drink human milk for at least the first year of life even as solid foods are slowly introduced around 6 months old. At that age, infants are developing the skills needed to eat solid foods, such as holding their head and neck upright and bringing their hand and objects to their mouth. Babies’ first foods should be nutrient-rich foods from all the food groups: iron- and zinc-fortified baby cereal, pureed or soft meats, seafood, beans, eggs, plain yogurt, cheese, fruits and vegetables. Infants under age 1 should not have cow’s milk, plant milks, fruit juice, soda, or caffeinated drinks. These beverages do not contain the correct amount of nutrients to replace human milk or iron-fortified infant formula. Cow’s milk can be hard for an infant’s system to process. These beverages may also contain added sugars that can lead to children growing up at an unhealthy weight.
The new Dietary Guidelines recommend introducing infants to potentially allergenic foods at 4- to 6- months old, along with other foods. Typical foods that may cause an allergic response include foods that contain peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, and cow’s milk. These foods should be slowly introduced early in life to prevent allergic reactions from developing. Parents with infants with severe eczema or an egg allergy should check with their health care provider before feeding foods with peanuts. Cow’s milk should be slowly added beginning at age 1.
Introduce infants to one single-ingredient new food every three to five days, said Diane Peck, registered dietitian with Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. Watch to see if there are any reactions, such as a rash. Start small with ½ ounce to 1 ounce of a single food once a day. Slowly increase the amount and number of foods. Within a few months of starting solid foods, a baby's daily diet should include small amounts of a variety of foods with different flavors and textures from all food groups.
Additional guidelines for toddlers ages 1-2
In the second year of life, toddlers may continue to drink human milk, but should be getting the majority of their calories and nutrients from healthy, age-appropriate foods and beverages.
“During this period, nutrients critical for brain development and growth must be provided in adequate amounts,” Shryock said. “Children in this age group consume small quantities of foods, so it’s important to make every bite count!”
Toddlers should be eating the same healthy foods as infants ages 6 months and older, with increasing variety in tastes and textures. Whole, vitamin-D fortified cow’s milk and fortified soy milk can be introduced at 1 years old. Cereals should include whole grains. Whole fruit is best, but if parents and caregivers are serving 100% fruit juice, toddlers should have no more than 4 ounces (1/2 cup) in a day. The best drinks for toddlers are water, plain cow’s milk, unsweetened soy milk, or human milk.
 Infants and young children have no room in their diet for the added calories that come from added sugars. Added sugars are those not found naturally in a food, but instead added during processing. That includes sugars added to foods, like some yogurts and cereals, and to drinks, like soda and flavored milk. Those added sugars can lead to childhood obesity, dental cavities, and chronic diseases, such as diabetes that can develop even in young children.
Sugary drinks provide much of the added sugar consumed by little children. For the best health, toddlers should not drink toddler milks, flavored milk like chocolate or strawberry, and sugary drinks. Sugary drinks include soda, powdered drink mixes, sports drinks, vitamin-enhanced waters, and fruit-flavored drinks or punch.
Play Every Day’s recent messages promote giving water and milk to little children instead of sugary drinks. Children watch what their parents and caregivers are eating and drinking. If adults choose a bottle of water instead of a bottle of a soda or vitamin drink, children watching them will be more likely to want that healthy option, too.
Guidelines for pregnant or breastfeeding women
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should follow the same dietary recommendations as other age groups, but with extra calorie and nutrient needs at different stages, especially during the second and third trimester of pregnancy, and when providing breast milk to their babies and toddlers. Pregnant women should work with their health care provider to determine the appropriate supplements and amount of healthy weight gain during their pregnancy.
Helpful meal pattern and healthy food ideas
There are helpful resources online if you’re wondering what all these Dietary Guidelines actually look like on your plate, or what you should feed your infant or toddler. Visit the Dietary Guidelines Food Sources of Select Nutrients to see which foods are good sources of important recommended nutrients.
Learn more about healthy eating from birth through all stages of life and get personalized calorie and meal patterns at MyPlate.gov. Parents can find a wide variety of nutrition and other useful health information for children of all ages at HealthyChildren.org.
| | 2/8/2021 11:33 AM | FEBRUARY 8, 2021 — Have you stood in a checkout aisle and started to sweat because you realized you were short on cash? Unexpectedly, the shopper behind you stepped in to cover your groceries, and you did the same for a shopper the next time.
Or maybe you were at a coffee shop, standing in line and learned the person in front of you pre-paid for your drink? Or you shoveled a neighbor’s driveway, and the next snowfall, that neighbor shoveled three other driveways and the sidewalk, too.
That’s paying it forward. Yes, we say thank you to the person who thought of us in that moment, but then we do a similar kindness for someone else in the future.
In December 2020, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) honored the pending arrival of COVID-19 vaccines and other brighter things to come through the “Bring Back the Light” event. The night before winter solstice, Alaskans across the state lit ice luminaries and shined all types of lights to show their resiliency and support for one another.
Pay It Forward in February
 During the week of Feb. 12–Feb. 19, 2021, the health department is organizing “ Pay It Forward February.” During the month, remember the time when someone showed you a kindness during the pandemic, and then pay that kindness forward to someone else. You can pay the same kindness forward: someone bought you a coffee, so you bought the next person in line a coffee. Or you offer whatever kindness works best for you. Maybe someone jump-started your car when you needed to get to work, and you turned around and cooked dinner for the neighbor who works long hours and is coming home to a hungry family at night. Paying it forward doesn’t have to cost a cent. Open the door for the person behind you, offer a helping hand to the child who slipped on the ice, or smile at someone who looks like they could use one.
There are many ways to share kindness this month
Paying it forward between Feb. 12 and Feb. 19 can look different for everyone. It could be as easy as thanking someone, running an errand for an elderly neighbor, or shopping at local businesses that may be struggling to keep the doors open during the pandemic. You could reach out to Alaskans you know who are 65 or older and help them sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through covidvax.alaska.gov or by calling (907) 646-3322. You may be looking for company right now, at the same time an animal needs a loving home. Visit a local shelter and adopt a pet.
Many Alaskans don’t need just one week for showing kindness. They show it all year-round. A group of 2,500 Alaskans belong to the Pay It Forward Fairbanks Facebook page that provides a place to ask for what you need and thank others for what they’ve given. You’ll see stories of people who’ve started car after car after car in this Alaska city that’s used to frigid temperatures and dead batteries that need a kick-start. You’ll read posts about neighbors offering clothes to others in need, community members helping a resident find a low-cost used car to get to a new job, and families paying for the meal for the carload of people behind them in the drive-through.
During Pay It Forward February, you could support local organizations that are helping families throughout the state. There are so many to consider. DHSS is partnering with many groups to encourage supporting others in February. This includes the United Way organizations in Anchorage, Mat-Su, Southeast and Tanana Valley. The United Way of Anchorage’s annual Walk 4 Warmth is scheduled Feb. 5–14, 2021, right along with Pay It Forward February. All funds raised will help families and individuals who are struggling to pay rent, utilities and other basic needs during the pandemic. Walk 4 Warmth is actually a perfect example of paying it forward: Each dollar donated will go even further, with a 1-to-1 match.
The Food Bank of Alaska, Anchorage Park Foundation, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and so many more groups are also supporting Alaskans to share kindness with others this month. You could pay it forward by dropping off food to your local food bank or cleaning up trash along the local park trails. You can’t go wrong with kindness.
Share your kindness, and tag someone else to do the same
Pay It Forward February isn’t a formal event. This is one activity you can make your own. You can participate by yourself, but the real magic comes when the kindness keeps going. Ask your friends and loved ones to join you in paying it forward, or participate as a business or organization. Then ask your friends, family and groups to tag others to participate. Post your Pay It Forward actions on social media. Consider sharing photos or videos of how you paid it forward this month by using the hashtag #WithYouAlaska. More kindness can start in February, but it doesn’t need to stop then.
| | Published Month : <hide>2021-01</hide>January 2021 (1)
| | 1/12/2021 3:58 PM | JANUARY 12, 2021 — When you’re 30, there’s a lot of gear you could grab to stay active outdoors during the winter. Maybe it’s skis, trekking poles, or snowshoes.
 But what about when you’re 3? Staying active throughout the coldest, darkest months — especially this winter — is important for the youngest of children. Families and experts are finding ways to keep preschool-age kids moving with some of the simplest, low-cost ideas that are still possible during the pandemic.
Korynn and Ken Applegate of Anchorage are parents of five kids. They’ve had plenty of experience keeping preschoolers active. The Applegates stock a big plastic tub outside year-round with many options. Their five kids find all kinds of toys in that tub, including balls, hand-me-down hockey sticks, pucks, Frisbees and items that may suggest summertime play, but that doesn’t limit their use in the winter. Inside that tub, the kids find gardening tools they can use to dig, sculpt and carry snow from one place to another.
Alaska communities also offer winter sports programs for kids as young as ages 3–6. Learn-to-skate programs in Alaska may start with 3- to 4-year-olds. The Junior Nordic cross country ski program in Anchorage starts with 6-year-olds.
“We started our kids young with local learn-to-skate programs,” said Korynn Applegate. “The age they started depended on the child, but most were 5 years old. Except one of the boys. We started him skating at 3 because he was totally obsessed with hockey. He slept with a hockey stick.”
Applegate said she’s found that keeping her kids active “helps keep the depression bug away, especially when it starts getting dark.” Dr. Diane Craft agrees. Craft is a national expert on early childhood physical activity and the author of “Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children.” Vigorous activity for children is important for many reasons, including helping kids sleep better at naptime and at night, Craft said.
“Physical activity can be a great stress reducer — for both young children and their family,” Craft said. “With the added stress of the COVID-19 virus, actively playing and laughing together may be just what we all need.”
How much physical activity should a preschooler get each day?
Parents often say that their preschooler never stops moving. That’s likely true for most 3- to 5-year-olds. The National Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend kids ages 3–5 stay physically active throughout the day, with a target of 3 hours of physical activity per day. That should include a mix of light, moderate and vigorous activity.
Parents, teachers and other caregivers of preschoolers can encourage active play that includes a variety of movements. Activities, such as hopping, skipping, jumping, and tumbling, can help build strong bones and muscles. Kids need adults to help them learn how to use their muscles and move their bodies. Learning how to throw and kick a ball, or how to skate or ski, helps kids develop skills that can strengthen their bodies and improve coordination.
“It’s important to remember that physical activity for young children is about having fun while learning to move their bodies. It is NOT about competition,” Craft said.
Craft also stressed the importance of adults as good role models for young kids.
“Be active yourself to show young children how important physical activity is for you – and for them,” Craft said. “Having fun with children while being active can help them develop a lifelong enjoyment of physical activity.”
When possible, take activity outside this winter
Heading outdoors can add creativity and invention to activities. Applegate says her kids are always making up new games when they’re playing outside.
“They even make up new words for their games,” Applegate said.
Find ways to turn everyday winter activities into something more. After shoveling the driveway, use that shovel to create a snow maze in the yard. Challenge kids to run, hop or skip through the maze without stepping over the walls. Make it even more magical by creating ice luminaries with your children and using them to brighten the twists and turns of the maze.
 Alaska’s gift is space to move, with hundreds of parks and miles of trails. Many of these are great places for families with young children to walk, climb or just play. The Anchorage Park Foundation has maps for many of the parks and trails in Anchorage. Families living outside of Anchorage can find parks, trail maps and updates throughout the state on the Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation website and using apps like OuterSpatial.
Meredith Gutierrez, Youth Engagement Coordinator for the Anchorage Park Foundation, says the Schools on Trails program encourages everyone to go outside, but especially those with small children.
“Being outdoors for just a few minutes a day benefits children’s physical, mental, and emotional health,” Gutierrez said. “Give your kids the room to explore, move, and make noise. What games can they imagine? What animals do they think wander through your space?What is something big or small they notice?”
When playing outdoors, be sure to provide young kids with the appropriate clothing for staying warm and dry. Kids should be dressed in layers and have their hands, feet, ears, and heads covered. They also should have periodic breaks to warm up inside. Physical activity doesn’t have to take place all at once. Kids benefit from physical activity broken up into short bursts. When it’s colder, kids can play outdoors for several shorter periods throughout the day. Be mindful of your preschoolers' limits and needs, such as extra clothing, water, and snacks, when heading out for hikes and longer activities.
Staying active when you can’t get outside
There are lots of indoor activities to help young kids move their bodies when it’s too cold or stormy to go outside. Check out these 25 ways to get moving at home from the American Heart Association.
Dr. Craft shared this idea: “Separate several pairs of socks. Scatter one of each pair at one end of an open space and scatter their mates at the other end of the space. Challenge children to each pick up one sock, run down to the other end, and look among all the socks to find the exact match to the one in their hand. Run back with the matched socks to the starting point and repeat until all the socks have been reunited with their exact match. Vary the movement – run, jump, hop, and tiptoe from one end to the other, finding the mates for each sock.”
Other indoor activities include games that require movement, such as charades, Follow the Leader, Simon Says and Twister. Do impressions of your favorite animals or act out the scenes from a book. Dancing to music also helps kids, and adults, have fun while moving their bodies. There are many free and low-cost videos and apps that are specifically made to get young kids moving. Go Noodle videos have catchy, clever songs and movements for kids of all ages.
Families also can find ways to use spaces and household items in different ways to encourage movement. The Applegates set up obstacle courses in their garage. This is a great way to teach kids how to go over, under, and around objects. The younger kids like to ride their tricycles or pedal cars in the garage, too.
Play safely near others this winter
Better treatments and COVID-19 vaccines are becoming available in Alaska, but it’s still important to play safely during the pandemic. When playing near kids outside your family’s social bubble, outside interactions are best. Stay six feet away from others and wear masks, even outside. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and wash or sanitize hands frequently. Parents should carefully consider using playgrounds. Social distancing is difficult at playgrounds, making spread of the virus possible. There are so many outdoor places to visit across the state, though, giving families with little children a lot of options to get out and play.
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-12</hide>December 2020 (2)
| | 12/29/2020 10:37 AM | DECEMBER 29, 2020 — The new 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans issued today strengthen the recommendation to limit sugary drinks at younger ages. Infants and children younger than 2 years old should avoid all foods and drinks with added sugar, the guidelines state.
 This new national recommendation for young children aligns with similar guidance issued in 2019 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Heart Association. All four organizations agreed: Sugary drinks are not recommended for children ages 5 and younger. The 2019 report — called Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids — said sugary drinks include fruit drinks and ades (like lemonade), which can be in liquid or powdered form; sweetened water; sports and energy drinks; and soda. The report also recommended not serving little children flavored milk, like chocolate or strawberry.
“The sugar we eat and drink day after day increases our chances of developing health problems that can last a lifetime, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity,” said Karol Fink, registered dietitian and manager of Alaska’s Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “We often focus on the sugar added to foods, but drinks are the main source of added sugars in many people’s daily diets. Parents can make a big improvement in their children’s health by cutting out those sugary drinks.”
New guidelines recommend people of all ages limit added sugar in drinks and foods
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is issued every five years jointly by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture (USDA). Scientists along with nutrition and health experts work together to provide recommendations about what to eat and drink to stay healthy and reduce the chances of developing obesity and chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In Alaska, about 1 out of 3 children is overweight or obese, and 2 out of 3 adults are overweight or obese.
The 2020-2025 report kept the recommendation first released in the 2015-2020 guidelines that states people ages 2 and older should limit added sugars to less than 10 percent of the calories they eat and drink each day. Added sugars are sugars, syrups and other sweeteners that are added to foods or drinks when they are processed or prepared. Added sugars do not include naturally occurring sugars, such as those in plain white milk and whole fruits.
Examples of sweetened foods include granola bars, sweetened breakfast cereals, cookies and cakes. It’s drinks, however, that can lead to much of our daily sugar intake. There is strong evidence that consuming sugary drinks is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay.
What does the recommended daily sugar limit look like when it comes to drinks? According to the dietary guidelines, a person eating 2,000 calories a day should limit their daily added sugar to about 12.5 teaspoons. Just one sugary drink, like a bottle of soda, can take you over that limit (a 20-ounce soda can have 16 teaspoons of added sugar). A 16-ounce glass of a powdered orange drink — a common beverage in Alaska — has about 11 teaspoons of added sugar. A bottle of a sports drink can have 9 teaspoons of added sugar.
Added sugars can be tricky to spot because they go by many different names, such as honey, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. That’s why it’s important to read the ingredient list on the back of a drink or food container to find all the added sugars. The updated Nutrition Facts labels tell you how much added sugar there is in a food or drink on the line called “Includes Added Sugars” under the “Total Carbohydrate” section.
The 2020-2025 dietary guidelines support Play Every Day’s mission to reduce the amount of sugary drinks that Alaska children and families consume every day. In Alaska, high consumption of sugary drinks starts at a young age. About 1 out of 3 Alaska 3-year-olds (31%) drinks some amount of sugary beverages every day, according to the 2018 Alaska Childhood Understanding Behaviors Survey. By high school, almost 1 out of 2 Alaska teenagers drinks one or more sugary beverages every day, as reported in the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
Play Every Day is sharing new messages this year to encourage families to serve water or white milk instead of sugary drinks. One message focuses on helping families understand the large amount of sugar hiding in drinks commonly served to young children. Another message focuses on parents and caregivers modeling the choice to drink healthy beverages so children see that behavior and do the same.
New recommendations for infants, toddlers, and pregnant and breastfeeding women
The 2020-2025 dietary guidelines now provide recommendations from birth through older adulthood. The report is organized into sections that focus on life stages, including a new focus on babies and toddlers under age 2, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The new guidelines recommend that infants exclusively drink human milk for about the first 6 months of life. This should be continued through at least the first year of life, and longer if desired. If human milk isn’t available, infants can drink iron-fortified infant formula during the first year. Babies also should have supplemental vitamin D beginning soon after birth.
At about 6 months, babies can start eating foods that provide many nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, but include no or little added sugars, saturated fat and salt. That includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains and more. Parents should encourage babies and toddlers to eat a variety of foods, including those rich in iron and zinc. That’s particularly important for infants fed human milk, the guidelines state.
The highlights of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are published online. A short executive summary is published at this link. For more information and tips to choose healthier drinks, visit this Play Every Day web page.
| | 12/6/2020 3:39 PM | Join Alaskans across the state to light a candle for solstice, welcoming brighter times to come
DECEMBER 6, 2020 — John Brueck in Cantwell has about 70 empty yogurt containers stored in a closet at work.
John Pearce in Anchorage has a kiddie pool, 5-gallon buckets and triangle frames he made out of plywood and two-by-fours in his garage.
None of these things come to mind when we say “get out and play” during the winter — but they could.
When the days get shorter, darker and some might say drearier, we tend to gravitate to the couch and the carbs rather than bundling up and getting outside for a walk, a ski or playing around with the kids. Sometimes we’re just looking for a reminder that spending time outside can help clear up what we’re feeling on the inside, even if only for a short while. During the darkest days, taking your activity outdoors can make things a little brighter, which is where those containers and two-by-fours come in.
 Our lives are feeling like the ‘90s movie “Groundhog Day” right now. Every day is reliving a slight variation of yesterday. Want to break the monotony? Try something new. Stick with this blog until the end and see how you can join Alaskans from Kaktovik to Ketchikan and light up the night together for winter solstice.
Between now and Dec. 21, there are a few ways to get your homemade lights ready. Use a quart-sized yogurt container like John Brueck does and make an easy and beautiful ice candle holder. If you’re a big yogurt eater (it’s a great source of protein, especially with no or low sugar, but we digress), you could make dozens of them that line pathways or driveways to brighten your outdoor activities. Or you could take your kiddie pool, buckets and wood frames like John Pearce and turn your downtown backyard into a candle-lit winter wonderland to delight your children and make playing outdoors even more fun.
Light your pathways with ice luminaries
John Brueck has been a park ranger at Denali National Park for the past 10 years. He’s also a cross country skier who’s helped organize and decorate for a popular annual event called the Winter Solstice Ski and Stroll. That’s when the community comes together and creates about 400 ice candle holders to light up a one-mile ski trail through the national park.
“It’s a fun thing to do on the darkest day of the year,” Brueck said.
People call these ice candle holders by different names. Some call them luminaries. Brueck calls them a slight variation of that — luminarias — in honor of the tradition behind them. Brueck said the idea for the ice candle holders comes from the New Mexico tradition of filling brown paper bags with sand, and then placing a small lit candle inside. These paper lanterns line walkways during the holiday season.
“We adopted that idea up here,” Brueck said.
The Denali National Park Ski and Stroll will not be happening this year due to the pandemic, but Alaskans can still borrow the event’s idea and brighten up their yards and even driveways with ice candle holders.
Making your own ice luminary is a simple, fun process that can involve the whole family:
 Step 1: Fill an empty yogurt container or bucket with water, almost to the top. Add food coloring if you want a colorful luminary. Set it outside to freeze. Freezing time varies with the temperature. At 15 degrees Fahrenheit, it could take 15 hours for the luminary to freeze. At minus 20 degrees, it could take only 5 hours, according to Brueck’s instructions.
Step 2: Check your container. Brueck said the trick is to catch the luminary before it becomes too frozen. When the top is frozen to about 1-inch thick, the luminary is ready to remove. Hold the container over the sink and turn it upside down, with your hand at the bottom over the opening to catch the ice when it slides out. Pour warm water on the bottom of the container to release the ice.
Step 3: If ice formed at the bottom of the container (which is the top of the luminary), use a chisel or warm water to remove the ice and pour the water out. Use the chisel or warm water to form the opening of the luminary to make sure it can fit a small votive candle that’s about 2 inches tall and 1 ½ inches wide. Place a candle inside, light it and enjoy.
Make landscaping a winter activity
Just before Thanksgiving, John Pearce in Anchorage welcomed home his 18-year-old son from his freshman year at college. Pearce also has a junior in high school. Years ago, when his boys were both little, Pearce decided to give them a beautiful surprise in their own backyard. That winter playground became a family tradition.
The idea came after seeing some friends line their driveway with ice candle holders made from 5-gallon buckets. Think about what Brueck made, but with much larger containers. Pearce was intrigued and started asking questions about how to make them. Then this scientist got to work expanding on the idea.
 “The next winter, we made an ice playground in the backyard for the boys because they were young,” he said. “I basically filled any container I could find and let it freeze.”
Pearce dug a snow maze in the backyard and assembled an outdoor obstacle course that he decorated with frozen creations. Picture this: First, he froze a 5-gallon bucket of water, and the resulting ice block became a tree stump. Next, he lined a kiddie pool with a plastic sheet, filled it with water and froze it outside. The ice disk became the base for the tree, resting on top of the ice stump. For the final step, he took the wooden triangle frames he built with 4-feet sides, lined the frames with plastic, filled them with water and froze them. When he leaned the three large frozen triangles against each other on top of the disk, the result was a frozen Christmas tree that he could brighten with candles or lights made especially for outdoor use.
Pearce said the fun is in the creativity. Play around with what you have. PVC pipe, for example, can turn water into frozen rods. Fill empty cardboard milk cartons with water that’s dyed with food coloring, freeze them and then rip off the cardboard sides. You’re left with ice blocks that your family can turn into sculptures. Kids can be great helpers, Pearce said.
“They love the activity of pouring water into the forms and helping put them together,” he said.
Light your candles across Alaska on Dec. 20
Starting now to create your own ice luminary will get your family ready for a first-time statewide event the day before winter solstice. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is inviting communities across Alaska to partner in this event and make it their own. Together, we will join “Bring Back the Light.” It’s simple to participate and won’t take much time, but it will celebrate our resiliency, support for one another, and hope for better times to come. New vaccines shown to be highly effective and treatments are on their way. We can shine our lights to honor the health care workers, teachers and others who’ve cared for us, taught our children in whatever ways possible, and kept critical businesses going during this difficult year.
At 5 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 20, stand outside on your porch or in your front yard. Then light a candle or your luminaries, and turn on your flashlights, headlamps or lanterns. If you’d like, sing your favorite holiday song. Take a walk around your neighborhood and enjoy the lights around you. We hope you’ll see your neighbors shining their lights and welcoming better and brighter things to come in 2021.
Learn more by checking out the Facebook event or on the DHSS winter resiliency website.
Photographs courtesy of John Pearce, John Brueck and the Denali National Park and Preserve
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-11</hide>November 2020 (2)
| | 11/17/2020 3:20 PM |
NOVEMBER 17, 2020 — Keep distance between you and others. That’s what we need to do — but no one said you had to stay inside.
Alaska’s gift is space to move. Give yourself a break every day to get out and play.
Share our new message about being active to feel better physically and mentally. The Play Every Day video is posted here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXNPzfvI_UI
Go for a ski, play in the snow, or just take a walk. Doing any activity, for as much time as you have each day, will help you feel better during the next few months that require doing everything we can to keep our families and others healthy. Better treatments and vaccines are coming, but we don’t need to wait for those to take care of ourselves today.
| | 11/10/2020 9:41 AM | NOVEMBER 10, 2020 — We just wrapped up celebrating Halloween in new ways that used distance rather than doorstep delivery of treats. Families slid treats down long tubes into children’s bags or hung them off clotheslines for kids to grab, one at a time.
As we transition from one holiday to the next, the same recommendations apply for finding new and different ways to celebrate. We’re used to celebrating Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas with close family and friends. Traditions are important, but what are the safest ways to celebrate this year during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with cases escalating? Many Alaskans are separated from loved ones who live in other states. Should they consider traveling to celebrate in person?
The CDC recently published guidance on safer ways to honor holidays. This fall and winter, the lowest-risk celebrations involve staying close to home and avoiding air travel, as well as getting together in-person with only immediate family or your small household bubble.
 There are many safer ways for families to celebrate the season, said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer. Go caroling outside with your family. Exchange your favorite holiday recipes with friends, and then hold a cooking party over Zoom. Celebrate the spirit of giving by finding ways to help and serve your neighbors or elders in the community. During a statewide meeting Monday, leaders in Alaska’s faith communities shared ways they are serving elders and people who are feeling alone during the holidays.
“We’re starting a pen pal project with residents at the Pioneer Homes and other assisted living facilities,” said Pastor Matt Schultz of First Presbyterian Church in Anchorage. They’re making cards and sharing them with elders during the holidays.
“There is a lot of hope right now, with improved treatment and vaccine development, but at the same time we have a lot of cases in Alaska and in the United States, and our hospitals are filling up. To protect those we love, we all need to plan our holiday season carefully this year,” Zink said. “Connecting with family and friends is vital to our health and well-being, but we need to connect creatively and virtually so everyone can stay safe and healthy — and so we keep control of COVID in Alaska. We want you to have a happy and healthy holiday season and we want to make sure there is health care capacity. We need the help of all Alaskans to ensure that happens.”
Should you attend indoor holiday parties or gatherings this fall and winter?
Dr. Elizabeth Ohlsen, staff physician with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, recognizes that people will be tempted to hold a holiday gathering inside, but she said it’s safest to limit those in-person celebrations to only people in your household bubble. COVID-19 cases have been rising fast in Alaska. That makes gathering indoors — even with people you know who are outside your household bubble — a very risky activity, Ohlsen said. That’s because there’s typically less ventilation and room for physical distancing with indoor rather than outdoor gatherings.
Sometimes people say they feel safe inviting non-household members inside because those guests don’t feel sick, Ohlsen said. Many people with COVID-19 can feel fine, or have very minimal symptoms, and then spread the illness to others, she said.
“This virus is tricky. It’s sneaky,” Ohlsen said. “It likes to move from person to person by not making almost half the people who get infected feel sick.”
“Unfortunately, the people you are most likely to get it from are your closest friends — if that’s who you have close contact with.”
In warmer parts of the country, families may be considering a small outdoor holiday gathering. An outdoor gathering in the cold, darkness of an Alaska December may not be that inviting. If you do hold or attend an outdoor gathering, bundle up and make sure people can stay warm and dry. Limit attendees, allow physical distance between guests, provide ways to wash or sanitize hands and commonly touched surfaces, and require everyone to wear face coverings, Ohlsen said. Typically, holiday gatherings focus on sharing favorite treats. This year, however, the CDC recommends that guests bring food and drinks only for themselves and avoid potluck-style gatherings. More recommendations for food and drinks at gatherings can be found on the CDC website.
When getting together with others, it’s important to consider the actions that guests have been taking prior to gathering, and how they will act while together. Get-togethers are more likely to spread illness when they include guests who aren’t regularly staying at least six feet apart from others and aren’t wearing face coverings or taking other precautions. Once the get-together is happening, it’s again more likely to spread illness when guests do not wear masks, don’t keep distance from others, and fail to wash or sanitize their hands, according to the CDC holiday guidance.
When should people not attend an in-person gathering, inside or outside?
People should not attend or host in-person celebrations — even if held outdoors — if they or anyone in their household:
Should you travel by airplane this fall and winter to celebrate holidays in person with loved ones?
The two biggest risks to Alaskans for spreading COVID-19 this winter are indoor gatherings and travel, Ohlsen said. The CDC holiday guidance states that travel increases the chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Staying home this year is the best way to protect yourself and others, the guidance states.
“Many of us in Alaska are used to enduring long periods of time without seeing our families and then having just a few brief days when we travel to see our families,” Ohlsen said.
“There is something particularly cruel about the virus taking that away from us this year. We all feel like we need a break. Unfortunately, this virus is not going to take a break.”
Traveling during a pandemic can increase chances of spreading COVID-19, although taking precautions like wearing a mask and washing hands often can help reduce those chances. Ohlsen said she worries that holiday travel could increase the likelihood of being exposed to someone who’s sick in airports, on flights, in ride shares and in public transportation. So many people want to travel right now. They’ve really been missing that travel, so they might decide to fly, even though they don’t feel well, Ohlsen said. That decision could spread illness to people traveling all over the country, increasing the chances that you’ll catch COVID-19 and inadvertently bring it to a holiday gathering you’re traveling to, that someone else will have COVID-19 at your gathering and give it to you, or you’ll catch it on the return and bring the virus back home.
The CDC has guidance on when to cancel travel: if you’re feeling sick, if you’ve been around someone with suspected or diagnosed COVID-19 in the past 14 days, if you’ve tested positive or if you are waiting on the results of a test.
You can read more about travel guidance during the pandemic here:
Are there creative ways to celebrate the holidays to reduce the chances of spreading illness?
 Celebrating holidays with friends and family is so important right now. To prevent inadvertently spreading the virus to loved ones, it’s best to celebrate only in-person with household members and to include others in your celebrations through virtual means, states the CDC holiday guidance. This is particularly important to protect the health of older people and others who face higher chances for serious illness from COVID-19.
Pastor Undra Parker at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and other Alaska faith leaders are organizing exchanges to share favorite holiday recipes with others. This helps people connect through cooking treasured foods, even though they aren’t eating them together. Pastor Parker said his church is also considering a contest that invites children to create their own gingerbread houses at home and record their creative efforts to share with others.
Dr. Ohlsen shared another way to use technology to invite family and friends to your holiday dinner table. Consider cooking your feast with your household, and then setting up a computer at the end of the holiday table to eat together, but virtually. Yes, it’s not going to feel the same as past holidays, but it’s a creative connection when it counts.
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-10</hide>October 2020 (3)
| | 10/12/2020 4:00 PM | OCTOBER 12, 2020 — The pandemic has made it harder for many Alaskans to feed their families. Reduced work hours or job losses have many parents worrying about paying for groceries. Kids unable to go to school or child care may be missing some healthy meals that families relied on to make ends meet.
 Many local, state and national programs are working overtime to ensure that kids and families are able to find safe, healthy foods during this difficult time. Federal programs are adding new services or eliminating some requirements, making it easier to get help. Local food pantries are being creative with the many different ways they’re providing food to an increasing number of families.
“We know that before the pandemic, 20 percent of Alaska kids lived in homes that may not have had enough food,” said Cara Durr, Director of Public Engagement with the Food Bank of Alaska. “New projections now estimate that will increase to 28 percent because of COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of emergency food boxes we distribute grows each week. Right now, more families need help to put food on the table.”
Here are some resources that can help families find food. Specifics about these programs are changing frequently. Check program websites or call to get the most up-to-date information.
School and Child Care Meals and Snacks
Free and reduced-price school meals are available through schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Right now, each school district has its own plan for distributing meals. Some districts may offer free meals only to students enrolled in the program, while others may feed all students in their schools or community. Some districts may have parents pick up meals at a distribution site, while others may deliver meals directly to students. If a family did not qualify for free or reduced-price meals last year, they can apply again if they have recently lost job hours, experienced layoffs or had a change in circumstances that reduced their family’s income. Contact your local school or school district to learn more about how they’re distributing food and how to apply.
Child care centers, family day care homes, and afterschool programs that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program provide healthy meals and snacks to children of all ages. Some of these sites may be providing grab-and-go meals for kids or families. To find a list of agencies operating the CACFP in Alaska, visit the program’s website.
Head Start and Early Head Start are child care programs for children from birth to age five. Along with high-quality education and health services, Head Start provides healthy, nutritious meals for children. At this time, some Head Start programs are operating, but with a more limited capacity, while others are providing grab-and-go meals or food boxes for families. Head Start programs are located throughout Alaska. Go online to find a Head Start program in your area.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Meals 4 Kids is an interactive map to find nearby sites that provide summer meals for kids when school is not in session. The USDA has extended the Summer Food Service Program through December 2020, so many of these programs may still be providing meals to students. Before you go, contact the program you find on the map to get the latest information.
Food Credit Cards
The Alaska Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — formerly “Food Stamps” — provides a monthly benefit on an electronic benefits card called an “Alaska Quest Card” for food purchases at participating stores. During each month of the pandemic emergency, the federal government may approve Alaska’s request to increase the monthly SNAP benefit. People can apply for SNAP by completing an application and submitting it to any of the Division of Public Assistance Offices through fax, mail or drop boxes in the lobbies. People needing help also can contact the Division of Public Assistance or the Food Bank of Alaska. For up-to-date information, visit the Division of Public Assistance SNAP webpage or the Food Bank’s COVID-19 SNAP Updates website, or contact the SNAP Outreach team at (907) 222-3119 (call), (907) 891-8913 (text), or snap@foodbankofalaska.org.
The Pandemic-Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program provided additional benefits for families with kids who missed school meals last year (2019-2020 school year), when schools closed due to the pandemic. More funding may be approved to extend the program. Check with the Division of Public Assistance website for updates.
The Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) provides nutrition and breastfeeding education, counseling, support, nutritious foods and referrals to needed services. WIC serves babies and children up to age 5, pregnant women, and new mothers. If you are a mother, father, grandparent, foster parent or other legal guardian of a child under 5 years of age, you can apply for your child. Participants receive an eWIC card to purchase specific foods containing the nutrients that women, infants, and children need during pregnancy, breastfeeding, infancy and early childhood.
Due to the pandemic, clients can set a WIC appointment and become eligible without visiting a clinic. To apply, visit the Division of Public Assistance website, contact your local WIC clinic or call (907) 465-3100 to schedule an appointment. The Alaska WIC Program also operates the only program in the country that mails WIC foods to eligible clients if they are unable to access an authorized WIC vendor. Beginning in December 2020, Alaska WIC’s new Balto Box program will allow rural participants to place online or phone orders for their WIC foods.
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program provides monthly commodity food boxes to low-income seniors in limited areas of the state. To apply, visit the state website.
Food Banks, Food Pantries and Food Boxes
The Food Bank of Alaska has many different programs and resources to ensure Alaskans have access to food. Their COVID-19 Food Resources web page lists multiple services currently available for Anchorage and Mat-Su families. Use the virtual map on the Statewide Resources page to find services in communities throughout Alaska.
Check out the useful calendar that lists the most current hot meal sites and food pantries in Anchorage, Girdwood, Eagle River and Mat-Su. The calendar also lists mobile food pantry sites and emergency pop-up sites for Anchorage. The calendar contains a map, addresses, and the People Mover bus numbers for Anchorage sites.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provides emergency food boxes at no cost to Alaska families with lower incomes. TEFAP has recently increased the number of people who are eligible to receive these food boxes. To see if you qualify, apply online at the application web page. To see if TEFAP is available in your community, search “TEFAP” on the Food Bank of Alaska Statewide Resources interactive map.
The Children’s Lunchbox in Anchorage provides food boxes at several distribution sites. The boxes contain dinners and snacks for two days for each child. Families will also be able to receive grab-and-go pantry boxes of shelf-stable meals for a family of four while supplies last. Check out the website for locations, dates and times of food box distribution, as well as open meal sites for kids.
The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) is run by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. The program provides food boxes with a month’s supply of nutritious foods to Alaska Native, American Indian and non-Indian households that meet income requirements. It’s a great alternative to SNAP for people who don’t live near a grocery store. To see a current list of active federally recognized tribes that participate in Alaska’s program, visit the website, email glnothstine@anthc.org, or call (907) 729-2975.
There are many other local food pantries and programs throughout Alaska. Alaska 2-1-1 can help connect all Alaskans to these food resources, no matter where they live. Search the 2-1-1 database, email Alaska211@ak.org, or call 2-1-1 or (800) 478-2221.
| | 10/9/2020 10:59 AM | Increased chances of spreading illness as COVID-19 cases climb and sports move indoors
BLOG UPDATE (OCTOBER 23, 2020) – DHSS would like to clarify that we
follow CDC guidance for youth sports, which recommends that you wear a
mask if possible. Read the guidance for details.
During a statewide meeting this Monday, doctors from the Alaska and Anchorage health departments strengthened their guidance for wearing masks given rising COVID-19 cases and a move to indoor sports. Doctors recommend that all youth athletes wear masks when they’re playing or competing — even when that activity is vigorous.
In the summer and fall, coaches, school districts and athletic associations wrote COVID-19 mitigation plans for youth sports that prioritized wearing face coverings while on the sidelines, coaching or watching. Players could choose to wear masks while engaged in vigorous activity, but some mitigation plans said athletes didn’t have to wear face coverings during exertion.
 Alaska’s lead doctors now strongly recommend wearing face coverings for sports, especially for indoor sports, including playing basketball, wrestling, cheerleading, and playing hockey and indoor soccer. That same strong recommendation for mask wearing goes for adults working out, running on treadmills, or exercising in other ways in indoor gyms. The exception? Swimmers can’t wear a mask when their faces are in the water (but they do need to wear one on the pool deck).
“I am 100 percent in favor of safe distancing and universal masking,” said Dr. Bruce Chandler, chief medical officer with the Anchorage health department. “Unless our face is underwater, I think we should all be wearing masks when we’re around people — except when we’re at home.”
If all youth athletes wear masks, that also levels the playing field and eliminates any competitive advantage attached to not wearing a mask, said Dr. Elizabeth Ohlsen, staff physician with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
COVID-19 cases increasing statewide, mainly in larger communities
COVID-19 cases are increasing significantly in Alaska. Nearly 1,000 new infections have been reported during the past week, Ohlsen said.
“The majority of the cases are increasing in Fairbanks and in Anchorage. In those two communities, they are increasing very quickly,” Ohlsen said.
When the number of cases goes up, it increases your chances of being exposed to someone who’s sick and does not know it while you play sports or attend a gathering, Ohlsen said. These interactions can keep increasing the spread of COVID-19 throughout communities and beyond if you’re traveling from one city to another for competitions or events.
Until now, many sports held during the pandemic were outside where there’s fresh air circulating and space to spread out from others.
“With indoor sports, this gets much trickier,” Ohlsen said.
Dr. Joe McLaughlin, Alaska’s state epidemiologist, discussed a new update to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance about how COVID-19 can spread. The recent update states there’s good evidence that COVID-19 can spread person-to-person through airborne transmission of very small virus particles that can remain suspended in the air, not just through respiratory droplets that you might breathe, yell, sing, cough, or sneeze out. Airborne transmission appears to be a much less common way for the virus to spread than close-range (less than 6 feet) respiratory droplet transmission. Documented airborne transmissions have typically involved the presence of an infectious person being in an enclosed and poorly ventilated space for an extended period of time (more than 30 minutes). Enough virus was present in the space to cause infections in people who were more than 6 feet away or who passed through that space soon after the infectious person had left.
“This underscores the importance of avoiding congregate settings and wearing a mask when you are in an enclosed space with others, even if you are able to maintain a 6-foot distance from them,” McLaughlin said.
Multiple sports teams under quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure
Youth sports teams across the state are also reporting COVID-19 cases and possible exposures. The Anchorage School District (ASD), for example, reported 14 teams undergoing 14-day quarantine periods due to potential virus exposure from a teammate or coach, said Marty Lang, an ASD director of secondary education, at Monday’s meeting. Eleven of those 14 teams under quarantine play indoor sports, he said. ASD issued a two-week stop to high school volleyball after multiple teams at a handful of schools reported COVID-19 illness, related symptoms, or exposure to illness.
“We definitely seem to be seeing more outbreaks indoors than with our outdoor sports,” he said.
Lang joined Holly Zumbro, ASD principal of activities and student services, at the meeting Monday to share updates about fall sports mitigation plans. They also asked questions to inform upcoming mitigation plans for soon-to-start winter sports.
As of Oct. 5, ASD had not reported a case of COVID-19 transmission from one team member to another. The state health department, however, has seen likely person-to-person transmission linked to youth sports not associated with school. Lang said ASD had a student athlete who practiced and competed while having COVID-19 symptoms for almost a week before reporting those symptoms. He said the district is reinforcing that student athletes should not come to practice or competitions when feeling ill. Locker rooms should be limited to use of bathrooms and athletes should come dressed to play for practice or competitions, said state health department leaders.
Take the time now to try many masks and choose what’s most comfortable
Ohlsen knows firsthand that you can wear masks during sports and still perform well, even when competing. She’s been wearing masks for years while cross country skiing to minimize symptoms from exercise- and cold-induced asthma.
Ohlsen recommended that families help youth athletes find the masks that work for them. They can try many different types to find ones that are comfortable on their faces and allow them to breathe while playing or competing at a vigorous level. At first, wear the masks for short bouts of activity. Then work up to wearing the mask all the time during sports, Ohlsen said, even during full exertion at competitions.
“I have found it really helpful to have different masks for different activities and different levels of intensity,” said Ohlsen.
“It is something that you can get used to.”
Some people prefer to exercise while wearing surgical masks. Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer, likes to wear this type of mask while running outside and when she may be around other people on the trails. For light bike rides, hikes, and trips to the grocery store, Ohlsen wears double-layer cloth masks that are easy to wash in the laundry, using hot water and detergent. When she skis longer distances, Ohlsen wears a buff that she can fold over to provide a double layer of fabric over her mouth and nose. This still allows her to breathe during exertion. She chooses a neoprene mask when she’s skiing in below-zero temperatures.
Slowing the spread of COVID on the sports field requires being careful off the field
Wearing masks during sports practices and competitions can help prevent the spread of illness on the basketball court, field or trails. But that only accounts for actions taken during an hour or so each day. How athletes act during the other 23 hours of their days can have a huge impact on spreading illness — or not — among their teammates, coaches and spectators, said Ohlsen and other Alaska doctors.
“A lot of what we’re seeing is kids passing it to kids, not in our athletic venues, but in driving in cars together, participating in sleepovers, pizza parties – all of those sort of natural social behaviors of teenagers,” said Lang from ASD.
These day-to-day decisions that include wearing face coverings when near others have big impacts on the amount of virus spreading in communities. Zink acknowledged that we would all rather not wear masks, but this won’t last forever. This fall and winter, while cases are high prior to getting a vaccine, masks are a tool we can all use to protect our communities and our kids, she said.
Wearing masks while playing sports could protect children’s and teen’s health today and for years to come.
“Masks slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, but also help to protect the people wearing them,” Zink said. “COVID is new and we are still learning a lot about the long-term health impacts, even in young athletes. A mask can help protect their long-term health as well.”
| | 10/1/2020 12:58 PM | Celebrating holidays during a pandemic requires creative thinking and new traditions
OCTOBER 1, 2020 — We’re one month away from the holiday many kids — and adults — look forward to every year. And rest assured: Halloween is not canceled.
Traditional trick-or-treating with kids gathering on doorsteps isn’t recommended during the pandemic, but it’s the perfect year to try some creative ways to celebrate the day.
 What about rigging a zipline from your doorstep to the end of your driveway, where a bucket drops a treat into a child’s bag?
Or stringing up a fishing pole so you can dangle treats near kids, from at least 6 feet away? Just be careful and don't use a hook.
It’s this new kind of thinking that’s going to win Halloween this year. Families who love Halloween and other holidays can and should celebrate during the pandemic. They’ll need to take a different approach, however, and come up with new ways to enjoy the day.
“It’s a great year to decorate. It’s a great year to share holiday greetings from a distance,” said Dr. Elizabeth Ohlsen, a family physician with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. “It’s not a great year to ring a doorbell or hand out treats from your doorstep.”
Ohlsen assures families that there are fun ways to celebrate — even trick-or-treat — that don’t involve getting too close to other people.
“I think there are ways of doing it that can still capture the joy of Halloween,” she said.
Should families avoid trick-or-treating during a pandemic?
For years, children have trick-or-treated by gathering in groups, going to a doorstep, ringing a doorbell and then receiving a treat from the person who answers the door. That kind of trick-or-treating isn’t recommended during a pandemic, Ohlsen said.
She recommends a new approach this year. The CDC recently published guidance on safer ways to celebrate Halloween and other holidays.
The lowest-risk way to celebrate Halloween is to dress up in costumes as a family and have a party at home with just your household. Carve pumpkins and roast the seeds, which happen to be a nutritious snack. Create a new tradition of making Halloween-themed foods and then sharing them while you watch a movie together. Or borrow a tradition from another holiday: Hide a few Halloween treats inside or outside the house and have your child find them — à la Easter egg hunting. Families nationwide are sharing ideas, like making the hunt even spookier by giving kids a flashlight to search for their treasures in the dark. More fun ideas, like scavenger hunts around your home and virtual costume contests, are found in the CDC holiday guidance.
 If your family chooses to trick-or-treat, Ohlsen recommends these changes this year: Children should only trick-or-treat with family members, not with other friends or people outside their household. They should visit houses that are prepared to deliver treats only at a distance, not from the doorstep. All children and parents who are with them should wear face coverings.
If your family chooses to welcome trick-or-treaters this year, they should minimize close contact with others. Find creative ways to deliver treats from a distance, and have children only touch the treat they’ll take. Considering clipping individual treats to a clothesline, or hanging them from a tree. Thoroughly wash or sanitize your hands before touching any treats you will give to people outside your household. Distribute only treats in wrappers, and nothing homemade, Ohlsen said.
You can make these changes and still enjoy seeing all the costumed children. Put on your face covering and sit on lawn chairs outside to watch the children pick up treats from a distance. Stand on your front porch and wave as the little ghosts and goblins pass by.
If you or a family member has COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, don’t participate in in-person Halloween celebrations or trick-or-treat, and don’t hand out treats to children. Play Every Day also shares this suggestion to maximize the fun and minimize the sugar overload: Families can make the Halloween handoff even healthier by swapping the treat for a toy, glow-in-the-dark sticks or something else that’s not eaten.
Some families may not be comfortable with trick-or-treaters coming to their homes this year. What’s a friendly way to let children know you aren’t handing out treats?
“I think there are easy ways to signal whether a house is prepared for trick-or-treating this year, and many houses may not be,” Ohlsen said.
Turning your porch lights off lets families know you aren’t handing out treats. You also can make fun signs or arrange Halloween decorations to encourage people not to approach your doorstep.
Older kids and adults enjoy Halloween, too. Should they visit a haunted house or attend a party this year?
Indoor haunted houses and Halloween parties should be avoided because they increase chances of spreading COVID-19.
“With cases rising in our two biggest metropolitan areas, this means that gathering indoors — even with people you know who are outside your household bubble — is a very risky activity,” Ohlsen said.
There’s typically less ventilation and space for physical distancing with indoor parties than outdoor gatherings. Outdoor parties should limit attendees, allow physical distance between guests, provide ways to wash or sanitize hands and commonly touched surfaces, and require everyone to wear face coverings (not just Halloween masks), Ohlsen said. Don’t serve homemade treats, she said, and avoid sharing any foods or drinks with others.
Outdoor parties with just a few close friends, with everyone masked up and physically distanced, are the safest bet. Older kids and adults might also choose a more active option, meeting a few friends for a hike or a bike ride, in costume or riding decorated bikes. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so we have all day to celebrate.
Your family has a deep collection of costume masks: superheroes, pirates, ghosts. On Halloween, can you substitute those costume-style masks for the face coverings you’ve been wearing to prevent spreading COVID-19?
A typical Halloween mask doesn’t offer the same type of protection against COVID-19 that a surgical mask or fabric face covering provides. Make sure children who are trick-or-treating use a covering that provides a double layer of fabric over their nose and mouth, Ohlsen said. The CDC advises against layering a Halloween mask over a fabric face covering because that could make it harder to breathe. Instead, modify the costume so it allows the child to wear the protective face covering, Ohlsen said. Better yet: Decorate your protective face covering so it matches your costume.
Families, keep that hand sanitizer ready. Children should limit touching their masks and should use hand sanitizer before touching the mask and before and after eating any treats. Ohlsen recommended that children wait until they finish trick-or-treating to thoroughly wash their hands and then touch any contents of the bag.
Is there anything else to consider before kids dig into their bag of treats?
Currently, the CDC holiday guidelines state there’s no evidence to suggest that handling food or eating is linked with directly spreading COVID-19. It’s possible that people can get COVID-19 by touching an object, like food or food packaging, that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes. However, the CDC states this is not thought to be the main way that the virus is spreading. COVID-19 virus is mainly spread person-to-person.
Even so, it’s hard to know who all touched the treats in the bag by the time your child gets home from trick-or-treating, Ohlsen said. Given that, you may want to wash or sanitize your hands well and then wipe down the packaging on the treats with a disinfectant wipe or rubbing alcohol, she said. Make sure you don’t directly use cleaning chemicals, however, on anything your child will eat. After disinfecting the packaging, make sure the wrappers completely dry or are washed free of chemicals before your child touches them.
Got patience? Ohlsen said another option would be to let the bag of treats sit for a day or longer before giving them to your child.
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-09</hide>September 2020 (2)
| | 9/21/2020 10:21 AM | SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — Open your cupboard and pull out the cereal boxes. Take a quick look at the words on the front:
- Made with whole grains
- Natural fruit flavors
- Good source of fiber
Now turn that box around. Look at the ingredient list, and then check the Nutrition Facts for added sugar. Here’s what you might find on those colorful boxes branded to appeal to young kids:
- Added sugar often shows up one or more times near the top of the ingredient list.
- One bowl of sweetened cereal can have as much added sugar as three powdered mini doughnuts or a chocolate candy bar.
- Fruit may be in the name, but there’s no actual fruit in the cereal.
“Parents are trying to choose healthy foods and drinks for their kids, but reading the front of the packages can make it tricky to figure out what’s healthy, and what’s not,” said Diane Peck, registered dietitian with Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Program. “Food companies don’t have to name all the ingredients — including the added sugar — on the front of the package, but they do on the Nutrition Facts label and ingredient list. Next time you shop, take a minute to look beyond the words on the front and turn the box around to find cereals that are low in added sugar and high in whole grains and fiber.”
Look for cereals with no or low added sugar
Sugary drinks are the most common source of added sugar for kids and adults. These drinks contribute almost half the added sugar in daily diets. But sugar creeps into other foods, too, like ice cream, cakes, cookies, granola bars and other snacks and treats. Often without realizing it, you can start your day with a bowlful of sugar just by eating a sweetened cereal for breakfast.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that children and adults limit their added sugar to less than 10 percent of their daily calories. For an adult eating 2,000 calories a day, that would mean limiting daily sugar to 12 or fewer teaspoons a day. For little children eating smaller meals, that could mean limiting daily sugar to 6 or fewer teaspoons a day. A bowl of some types of cereals can get little children close to that recommended limit.
In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated the Nutrition Facts label to help families spot the added sugar. Now, the label lists grams of added sugars on a separate line under “Total Carbohydrate.” This helps families look at foods and drinks and figure out how much sugar comes from natural sources, like fruit, and how much comes from white sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners that are added in the factory.
Some cereals contain mostly added sugar, while others are a mix of natural and added sugar. A good example is raisin bran. Natural sugars in this type of cereal come from the raisins. Added sugars are from other sweeteners, like syrups. Turn the cereal box around to find the updated Nutrition Facts label, and look for the line that says “Includes Added Sugars.” One serving of raisin bran can have more than 2 teaspoons of added sugar.
Peck recommends that families choose cereals with 6 or fewer grams of added sugar per serving. That’s 1 ½ teaspoons of added sugar (1 teaspoon of sugar equals about 4 grams of sugar). Aim for cereals that also have at least 2 grams of fiber per serving. This includes unsweetened oatmeal and some cereals made with whole grains. Breakfast doesn’t have to be served in a bowl, however. Peck recommended these healthy options to start your family’s day: whole grain toast with peanut butter and slices of banana, a fruit smoothie with frozen berries and non-fat milk, or a scrambled egg and salsa in a whole-wheat tortilla.
Eating oatmeal delivers healthy whole grains, but watch out for packets with added sugar
Oatmeal can be a healthy breakfast cereal with whole grains and fiber if you make it from scratch and add fruit — like blueberries — instead of brown sugar or honey. Oatmeal from packets often have added sugar. A cinnamon and spice oatmeal packet, for example, can have almost 3 teaspoons of added sugar. Making instant oatmeal from a bulk container of plain oats can be just as quick and easy as making a packet of oatmeal, and it has no added sugar.
Another type of whole grain cereal has low added sugar, but a variation of it comes sweetened with honey, giving it as much added sugar as some popular sweetened, colorful cereals. The same size bowls of this whole grain cereal sweetened with honey and the colorful cereal with marshmallows have the same amount of added sugar — 3 teaspoons of sugar in just a 1-cup serving. One cup of cereal doesn’t look like a lot in a bowl. Some people likely eat more during a breakfast, which means even more added sugar.
Look out for labels that suggest a breakfast cereal is healthier than it is
The cereal box is meant to catch your children’s eye. They’re covered in bright colors and can feature cartoon characters. They’re meant to catch parents’ eyes, too, featuring words that suggest sweetened cereals are good for their families: whole grains, packed with essential vitamins and minerals, even organic.
Organic cereals, however, don’t always mean low in sugar. One organic, cinnamon-flavored cereal has almost 3 teaspoons of added sugar per serving. Organic cane sugar, brown rice syrup and honey are added sugars, just like white sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
Sugary foods, just like sugary drinks, often have labels that make them seem healthier than they are. A sugary drink label, for example, may focus on the drink having 100% Vitamin C, but not mention the added sugar. Cereal labels may focus on the fiber and not the multiple teaspoons of sugar in each serving.
Give labels a closer look when they name or show a fruit. The front of a sugary drink and cereal box can have a fruit in the name or show a picture of a fruit, even though they contain no fruit at all.
Eating sweet cereals and pastries can lead to as much added sugar as treats and candy
When it comes to added sugar, starting the day with a sweetened cereal is similar to starting the day with a bowl of candy. One bowl with a couple servings of a sweet cereal can have as much added sugar as a chocolate bar. A serving of the colorful cereal with marshmallows has about as much added sugar as three powdered mini doughnuts.
Look out for a lot of added sugar in breakfast pastries. A frosted fruit-flavored pastry, for example, listed a type of sugar four times in the first six ingredients — well before you saw a mention of a fruit. One pastry has about as much added sugar as a bag of chocolate candies you’d find in a grocery store checkout line.
Visit this Play Every Day website to help you figure out how much sugar is hiding in your foods and drinks.
| | 9/8/2020 8:06 AM | SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 — You’ve been watching your child copy your every move. You make dinner and your toddler starts playing with his toy pots and pans. You read a book and your preschooler starts flipping through the pictures in hers.
So if you reach for a soda or a sports drink, what is your child going to want?
Play Every Day’s new message gives a healthy twist to this copycat behavior. Your child wants what you’re eating and drinking. So if you choose a bottle of water instead of a bottle of a vitamin drink, your child will be more likely to want that healthy option, too.
“Being a role model is the best way to teach children,” said Diane Peck, registered dietitian with Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “If parents want their children to drink water instead of sugary drinks, then parents need to enjoy drinking water, too. Healthy habits in children start with healthy habits in their parents.”
 Children learn by watching parents
Play Every Day has been focusing its recent messages on keeping families healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The blog published last week discussed what physical education teachers are doing to help children stay active, whether they’re learning online, in person or with a mix of both. The campaign is also talking about other ways to help children grow up healthy. One way is to cut back on serving sugary drinks that can lead to cavities, unhealthy weight gain, type 2 diabetes and other health concerns.
Earlier this summer, Play Every Day started sharing a new message that uses kids’ love of magic tricks to show much sugar is hiding in sweetened powdered drinks. This month, it will begin sharing a new, 30-second video and related online messages focused on helping children copy their parents in healthy ways.
“Children learn by watching everyone around them, especially their parents,” says the American Academy of Pediatrics.
 The new video features an Alaska family who chooses healthy drinks for their two young daughters under the age of 5. Both parents grew up in rural Alaska villages, but now they live in Anchorage. The family loves to fish together, and that became the opening scene for the video. In the first few seconds, you see the 4-year-old ready to copy her dad. “Can I go with you?” she asks, as he prepares his raft to launch along Portage Creek. “Can I help you?” she asks, as he fillets a salmon to grill for dinner. The video ends with the family sitting together in their camp chairs. The dad grabs a can of soda, and his daughter reaches for it: “Daddy, can I please have some?”
That’s where the video reverses the scene. The dad grabs a water bottle instead. When his daughter reaches up for a sip this time, she drinks a healthy option — and so does her dad.
Choosing healthy drinks and staying active improves health year-round
Sugary drinks are the most common source of added sugars each day. That includes powdered and fruit-flavored drinks; sports, energy and vitamins drinks; soda; and sweetened coffees and teas. Another common sugar-added drink for little kids is chocolate and flavored milk.
Last year, four leading health organizations published new “Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids” guidelines that say sugary drinks are not recommended for children ages 5 and younger. Limiting added sugar each day is good for the health of older children and adults, too. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting the amount of sugar older children and adults eat and drink to less than 10 percent of their daily calories.
“Supporting families with options for daily activity and good nutrition can help them stay at a healthy weight and prevent serious health problems like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure,” said Ann Potempa, Play Every Day coordinator. “Having just one of these health problems — obesity, diabetes or high blood pressure — can make it three times more likely that you’d need to go to the hospital if you’re sick with COVID-19. It’s important to try to prevent getting COVID-19, but it’s also essential to stay in the best possible health all year-round to help your body fight the virus if you do get it.”
Sharing messages with families across Alaska
Play Every Day staff run the educational campaign through the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. This summer, they partnered with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the Chugach National Forest to create this message. All scenes take place near Portage Creek on National Forest land. Sharing this important message through the partnership will help reach all areas of Alaska to ensure kids stay healthy.
Schools, health clinics and organizations can share these and other Play Every Day messages by downloading free versions on the campaign’s webpages for physical activity and sugary drinks resources. Similar messages are posted on Facebook and Instagram. Please email playeveryday@alaska.gov to learn more about ways to share materials about helping Alaska children choose healthy drinks and get daily physical activity for the best health.
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-08</hide>August 2020 (2)
| | 8/26/2020 1:44 PM | AUGUST 26, 2020 — It was the first day back for Goose Bay Elementary School in Wasilla. Nancy Blake was excited. Kids were headed to her class, but they walked right past the gym. They didn’t put on their special gym shoes, either.
 Instead, they walked outside in waterproof shoes, which is an unusual back-to-school item this year given the new focus on outdoor activities. They headed to their colored marking on the soccer field — red, yellow, blue or green. If they looked closely, they’d notice the newly painted field looked like the indoor gym space, just larger and outdoors. That was Blake’s plan when she bought a bunch of paint cans and went to work. This year, each child will get 16 feet by 12 feet of fresh air around them. That’s the whole point.
Schools across Alaska are finding ways to keep providing physical education (PE) class during a pandemic that has forced many changes to learning. Teachers are building lesson plans around physical distance, smaller cohorts, face coverings, online learning programs and more. Elementary-age kids in Wasilla and the rest of the Mat-Su Borough School District have started in person, but with many modifications. Blake’s modification is to hold PE class outside whenever possible, even in chilly temperatures down to 10 degrees below zero.
Thousands of children in some Alaska school districts are starting online instead, given higher levels of virus spreading in their communities. That’s why you found Ben Elbow connecting to Zoom at 8:30 a.m. this Monday morning. Elementary school is all online through the Anchorage School District (ASD), and PE teachers like Elbow have differing roles from school to school. Elbow is supporting a few classroom teachers at Rogers Park Elementary, but he’s also offering unique opportunities to keep kids moving.
 Rogers Park kids are used to Elbow’s creativity. Ask any of them how to play Mr. Elbow Tag and they’ll get right to it. This year, he’s offering daily 30-minute Zoom PE classes. As a bonus, he’s starting their day with “Wake Up with Mr. Elbow.” For 30 minutes, he’ll lead Rogers Park families in activities. It’s meant for kids, but parents can join, too. He wants to build community, but he also wants parents to see this as something else if needed: This 30-minute session could give kids the activity they need, and at the same time help parents make breakfast, work or take on other tasks they’re juggling from home.
“What I’m also trying to do is help parents out,” said Elbow, a parent of two young children.
Keeping physical education and activity as priorities during a pandemic
Starting a school year during a pandemic means tough choices for everyone, from the school district administrators who need to plan for every possible scenario to parents weighing the new academic options in front of them. Each subject area is critical for well-rounded learning, but they’re all competing for priority with shorter school days in some districts and more limited class schedules.
While physical education is not always called a core subject area, teachers and district staff across Alaska see strong reasons to keep it included in the daily schedules for elementary-age kids, even when all learning is online. SHAPE America, the Society of Health and Physical Educators, issued guidance to keep PE and health as part of a complete education during the pandemic and a way to help children meet the national recommendation of 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity — regardless of learning in-person, online or both.
Some families learning from home have the time and resources to add in daily activity. Kayla Clark, PE teacher in Fairbanks, said other families don’t. For these families, the PE teacher could be the sole person providing activity for the child.
School districts across Alaska have PE teachers who are trained to teach children the skills of movement. Blake said she hopes districts will keep using those teachers to focus on that specialty, improving kids’ skills and keeping them active. Blake has gone online to learn from other PE teachers across the country. Jana DePriest, instructional coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District, said other Mat-Su PE teachers also did a lot of research to prepare this fall, and they’ve come with great ideas.
“As a profession, we’re up to this challenge,” said Blake, starting her 29th year of teaching. “It’s exciting to see.”
Anchorage PE teachers spent the summer recording online videos that focus on PE skills, which they then embedded into active slideshows, said Melanie Sutton, ASD’s Health and Physical Education Curriculum Coordinator. The slide shows, she said, were created by experts — the district’s trained PE teachers.
PE teachers say continuing to move is more important than ever now, given that time in front of a computer has gone up for everyone. Being active is critical to staying physically healthy. Activity also revs up the mind, Blake said. It helps kids focus when get they back to class, or when they get back to the desk or kitchen table at home.
“You handle stress better,” Blake said. “You can lessen anxiety.”
Providing in-person PE when that’s possible
Blake works in a district that can start teaching PE in person. The guidance in Mat-Su right now is to take PE outside when possible and to teach activities that can be done with distance, not contact, DePriest said. Blake said she can make these changes and still help kids have fun and meet goals.
Last year, Blake applied for a grant and purchased 30 bicycles that can be used to teach balance first and then pedaling. This year, Blake’s goal is to teach 5-, 6- and 7-year-olds how to ride a bike. When winter comes, she’ll introduce snowshoes.
“I want them to have fun and move,” Blake said. “I want them out, out, out every day. We live in Alaska. We’ve got to learn how to do that.”
The SHAPE America guidance recommends ways to support PE during the pandemic. Students should be allowed to wash their hands before and after PE class. Students and staff should be given hand sanitizer. SHAPE recommends that smaller cohorts of students engage in activity, and they should be active outside as much as possible. Water fountains should be turned off or regularly sanitized, and children should be encouraged to use their own water bottles. Teachers should use grids that mark boundaries and spacing, much like Blake created on the soccer field at Goose Bay Elementary.
Another best practice is to regularly clean equipment and high-touch surfaces. Blake is following that recommendation for bike-riding lessons. She said she plans to clean and disinfect the handlebars, seats and helmets after each use.
Providing PE online when facing higher risk levels
Districts like ASD and the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District are offering physical education remotely, at least for the beginning of the school year. Just like in-person PE, online-only PE will look different district by district, school by school.
ASD is providing options so that PE is consistently available for elementary students when it works best for the family to do it, Sutton said. Kids signed up for the blended school model will have access to these pre-recorded lessons focused on teaching PE skills. In these slideshows, ASD PE teachers demonstrate the skills from their homes or backyards. Kids can follow along whenever it works best for them. They can watch the slideshows over and over to improve their skills, Sutton said. Students even get to learn from PE teachers at other ASD schools, given that all of the district’s slideshows will be made available online.
Sutton said an ASD PE teacher took her daughter’s stuffed toys and arranged them during a slideshow. She then showed how she could navigate her way through the maze of toys. This type of movement is reality for many children learning and moving at home right now, Sutton said.
“We are teaching from where we are to where you are — using what we have available and what you have available — because we didn’t bring our gymnasiums home either,” she said.
Clark, who teaches PE at Woodriver Elementary in Fairbanks, also recorded skills-focused videos that kids can do at home. Through these videos, she teaches children how to strike a ball with a racket and juggle objects like grocery bags. When schools in Fairbanks start online this year, Clark said she plans to incorporate challenges to help students track their at-home activities, like running.
Districts offer differing amounts of PE each week
Even with all of these opportunities, the total amount of weekly PE minutes available to children may differ this school year compared to past years. All Mat-Su schools started in low- or medium-risk and are offering school days that are just as long as they were last year, DePriest said. Blake said that allows her to teach about as much PE time this year as last year.
Clark, in Fairbanks, said her school is offering a shorter day this year, like many schools across the state. Last year, she offered two PE sessions per week per classroom. This year, each classroom will get only one 30-minute session per week for each specialized subject, like PE and music, she said. If students come back to the classroom, recess will not be offered, but classroom teachers may take their students outside for movement breaks, Clark said.
The Petersburg School District in Southeast Alaska is starting its year with elementary students splitting the day into smaller cohorts that come to school in the morning or afternoon. They’ve hired additional classroom teachers to keep the cohorts smaller, said Ginger Evens, a teacher who coordinates Petersburg’s wellness grant. Elementary-age students will not receive any PE, music or art during the first month of school, but teachers are encouraged to get children outside when possible. They’ll also have 20 minutes of recess each day, offered in different areas outside the school to keep groups small. As the school year starts, the district is focused on integrating all subjects, but the focus is on reading, writing and math, Evens said. Some parents have shared concerns with the school board, saying they want kids to have PE during the school day. In an abundance of caution, the district is starting slowly and will revisit the decision and the risk level in Petersburg at the end of September, Evens said.
Connecting with kids through physical education
PE teachers have so many ideas they’re trying this year to keep kids moving. Some teachers, like Elbow, are offering additional live PE sessions when they’re teaching only online. Recording PE videos is necessary and important for learning, but so is building connections.
“That’s what we all miss,” Elbow said.
One of the best things he can offer during online learning, he said, is a teacher who’s live and in front of his students, even if that’s only through a computer camera.
 “Teachers must make more of a concerted effort to connect when in a distance learning environment,” the SHAPE guidance states. “Students need to feel like part of their school community and that they are cared for in order to learn.”
This school year will be filled with hiccups and hurdles, as no one knows what risk level their community will be in next quarter or how their children will be learning months from now. PE teachers have ideas to keep kids moving, no matter what. By the last day of this challenging school year, Blake wants Goose Bay children to feel confident and strong. She wants students to believe they can try any activity and do it, and then challenge themselves to try and do the next thing.
“I would hope that I was able to make them know that I cared about them,” Elbow said, “and that I helped them find moments of joy while being active.”
| | 8/19/2020 2:11 PM | AUGUST 19, 2020 — Elementary schools are starting this fall in all kinds of ways. Some schools are starting online, while others are starting in person. Some school districts are providing options to families, including in-person and all-virtual learning.
When students are not in school, they miss opportunities for daily movement that recess and in-person physical education class provide. Daily activity is so important for kids. It gets their hearts pumping and their legs moving, but it also relieves stress and anxiety. It helps them feel good in all kinds of ways.
The Healthy Futures program knows that, which is why the staff of the small nonprofit organization plans to keep offering its physical activity challenge this school year. It will start Sept. 1. The free challenge may need to look different in each school district, or even at different schools within a district, and that’s OK. Harlow Robinson, Healthy Futures executive director, said the physical activity challenge can offer a small amount of consistency for kids during an unusual time. Thousands of Alaska kids know about the Healthy Futures Challenge, and many do it every school year and earn prizes for building the habit of staying active. If participating schools decide that want to keep giving children a simple tool to help them stay active — whether they’re learning in school or out of school — Robinson said his program is ready to help, just like every other school year.
“We know this year is going to be tough for all of us,” Robinson said. “We want to offer something that’s helpful, in whatever way that works best for schools and students. We’ve made several different versions of the log this year to help students track their activity, no matter what technology they have at home. On one version of the log, we’ve added new elements to track other healthy behaviors — like choosing healthy foods and drinks and getting enough sleep each night. If teachers want to add these logs as one way to keep students moving and thinking about how to keep their bodies strong and healthy this year, we want to provide that.”
Elementary schools can still sign up for the Fall Challenge
This year, about 70 elementary schools have signed up for the Healthy Futures Challenge so far. Healthy Futures, a longtime partner of the Play Every Day campaign, is able to sign up more. Teachers or principals at Alaska elementary schools can sign up at https://database.healthyfuturesak.org/, or they can contact Robinson at harlow@alaskasportshall.org or (907) 240-3684.
Robinson knows there are questions that need answers:
- How do you run a school-based physical activity challenge when students aren’t learning in school, or they’re in school only part time? We’ve got an answer for that below.
- How do students turn in logs if they’re not going into a school building? Find that answer below, too.
- How will schools and students receive the prizes, especially if students aren’t at school? We’re still working on that issue.
Let’s take these questions one at a time.
Schools can make the challenge work for them
In a typical year, thousands of Alaska students complete the Healthy Futures Challenge in more than 30 school districts across the state. They track their activity each month on a simple paper log. If they count at least 15 days when they were active at least 60 minutes each day, they can turn in the log for a prize. Students can include active time in recess and gym class on their logs.
This year, thousands of students won’t be in school to turn in logs. They also may not have daily recess or in-person PE class time to count toward their logs. Last spring, some PE teachers provided online gym class, and that could be an option for students to count toward their logs this school year. Students also can count activities they do with their family, like walking, hiking, playing basketball or soccer, going for a bike ride or ski, and much more.
Some schools may choose to offer the challenge as part of the physical education curriculum. Other schools may offer the challenge as a way to keep students inspired to move every day, in whatever ways they can. More families are choosing homeschool options this year, and homeschool programs are invited to participate in the challenge.
More options this year for activity logs
 This year, Play Every Day and Healthy Futures staff worked together to add an alternative version of the log to help students track other important healthy behaviors. Participating teachers can choose to keep using the traditional log or this alternative log. On the alternative log, students will still write what activity they did and the total number of minutes they were active. This record of daily activity will be used to determine if students successfully completed the log each month.
The alternative log also includes three images at the bottom of each day: an apple, a moon and a glass of water. Each image represents a healthy behavior. If students ate at least 5 servings of fruits or vegetables that day, they can circle the apple. If they slept for 9 or more hours the night before, they can circle the moon. If students didn’t drink any sugary beverages that day, they can circle the glass of water. Sugary drinks include soda, sports and energy drinks, vitamin drinks, fruit-flavored and sweetened powdered drinks, and chocolate and flavored milk.
When it comes to turning in a successful log, students will have several options:
- Print and fill out a log created as a Word document. Students can submit this log in person if attending school, or can take a photo of it and send the photo through email to the coordinating teacher at their school.
- Print or fill out a log created as a PDF document. Again, students can submit it in person or take a photo of it and submit it electronically.
- Download a log created as a fillable PDF document. Students can type in their activity and total number of active minutes each day. If using the fillable alternative log, they can click their cursor over the apple, moon, or glass, which places a checkmark over the image.
Recognizing students with prizes
When schools closed last spring, Healthy Futures staff faced challenges distributing prizes to children. That same challenge will continue this fall as some districts aren’t returning in person. Robinson said his team is looking for solutions. He said he will be reaching out to teachers coordinating the Healthy Futures program this fall to find out what works best for their school and students.
To find out more about the Healthy Futures Challenge or to sign up your school or homeschool program, contact Robinson at harlow@alaskasportshall.org or (907) 240-3684.
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-07</hide>July 2020 (3)
| | 7/20/2020 11:44 AM | JULY 20, 2020 — You know how kids make a large amount of sugar disappear, in just a few seconds?
They drink it.
Play Every Day has been focusing its recent messages on keeping families healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that will continue. The campaign, however, is discussing other ways to help children grow up healthy. One way is to cut back on serving sugary drinks that can lead to cavities, unhealthy weight gain, type 2 diabetes and other health concerns.
“Choosing healthy drinks and being active can help prevent the diseases that increase the chances of severe illness from COVID-19,” said Karol Fink, registered dietitian and manager of Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Program that runs Play Every Day. “It’s never too late to start serving kids healthier options, like water or milk.”
No magic necessary: Kids can make sugar disappear by drinking it
 Play Every Day’s newest message uses kids’ love of magic tricks to show how much sugar is hiding in drinks. The 30-second video opens with a little boy dressed in a magician’s costume. He’s standing in front of 6 teaspoons of sugar. He tells his dad: “I can make all this sugar disappear.” His dad smiles and says: “Show me.” The boy covers the teaspoons with his magician’s hat and then pulls the hat away, showing that the large amount of sugar is now in an 8-ounce glass of a sweetened powdered drink. The boy quickly drinks the orange-flavored beverage, making all that added sugar disappear in just a few gulps.
The message states that these drinks are often labeled in ways to make them seem healthy. The front of the label might say “100% Vitamin C,” or show a picture of a fruit. That drink, however, may not be made with any fruit and can contain more sugar than your child should have in one day.
The small glass of a powdered drink pictured in this new message can have about 6 teaspoons of added sugar. A small cranberry raspberry-flavored drink, like the one featured in last year’s Play Every Day video, can have 8 teaspoons of added sugar. That’s the same amount of sugar found in eight chocolate mini doughnuts.
Sugary drinks remain the leading source of added sugars, for kids and adults
Sugary drinks are the most common source of added sugars each day, for kids and for adults. That includes powdered and fruit-flavored drinks; sports, energy and vitamins drinks; soda; and sweetened coffees and teas. Another common sugar-added drink for little kids is chocolate and flavored milk.
Last year, four leading health organizations worked together to share a new report called “Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids.” These groups agree: Sugary drinks of all kinds are not recommended for children ages 5 and younger. Limiting added sugar each day is good for the health of older children and adults, too. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting the amount of sugar older children and adults eat and drink to less than 10 percent of their daily calories. Even small fruit drinks can be packed with that much sugar, even more.
Play Every Day’s new magic-focused message shows a dad reading the front and back of the drink’s label. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires the Nutrition Facts labels to clearly list the added sugar on a special line under “Total Carbohydrate.” The powdered drink featured in Play Every Day’s message, for example, has 22 grams of added sugar in an 8-ounce glass. For this example, 22 grams of sugar is about 6 teaspoons — the amount the little boy displays in the first scene of the video.
Play Every Day continues to update its messages to encourage families to serve healthier drinks to children from the very beginning:
- Birth to 1 year — Choose breast milk or iron-fortified formula only.
- 1 – 2 years old — Serve water and pasteurized whole white milk.
- 2 – 6 years old — Serve water and pasteurized fat-free (skim or nonfat) or low-fat (1%) white milk.
The campaign’s new message ends with a flip of the magician’s cape, revealing a full glass of water.
“There’s no illusion about this healthy drink,” the message says. “It’s just water, and it’s what kids need.”
| | 7/15/2020 4:34 PM | JULY 15, 2020 — School districts are working on plans to reopen schools this fall for Alaska’s 130,000 students and thousands of staff after closing in March for the COVID-19 pandemic. Depending on the level of virus spreading in the community, those plans include in-school instruction with physical distancing, distance learning from home, or often a hybrid model combining the two.
As schools use Alaska’s Smart Start 2020 Framework to create these new models for learning, finding different ways to support students’ and staff’s physical, mental, and social-emotional health is more important than ever. Participating in physical activities can improve all of these types of health.
 “Physical activity and education are essential for the health and well-being of Alaska students,” said Rochelle Lindley, public information officer for the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. “However, physical activity and education may look different during a pandemic. Through the Alaska Smart Start 2020 guidance, school districts will be responsible for developing plans for physical education and activity in low-, medium-, and high-risk environments.”
Planning the 2020-21 school year during a pandemic is a significant challenge for these school districts. Schools are figuring out how to be a place where teachers and staff feel supported as they go back to work, and where parents feel secure sending their kids into a group setting. Many questions need answers, and one of those questions is how to offer students physical activity, physical education (PE) class and recess in different scenarios that could vary during the year, depending on the spread of virus in the community served by the district.
How do teachers provide time for activity with shorter school days that are proposed in some Alaska school districts? If kids are in school, what physical activities are easier — or harder — to offer when it’s so important to avoid close contact with others? How will the Healthy Futures program provide its free physical activity challenge in more than 100 elementary schools across the state? And if we enter a high-risk period, what will school-supported physical activity look like when kids are learning only from home? Many of these questions don’t have complete answers yet. Play Every Day will be exploring them in more depth as we approach and start the new school year.
Active students learn better
These questions are important to answer because physically active students can focus more, think more clearly, react to stress more calmly, and perform and behave better in class. All of these positive outcomes of activity are shared in a review of research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national recommendation for school-age children has been at least 60 minutes of daily activity for the best health. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans emphasize that regular activity has benefits beyond physical health. It also can decrease the risk of depression, reduce anxiety and improve sleep. Even if time at school is limited, using some of it for physical activity could help the rest of the seated instructional time be more efficient.
“Will we get to go back to recess?”
One of the common questions parents are asking about school is whether recess will be on or off in the fall. With the proposed shortened schedule, there won’t be enough time for all the usual subjects and activities. Not only is recess a kid-favorite, it helps students practice social skills such as following rules, cooperating, problem-solving, negotiating and communicating. Recess can give kids and staff a chance to spend time outside and have in-person social connections — something many have been missing during recent months — while maintaining appropriate physical distance. Each district will make its own decision in the weeks and months to come. Dr. Mark Stock, Deputy Superintendent at the Anchorage School District, shared his support for including recess and outdoor time in school schedules this fall.
“ASD recognizes the importance of recess and the opportunities it provides to get fresh air and exercise every day,” Stock said. “It is more important than ever in these days of ‘hunker down’ and social distancing brought upon us due to the pandemic."
“While plans and schedules are still being finalized, daily recess and exercise outdoors will remain an important part of the school day, even with a shortened schedule. In fact, being outdoors will be encouraged for all classrooms even beyond recess. We encourage teachers to provide opportunities to teach outside in the fresh air as a great alternative to the four walls of the classroom.”
Tools to help schools plan during the pandemic
The CDC provides guidance in a series of Considerations for Schools documents to support schools during the pandemic. This includes the K-12 Schools Readiness and Planning Tool, a practical way to monitor and maintain necessary actions to promote healthy behaviors, environments and procedures that reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators) recently released the 2020-2021 School Reentry Considerations: K-12 Physical Education, Health Education, and Physical Activity with specific recommendations for recess, including:
- Have students and staff wash or sanitize hands before and after recess. Use CDC downloadable resources on handwashing as visual cues and reminders.
- Identify multiple areas where recess can be held for different cohorts of students to minimize crowding. Whenever possible, use outdoor spaces for recess.
- Develop a plan for moving students from the classroom to the designated recess areas. Give students guidance on how to safely move between areas while still maintaining physical distance from others. Plan time to practice these transitions with students.
- Limit or eliminate the use of playground equipment or play structures. If playground equipment is used, it requires normal, routine cleaning. Targeted disinfection may be appropriate for high-touch surfaces like railings. Consult CDC guidance on playground and recess play equipment sanitation procedures.
- Use painted play spaces or create play areas with stencils or cones to designate zones to help students identify how to safely follow physical distancing guidelines and to provide sufficient opportunities for free choice of activities during recess.
Local groups in Alaska are exploring more ways to support physical activity in schools this fall. SHAPE Alaska is looking at how to develop trainings to support physical education teachers across the state, and the Alaska School Activities Association recently released guidance about sports-related practices and events. The association’s executive director talked about this guidance on a statewide webinar earlier this week.
The state Departments of Education and Early Development and Health and Social Services, along with other partners, will start a webinar series to address questions about reopening schools. Weekly sessions for superintendents, principals and school health leaders will begin July 21. To learn more and register, visit https://echo.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAvduqorTgqGdIldKANttMHl-el85qrH_s0. The Alaska Smart Start Summer Virtual Summit 2020 will begin in August for teachers, parents, district staff, tribal leaders, community members and more. To learn more and register, visit aklearns.org/smartwebinar/.
The Play Every Day campaign will continue to share information about physical activity, recess and physical education during the pandemic as more details become available. Please contact playeveryday@alaska.gov to share how your school district is working to support the health and activity of Alaska students.
Additional resources
For additional information, please go to:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
| | 7/1/2020 7:39 AM | JULY 1, 2020 — After months of closing or being too snow-covered to use, playgrounds at schools and public parks reopened in most communities for the summer. Families are definitely returning to play.
“During this pandemic, our outdoor spaces have become more valuable than ever,” said Josh Durand, director of Anchorage Parks and Recreation. “These are opportunities to have some reprieve. Outdoor experiences can wash away some of the stress in life. This is good for children and parents alike.”
Even though the yellow caution tape came down from playgrounds in Anchorage and elsewhere, it’s still important for families to be careful when bringing their children to swing, slide or climb. Gathering close to others can increase the chances of spreading COVID-19 from person to person. That includes kids playing and yelling near each other, as well as parents from different households hanging out together as they watch.
“Parents standing next to each other chitchatting are also at risk,” said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer.
Parks departments across Alaska are putting in extra time to clean playgrounds. Even so, you can help set expectations for your family to prevent the spread of illness. Show up with your own hand sanitizer and tell your kids that they’ll be using it before and after playing. Bring face coverings for everyone, and put them on before coming within 6 feet of others. That includes you, too, Mom and Dad. Let your children know that they can have fun playing with people in their household or small social bubble, but they’ll need to keep away from other children. And yes, that will feel strange to children who just want to play together.
“It’s challenging because kids don’t really participate in social distancing,” Zink said. “They need to interact. That’s who they are.”
You can’t remove all of the risk of spreading illness at playgrounds, but you can definitely minimize it, Zink said. When planning a playground visit, put together a small play group that is your new social bubble. Then, always go with them to the playground and only play with that group, she said. Choose to visit playgrounds when they’re least crowded. Zink also suggested trying something new. One family had playground equipment in their backyard and decided to invite a few other families who could use it, one at a time. That way, the kids in each family could enjoy time at the playground without risking interaction with other kids.
 Zink acknowledged it’s hard to clean everything you might touch at a playground. That’s why some parents, like Paula Wright of Anchorage, have decided not to return to them right now.
“I just think it’s impossible with so many kids to keep the surfaces clean,” said Wright, a mother of two young boys. It’s also hard to keep your distance from others while there.
“To me, it’s a big challenge that we can easily avoid by going other places.”
Zink also encouraged considering options other than playgrounds: Explore the woods. Go for a hike in our wide open spaces. Wright’s family built a swing in the backyard. They’ve been hiking and biking on trails, gone camping more than usual, and looked for big fields where the boys could run.
“We live in the coolest playground in the entire world,” Zink said.
Below are related Questions and Answers about using playgrounds during the pandemic.
What are the important reminders for preventing the spread of COVID-19 at parks and playgrounds?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends hanging posters and signs in parks and playgrounds to share these reminders:
- Wear face coverings when possible. They’re most important when you or your children might get within 6 feet of others. Face coverings shouldn’t be worn by children younger than 2 and anyone who has trouble breathing.
- Stay home if you are sick or do not feel well.
- Stay at least 6 feet away from others.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Throw out tissues in the trash.
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol and rub hands together until dry. Young children should be supervised to ensure they are using sanitizer safely.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
How are Alaska parks departments cleaning playgrounds during the pandemic?
Parks departments across the state are busy cleaning and hanging COVID-19 signs in playgrounds this summer. The Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation Department is following the CDC guidelines for parks, which call for routine cleaning in outdoor areas instead of disinfecting all surfaces, said David Jones, the parks maintenance manager.
“Spraying disinfectant on sidewalks and in parks is not an efficient use of disinfectant supplies and has not been proven to reduce the risk of COVID-19 to the public,” the CDC stated. “You should continue existing cleaning and hygiene practices for outdoor areas.”
For the Fairbanks staff, that means starting their work days early each morning, seven days a week, by visiting playgrounds before the kids arrive. The parks department maintains about 30 properties in Fairbanks, and 19 of them have playground equipment, Jones said. The staff visits as many as possible daily, cleaning with soap and water and with diluted bleach on some surfaces, he said. Some parks have restrooms, and the Fairbanks parks department cleans those twice a day. Keeping up with that schedule has been challenging because the department is understaffed right now, Jones said. That’s because the department couldn’t recruit seasonal staff when the pandemic began this spring. They’ve tried to maximize what they can routinely clean by temporarily removing some items and storing them for later.
“I pulled a lot of benches and picnic tables to reduce the amount of surfaces you clean,” Jones said.
Durand in Anchorage oversees a large group of properties: 224 parks with 82 playgrounds. Before parks reopened in early May, his staff power washed each playground. He said it’s not possible for his staff to clean each playground daily, so they are cleaning them as needed. They plan to power wash several times this year with a disinfecting solution. The Anchorage staff also added hand sanitizer this summer to each porta potty in parks and playgrounds, Durand said.
What kind of cleaning supplies should families use before, during and after visiting playgrounds?
Parks department staff are routinely cleaning playgrounds, but as Jones pointed out, they can’t control how clean playgrounds remain throughout the day. Families should bring hand wipes and sanitizer, and make sure everyone uses it before and after playing. They could use soap or water instead, but often those are found in public restrooms and Zink recommends not using those restrooms if possible given all of the high-touch surfaces that need regular cleaning. Consider bringing disinfecting wipes to clean surfaces you’d touch, sit on, or eat on — like swings, picnic tables and benches.
Should children and parents wear face coverings while at playgrounds?
You often don’t see children and parents wearing face coverings at playgrounds right now, but Zink recommends that they do so when it’s not just their family playing there. At playgrounds, children tend to get close together on equipment. Parents tend to gather and talk. Playing closely and gathering decreases the distance between people, which can increase the chances of spreading illness. Keeping that distance is important, but so is wearing face coverings when you are talking or playing closer than 6 feet away from others.
Visit the COVID-19 in Alaska website for updated information for the state.
Photographs courtesy of Paula Wright
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-06</hide>June 2020 (3)
| | 6/25/2020 7:49 AM |  JUNE 25, 2020 — These blogs usually start with someone’s story. For many years, my job has been listening to Alaskans and then sharing their experiences, most recently through these blogs.
Today is different because it’s my story.
My name is Ann Potempa, and I’ve run the Play Every Day campaign since it launched in 2012. My oldest son and I got tested for COVID-19 this month and waited a longer-than-expected amount of time for our test results — almost a full week. Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer, asked me to write about our experience.
“There is a lot of variability in the wait time,” Zink said. “I think the variability in it can be very challenging.”
The challenge comes in having to limit your family’s or household’s activities until your results come back. We received a piece of paper with this guidance after leaving the testing location: “You should restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care. Do not go to work, school, or public areas. Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.” Staying away from others while you wait for results prevents the spread of possible infection.
The state’s health department and laboratories are improving how they work together to complete COVID-19 tests, hiring staff and quickening the sharing of results from lab to provider to patient to minimize the wait when possible — ideally closer to three days from test to result. Zink said they’re trying many strategies to make it easier to get tested and to get results quicker. She also said Alaskans can call providers and urgent care centers in some communities to find rapid tests that can turn around results in less than an hour.
For many people like me who got non-rapid tests, however, the results take more time to process and return. I’m sharing our testing experience to show how, and why.
Testing and staying away from others while waiting for results
Typically, Play Every Day is focused on promoting daily activity and healthy drinks for Alaska children. We believe it’s important to pivot right now and talk with families about COVID-19 and other broader issues that affect children’s health: How can they keep active while preventing the spread of illness? If they develop symptoms, should they test, and what can they expect in terms of receiving those results?
This month, my 14-year-old son and I had minor symptoms that in other years would have seemed like nothing special: chills, body aches, slightly higher-than-normal temperatures. At this time in Alaska, the recommendation is to test even minor symptoms. So we did that Tuesday, June 9. Then we waited.
As the days passed without results, I began to wonder why. This led me to work with Alaska’s health leaders to make sure Alaskans were given realistic turnaround times for COVID-19 tests. I find it’s easier to muster the patience to wait if I know how long it could take, and if I know why I am waiting.
Waiting is frustrating, even for people like me who work in public health and focus on this pandemic every day. It’s surprising how much we needed to cancel while we stayed away from others and waited for results. Our family canceled activities for everyone, unsure if the others who weren’t tested could be sick and just not symptomatic. We rescheduled three haircuts, which meant the stylist lost business that week. Our home improvement contractors lost work because we didn’t want to put them at risk of infection by being in our house. My son gave up his appointment to test for a driver’s permit, which felt like a big deal for a teenager. Both my sons lost a week at an outside summer camp that had made significant changes to prevent spreading COVID-19. My youngest son was crushed, because he lost out the most — given he wasn’t even the one who had symptoms.
A week earlier, Pegge Erkeneff of Kasilof had a similar experience. After having mild symptoms, she visited the Kenai Public Health Center on Wednesday, June 3, to get tested.
“You now need to consider yourself positive until you hear from us,” the nurse told her. That meant staying away from other people until she got her result.
On the drive home, she realized what she had to cancel: a Thursday appointment with the dog groomer and a Friday haircut for herself that she’d put off since February due to the pandemic. She even canceled using a pick-up service at the grocery store in the unlikely case that she’d get into an accident while driving to the store and unintentionally expose an emergency responder.
Waiting for results got harder as the days added up, she said. She didn’t get her negative result until five days after she got tested.
“There is the real frustration of waiting and patience, and then just letting go,” Erkeneff said. “This is just what life is like now. And I’m making a choice (to get tested) — for my own peace of mind and for others.”
It’s very important to stay away from others after testing to protect them in case you are infected, said Coleman Cutchins, Alaska’s lead clinical pharmacist who is overseeing the COVID-19 laboratory testing. Cutchins explained the testing process in Alaska, why there’s variability in turning around results, and what the state’s laboratories are doing to quicken that process when possible.
Understanding why turnaround times can vary for results
The time it takes to turn around a COVID-19 test result depends on a number of factors: what kind of test was run, where the laboratory is located, the number of samples that came through that day or week to be processed, even whether or not the test is for someone who really needs to know quickly if they’re sick — such as someone in a nursing home who could face higher chances for serious illness.
Many people getting COVID-19 tests in Alaska are getting what’s called a high extraction PCR test, Cutchins said. Never mind the complicated name. What it means is these tests require a multi-step chemical analysis in a laboratory to determine a positive or negative result. These are the standard tests used to detect viruses like COVID-19.
If you get a COVID-19 PCR test done in Alaska, it could be run in labs inside the state or outside. As of mid June, there were three main laboratories in the state running tests: the two state public health labs in Anchorage and Fairbanks, and the Alaska Native Medical Center lab, Cutchins said. Some people’s samples — like my family’s — are shipped out of state to commercial labs to run. Our samples went to a lab in California. A number of factors, including health insurance, can affect where a sample is taken to analyze and return a result, Cutchins said. Shipping some samples gives the state more options in terms of running tests, but it can add to the turnaround time of getting results if you add the time to fly the sample out of state. That’s not always the case, though. Cutchins said some samples shipped out of state returned results in about two days.
The number of tests done daily in Alaska is a very fluid number, Cutchins said, and can triple from one day to the next. Recently, the number of tests significantly increased as health and travel mandates required them for certain medical procedures and made them available to people arriving into airports. As of this week, almost 100,000 tests have been run for those in Alaska.
Comparing and contrasting rapid and non-rapid tests
A rapid test may be the right choice for an individual, but the wrong choice for other situations, such as a planeload of people. Cutchins uses a simple cup of coffee to explain the difference between running a PCR COVID-19 test at a lab and running a rapid test using a machine. If you only want one cup of coffee, you would use a machine that inserts one pod of grounds and returns a full cup of coffee. That’s like this rapid testing machine. It processes only one test at a time, but can turn around a result in 15 minutes to about an hour.
If you have a large group of people needing coffee all at once, you wouldn’t buy 100 one-cup coffee machines. You’d call your local shop to brew a lot of coffee to serve everyone more quickly than a one-cup machine could do. That’s like the COVID-19 test run at a laboratory. A laboratory can run a large number of tests in a day, which means a longer turnaround time for the whole batch but a quicker turnaround time than you’d see if you ran each sample one at a time through machines. On a given day, that could mean running up to 3,000 tests through Alaska’s public health laboratories, Cutchins said.
A COVID-19 test starts with a health care provider inserting a swab into an individual’s nostril and collecting a sample of respiratory secretions, or instructing the individual to do the swabbing. For a sample that will be processed in a laboratory, the time between when the sample is taken and when it reaches a local lab could be hours. If it’s shipped outside Alaska, that lag could get longer by a day or so. Once at the lab, it can take about 12 hours to unpack the sample, prepare it in a sterile environment that doesn’t infect the laboratory workers, and run the test. At the end, a clinical biologist needs to interpret each result, one by one.
“It’s not like a pregnancy test,” Cutchins said. “It doesn’t give you a plus or a minus.”
He said it’s a lengthy process that you can’t make much faster given the current technology at labs. Other steps can add to that time, though, including entering results and transferring them back to the providers who ordered them, and ultimately to the person who got tested.
Rapid testing machines are available around the state, Cutchins said. For some of these machines, technicians insert the sample into the machine on site that can turn around a result in 15 minutes to an hour or so. These machines are particularly useful when there are small numbers of people who need testing and quick results are needed by health care providers, Cutchins said. Rapid tests do require more virus to be detected in the sample to return a positive result, he said.
A rapid test may be a good option for running a small number of tests, but it’s not the right tool for large flights, Cutchins said. An airplane full of people would quickly overwhelm a rapid testing system. Samples collected following the arrival of larger flights aren’t typically run in rapid machines. Instead, they’re sent in batches to larger laboratories to run using the longer process explained earlier, Cutchins said.
Improving Alaska’s lab capacity to turn around consistently quicker results
Cutchins said our family’s almost one-week turnaround time was longer than many experience. In the past week, though, he’s see turnaround times fluctuate overall — getting longer, shorter and then longer again. Many Alaskans, he said, can expect results in three to five days. His goal is to get most tests returned closer to three days for people in larger locations like Anchorage, the Mat-Su Borough and Fairbanks, and four to five days for samples that are shipped to a lab in another community to complete testing. Quicker turnarounds for results are important to reduce waiting time, to improve the chances that people stay away from others while waiting for results, and to quicken public health nurses’ ability to reach out to people who’ve been exposed to someone who tests positive.
Cutchins said the health department is using several strategies to reduce turnaround times. He’s updating a plan that doesn’t rely too heavily on one laboratory. If one lab faces higher demands, another can step in. If shipping out of state becomes problematic, more testing can shift back to the state public health laboratories.
His plan prioritizes shorter turnaround times for those most in need. State health officials will make the fastest testing strategies available for people who need results as quickly as possible, such as someone facing higher chances of serious illness or living in a higher-risk setting like a nursing home. Other hospitals in Alaska are also working to purchase more laboratory equipment to run tests locally, he said.
Cutchins shared other good news, including new technology recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that could triple testing capacity. He said this could be available in Alaska within the coming months. Alaska’s public health labs are also hiring more staff to process and run tests. They just got new software that makes it easier to enter a test result, share it with providers and ultimately the patient. All of these can help return a faster result, Cutchins said.
Making things better while you wait
Our family has stayed with the same pediatric clinic in Anchorage since both of our sons were born. One of the first people to meet my oldest son within hours of his birth was his pediatrician.
She had been closely watching for our lab results day after day. The clinic’s nurses regularly checked in with the lab. They would talk to me multiple times daily to give updates, even when there was none. On Sunday morning, five days after my nasal swab, I learned my results were negative. My son’s results, however, weren’t back yet. On the sixth day following our tests, our pediatrician called me to talk through the waiting period, saying she would continually check until she got an answer for my son.
And she did.
At 10:51 p.m. that night, she texted his results:
Negative.
Our pediatrician’s kindness during off hours was my reminder of how much people care for each other right now. It’s a reminder that while you worry and wait and focus on your frustrations, there are people trying to make things better. That is the case here. Rapid tests are available in some communities so Alaskans can get same-day results. Multiple laboratories are increasing staff, making it easier to enter and share test results, and working together to run more tests as quickly as possible and return those results to the health care providers who ordered them.
Then, your doctor can give you the answer you’ve been waiting for, even when it’s in the middle of the night.
| | 6/17/2020 2:22 PM | JUNE 17, 2020 — Alaskans are out to play during long days that end in midnight sun. Softball fields are packed. The trails are teeming with bikers and walkers. Kids are back to playing full-contact soccer games, and parents are lined up on the sidelines to watch.
These activities are taking place in Alaska communities while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Cases have been rising day after day since the end of May. Alaska now has more current cases than it did early in the outbreak when we first hunkered down. That means we all need to keep doing what we can to prevent the spread of illness while being active — especially when our activities involve groups of people.
As Alaska reopens, your family gets to choose if they’ll participate in group activities and team sports. Different families are making different decisions about that after balancing the risk of spreading COVID-19 with the benefits of staying active. The message in Alaska is definitely to get out and play. It’s critical to improve your outlook and reduce your stress. So pick your favorite activity and do it. But if that activity typically involves groups of people — participants or spectators — you need to weigh the risks and benefits for your family and others you work with or regularly spend time with each week. Your family’s chances for serious illness may be low, but your actions and interactions could put others’ health at risk if you work in a nursing home or have close, frequent contact with customers, for example. If you participate in or watch sports, keep finding ways to limit the spread of illness to others.
“If everyone gives a little right now, we will all get a lot,” said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer. “Choose to wear your face covering in public places. Keep staying at least six feet from others. If we all do that, we can keep Alaska’s COVID-19 cases low and continue to enjoy sports and other activities that we’ve been missing.”
Participating in and watching group sports must be done differently this year in order to keep Alaska’s COVID-19 cases as low as possible. That’s because attending gatherings, like those that happen with team sports, is one known interaction that increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. Those chances go up when a child or coach interacts with more people, when physical interactions are closer and longer, and when multiple players increase the sharing of sports equipment.
“I know how important summer sports are to families,” Zink said. “I’m hearing from a lot of parents wondering what to do. These are really hard decisions to make, and what works for one family may not work for another. If you spend time with an older person or someone else facing higher chances of illness, it’s very important to make sure your other interactions with people are at a distance. That includes your time participating in and watching sports.”
Anchorage Little League starts a late season by changing everything
Jessie Weiler grew up playing Dimond West Little League, her kids play Dimond West and she’s now the volunteer president. She surveyed Anchorage families to see if they’d participate this summer, and many said they wanted their kids to play ball. Dimond West put together a later-than-usual season that started with a COVID-19 mitigation plan, new consent forms and health assessments every time a child comes to the field.
 “This is not a normal year,” Weiler said she tells parents. “When you think of traditional Little League and the traditional season, this is not it. We have basically restructured everything.”
“Start stretching now,” she said. “Because flexibility is going to be key.”
The special season has new rules for everything: Watching kids during practice is discouraged. Watching games is limited and parents must keep distance from others. Kids, volunteers and parents must wear face coverings whenever possible, but kids won’t be required to wear them during games, Weiler said. Kids are strongly discouraged from sharing any gear. Balls and other gear are sanitized between games, and there’s hand sanitizer when you enter and also on the field.
Dimond West Little League is making it easier to follow these new rules. They bought buffs for every child and volunteer, so everyone on the field will have one to cover their noses and mouths. They also gathered extra bats and helmets to lend to children who didn’t have their own.
Alaska families choose to participate or not in summer group sports
Harlow Robinson is an Anchorage parent of two teenage boys interested in other summer sports. He’s also the executive director of Healthy Futures, an Alaska nonprofit program that provides free physical activity challenges for children. This summer, he started organizing a community forum called the “Responsible Return to Alaska Sports and Recreation,” which has a regularly updated Facebook page. Robinson and his wife, a local nurse, talked with their sons about balancing the value of being involved in their favorite sports versus the potential risk of spreading infection. They decided to let their sons participate.
“We don’t take any of these decisions lightly,” Robinson said. “We made the decision that allowing our kids to participate in the activities that are important to them is an acceptable risk so long as we feel like we are doing what we can to lower the chances of spreading infection.”
Robinson said his son’s running group has a safety plan to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19. The teens are required to bring face coverings and stay separated while running outside. If they pass anyone, they’re required to wear the covering. His son’s basketball team also shared similar precautions about keeping distance from others, although that’s not possible when actually playing a game.
“Our biggest concern is protecting people in the community that are most vulnerable,” Robinson said. “Through all of this, we maintained small bubbles of interactions. We’ve decided to let the sports community into those bubbles.”
At the same time, he said, the family maintained rigid limitations on how they interacted with the teens’ grandparents. That included always wearing a mask around them, meeting outdoors, and staying at least 6 feet away. Robinson’s family also tightened other interactions. They shop one at a time in stores. They wear face coverings in public places.
“Because at the end of the day, there’s still a pandemic,” Robinson said.
Other Alaska parents have carefully considered the decision of allowing their kids to participate in summer sports, and have decided to decline. An Alaska mother of a family who chose not to be named has a teenager who plays volleyball. The family read COVID-19 mitigation plans for summer volleyball camps prior to deciding if their daughter would attend. The mother said she let her daughter try a camp, but then learned that the other players were not keeping distance from others. They were gathering in groups, high-fiving and not wearing face coverings. She shared concern that all participants in sports are not being as careful as they could be to prevent spreading COVID-19. Her daughter stopped participating in that camp.
“I want my daughter to play volleyball in the worst way because she loves volleyball,” the mother said.
“There was a gap between the safety measures our family was taking and those of the organizers and many of the participants in the camp,” she said. “The need to responsibly navigate that divide was too much pressure for a teenager.”
Taking steps to stay healthy and prevent spreading illness through sports
If you or your child chooses to participate in a group activity or team sport, you can take steps to improve the chances of staying healthy and preventing the spread of illness to teammates, coaches and spectators. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published considerations for ways that sports organizations can protect players, families and communities.
The CDC explains the risk of COVID-19 spreading in youth sports as follows:
- Lowest Risk: Performing skill-building drills or conditioning at home, alone or with family members
- Increasing Risk: Team-based practice
- More Risk: Within-team competition
- Even More Risk: Full competition between teams from the same local geographic area
- Highest Risk: Full competition between teams from different geographic areas
Below are additional related Questions and Answers.
What should you think about when choosing the activities and team sports for your family?
Dr. Zink asked families to consider these questions as they make their decisions:
- How much risk is your family willing to accept? Do you work with someone at higher risk of serious illness or have someone at higher risk in your small, trusted social bubble?
- Is there a quality mitigation plan and are coaches, participants and spectators following it? These plans should address the following questions, as examples:
- Does the plan include engaging in physical distancing while not actively engaged in play (for example, during practice, on the sidelines, or in the dugout)?
- Does it limit the unnecessary use of shared equipment and gear (for example, protective gear, bats and water bottles)?
- Does it limit nonessential visitors, spectators and volunteers during practices and games?
- Does it keep game interaction within the local community (no travel)?
- Does everyone agree not to participate in practices and games if they have or a household member has COVID-19 symptoms?
- Are organizers of activities and team sports keeping a roster of everyone who participates or attends, in the case that someone gets COVID-19 and others will need to be notified if they had close contact with that ill person?
As with all COVID-19 guidance, please check with your local community to ensure you are following specific requirements in your area.
How can parents keep the gatherings from getting too large, increasing the chances of spreading illness?
In a typical year, the whole family might attend soccer practice or games. After all, you want to cheer on your child and it’s a great way to catch up with friends on the sidelines. This is not a typical year, however, and socializing, yelling and cheering within close proximity of others needs to be avoided to prevent spreading illness.
If your child is old enough, choose not to stay at the practice or game. Remain in your car when you drop them off and pick them up, or choose to walk or bike. If you stay, have one parent come and leave other family members at home.
Greet others and socialize from a distance. Don’t gather with others. Make sure you stand or set up your lawn chair or blanket at least 6 feet away from others or farther if you’ll be cheering. Ring bells and use other ways to support the team that don’t require using your voice. Wear a face covering while you are there.
What should you bring — or not bring — to group activities to prevent the spread of illness?
This is not the summer to share foods and drinks. Bring only foods and drinks for your own child. Don’t encourage children to group up at the end of a game to eat or drink together. Rethink your end-of-season celebration. Instead of a potluck party that involves sharing pizza, schedule a picnic and ask everyone to bring their own food and blanket.
Bring your own hand sanitizer and wipes, using sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Sanitize your hands often, including before and after touching bats, balls or other gear; before eating or drinking; and after using a porta potty or restroom. If it’s an option, wash your hands with soap and water instead of using hand sanitizer.
Should kids share gear during practices and games?
To prevent spreading illness, participants and coaches are encouraged not to share any type of gear. That includes bats, gloves, helmets, water bottles, jerseys, pinnies, towels and more.
Can I drive the carpool to practice or games?
This year, carpooling is discouraged to prevent people from multiple households having close contact for an extended amount of time. The best choice is to bike, walk or drive with only family members or those in your small, trusted social bubble.
“If you do drive people from outside your household to an activity, everyone in the car should wear face coverings,” Zink said. “If possible, open car windows to improve air flow and reduce the chances of spreading illness.”
Your child is in the championship game, and you and grandma really want to watch. Should you go?
Look for creative ways that don’t involve actually attending the game. Since grandma is at higher risk of serious illness, help organize a parent who will video the game and share it in real time online, using an app like Facebook Live. That way grandma can watch, too.
You can prevent spreading COVID-19 by limiting close contact with others — including other spectators at group activities and games. Bring your own chair, blanket or umbrella. Usually, the kind thing to do is to share what you bring with others. This summer, the kind thing is not to share. Stay on your own blanket or spot on the bleachers and at least 6 feet from others, and even farther if you’ll be cheering.
What happens if a coach or player on a sports team tests positive for COVID-19?
When Alaska’s public health nurses receive a report of a positive COVID-19 test result, they immediately reach out to that person (or to their parent or guardian) to interview them about who they had close contact with recently. Close contact typically means 15 or more minutes of contact within 6 feet of someone outside your household. If that close contact includes all or most members of a sports team, the nurses would contact each person to request that they quarantine themselves for 14 days from the date of their last exposure with the sick teammate or coach. The nurses may have to contact the coaches to get a complete roster of who was present during the practice, game or event. That could include spectators and parents.
Visit the "COVID-19 in Alaska" website for updated information for the state.
Photograph courtesy of Dimond West Little League in Anchorage
| | 6/4/2020 5:48 PM | JUNE 4, 2020 — Your son’s friend has a birthday party coming up and your son really wants to go.
You’ve been invited to a neighborhood potluck for the Fourth of July. That’s 20 households up and down your street and everyone plans to share food and drinks.
You’ve seen an announcement for a fun run, a parade or a concert where hundreds may gather.
We’ve been hunkered down for months, and people are wanting to get together. Do you go ahead with that birthday party, neighborhood potluck, concert or fun run? And if you do, what can you do to reduce the chances of getting sick or spreading COVID-19 among the guests?
“The safest thing is for us to all be in a bubble and to not interact ever together, but that is also not how you live,” said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer. “So what ways are we able to live and be meaningful and mindful, while minimizing the chances of making others sick?”
The state is reopening, but Zink reminds Alaskans that “open” doesn’t mean “over.” COVID-19, the virus that’s led to a worldwide pandemic, is not gone. It is still spreading from person to person in Alaska communities and will continue to do so if people don’t take steps to prevent transmission: keep distance from others, wear face coverings in public, wash hands and surfaces, and stay home when sick. Those steps should be taken if you attend gatherings of any size — even if those attending are your friends and family members who are outside your household or small social bubble.
Here’s why: Gatherings of all sizes increase the chances of spreading COVID-19, and those chances go up as the number of attendees go up. A recent summary by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discussed how several types of interactions in recent months led to COVID-19 spreading quickly. One of those interactions is attending large gatherings. The State of Alaska and CDC have provided guidance about organizing large events.
But smaller gatherings can spread illness, too. Just in the past week, a number of new COVID-19 infections have been connected to get-togethers and parties that took place in Alaska communities. In some cases, people came to the gatherings from other communities, even other states. Some people had close contact at these parties.
Leslie Felts is an Alaska public health nurse manager who is helping to trace possible contacts of people infected with COVID-19. She’s noted several types of interactions at these gatherings that can increase the chances of spreading infection: Some people stood near others and had lingering conversations. Some hugged or kissed each other. Some drove in the same car as others, lengthening close contact with people outside their household.
“People are social and they want to get together,” Zink said. “Gathering helps us feel hopeful and connected during a really hard time, but we have to do it as safely as possible. This is not the time to have close contact and face-to-face conversations with others at large or small get-togethers. It’s the time to be creative, to come up with new ways to see people and socialize but still keep distance from others.”
Creative approaches to encourage physical distancing might mean drawing chalk markings on streets, sidewalks and driveways to help people see what 6 feet of minimum distance looks like at gatherings. Check out this idea used at a San Francisco park to show spacing among people. Some venues have blocked off rows of seats between non-household groups to space people apart.
Zink, Felts and Alaska epidemiologists discussed gatherings and community events this week with Play Every Day.
What kind of get-togethers fall under gatherings and community events?
These get-togethers can range in size. They could include birthday parties, graduation celebrations, neighborhood block parties, weddings, funerals, and other get-togethers with family and friends. On the larger side, they could include parades, sports events and fun runs, fairs and concerts.
The State of Alaska recently published lessons learned and guidance for organizers planning large gatherings that include more than 250 people. This number includes all attendees during the entire course of the event, such as participants, spectators, players, performers, staff, vendors, volunteers, security, medical personnel and others.
Your family has been invited to a gathering. Should you go?
As Alaska reopens, your family can make a choice after considering a number of factors. Here are just a few questions to consider:
- Is the gathering inside or outside?
- How large is it, and will you be able to keep enough space between you and others?
- Have the other attendees been following the recommended precautions to prevent getting and spreading illness?
- Are attendees encouraged to wear face coverings and to stay home if feeling ill?
- If food and drink are served, are they being shared in a way that helps prevent the spread of infection? One example to prevent the spread of illness would be having one chosen cook at the event who wears a face covering and serves foods and drinks to everyone, limiting the number of people who touch the serving utensils. Or, people attending the event could be asked to bring their own food and drink and not share it with others.
- Will you be able to wash or sanitize your hands, and will hosts or organizers be cleaning and disinfecting commonly-touched surfaces like doorknobs, handles or tabletops?
Overall, outdoor gatherings typically have a lower risk of spreading illness due to the air flow and amount of open space for distance. But outdoor events still must offer other precautions in order to prevent spreading COVID-19. That includes giving people enough space to stay at least 6 feet from others, recommending or even providing face coverings when people may get closer than 6 feet, offering enough hand washing and sanitizing stations, cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces, and more.
How can you adjust your interactions with others at gatherings to prevent spreading illness?
Human interactions aren’t typically described using math, but Dr. Joe McLaughlin, Alaska’s state epidemiologist, laid out an equation for how these interactions can lead to spreading illness:
The likelihood of an interaction spreading illness is a function of distance and time.
When someone gets a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, a public health nurse quickly reaches out to that person to find out with whom they had close contact. Distance is defined as close contact — being within 6 feet of someone. Time is typically important when it’s for 15 or more minutes, McLaughlin said. Again, distance and time.
But it doesn’t always look as simple as that, McLaughlin said. Consider that an infected person is at a gathering, and a number of people are in that same room. Someone may be farther away than 6 feet from the infected person, but in the same general area for an hour or more. That lengthy exposure could lead to spreading infection to others in the area. Or, you might be within 6 feet of an infected person for just a few seconds — but during that time the infected person sneezes or coughs into your face. The time part of that equation is now significantly shorter, but that one sneeze or cough may be enough to spread the virus.
Given all of that, McLaughlin, Felts and others recommended adjusting your interactions at gatherings to prevent spreading illness:
- Keep a 6-foot distance from others who are not part of your household or small social bubble — even if they are good friends or family members.
- Don’t share cars on the way to or from gatherings and don’t linger within 6 feet of others at the gathering.
- Don’t stay in one place for long. Moving around encourages air flow around you and can help prevent spreading the virus. Gathering outside — but still at a distance — is usually safer than spending time with others in an enclosed space.
- Bring your own chairs, plates, silverware, glasses, food, drinks and hand sanitizer.
- Wash or sanitize your hands often.
- Stay home if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 and encourage others to do the same. Possible symptoms include fever, chills, cough, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, and other symptoms listed on this CDC website.
Should you wear face coverings at parties and gatherings?
Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth when you are within 6 feet of “others.” In this case, “others” includes people who don’t live in your household or are not part of your small, trusted social bubble. At the end of this Q and A, you’ll find a reminder about the social bubble concept for Alaska.
You typically come within 6 feet of others when you’re talking to people, receiving or giving food and drinks, or standing in lines. COVID-19 can be a sneaky virus, infecting some people without causing symptoms. Those infected people can spread the virus through their respiratory droplets without even realizing they have COVID-19. Infected people wearing face coverings are less likely to spread the virus to others. Healthy people wearing face coverings are less likely to catch the virus from others. If everyone who is able to wear a face covering does so when they’re in close contact with others, the possibility of COVID-19 spreading is greatly reduced. Face coverings should not be used by children under 2 or those who would have difficulty breathing with a covering in place.
It’s your nephew’s birthday and you want to show that you love him. You want to congratulate the bride. Can you give them a hug, kiss or handshake at these gatherings?
Right now, the best way to show others you care about them is to give them space instead of giving them a hug, kiss or handshake. Again, some people have COVID-19 with no symptoms or minor symptoms, so they don’t realize they’re sick. If they hug or have close contact with others, they could spread a virus they don’t know they have. No one wants to unintentionally make a friend or loved one sick.
Should you attend a get-together or community event if you have higher chances of serious illness related to COVID-19?
People in higher-risk groups should talk with their health care provider about attending get-togethers and large events. That includes people who are 65 or older and those living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities. It also includes people who have ongoing health problems, such as heart and lung conditions, asthma, diabetes, kidney or liver disease, cancer, severe obesity and other conditions that may weaken the immune system.
Slightly expanding your social bubble is a way to stay connected without gatherings. What’s the safest way to create that trusted bubble?
Alaska families, individuals and couples may be feeling lonely and needing more social contact with others right now. Those households can consider adding one other trusted household to their social bubble. If you do choose to expand your bubble, Zink advises keeping that bubble small with the same members over time. She strongly cautions against mixing bubbles. Creating a slightly larger bubble requires a special agreement between households. Members of this new bubble must agree not to join another bubble, because if one person in your group gets the virus, it will likely infect others, too. Everyone within the bubble must agree to follow health and safety precautions, like minimizing interactions outside their bubble and staying at least 6 feet away from people outside the bubble. This concept is further explained in this recent Play Every Day blog.
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-05</hide>May 2020 (2)
| | 5/14/2020 3:13 PM | MAY 14, 2020 — Since March, Alaskans have been making many sacrifices to stay home and keep at least 6 feet away from non-household members. Limiting social contact has had an extremely positive impact on keeping our COVID-19 rates low, allowing hospitals and health care providers to care for those most in need. However, it has also been a lonely and difficult time for many people.
 Parents are struggling to work as they also care for their children. Children are missing their friends and the routine of school. Single people or elderly adults may feel even more isolated.
As communities across Alaska are starting to reopen responsibly and certain businesses have opened their doors, families are wondering what that might also mean for social interactions. Should we keep staying 6 feet away from others? Can families and friends start socializing with another family or friend? Can kids play together? Can you go for a hike with your best friend?
“We have worked so well together in Alaska, staying close to home in March and April and keeping our number of infections low,” said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer. “Alaskans acted together and took this seriously, which is why we’ve had such success. We’re in this for the long haul, and we don’t want to undo those hard-earned gains.”
Zink said we are now entering a time when Alaskans have more choices. It will continue to be important for everyone to follow basic precautions and adhere to current state mandates and health guidance. But within those rules, individuals and families can consider their own risk level and make choices that best fit their families as restrictions ease.
The safest option is to continue to limit your contacts only to your immediate household and to stay home as much as possible. Zink realizes, however, that some people may need more social support over the long term.
“We know many people are feeling lonely. They want more social contact or could use some help with child care,” she said. “One choice as we reopen is to slightly expand your social bubble to be more connected with a few close friends or family who help support each other, while continuing to prevent a considerable increase in infections.”
In this Q and A, Zink addresses in more detail how families can make safe choices that meet their own personal needs while protecting others.
As Alaska reopens responsibly, should you still stay 6 feet away from others outside your household?
Yes. Reopening allows us to start returning to some services, like getting haircuts and going to retail stores. It does not, however, mean that you should get close to others the way we did before the pandemic, Zink said.
Reopening the state, phase by phase, will be more likely to continue if Alaska can keep the number of new infections low. And that’s more likely to happen if Alaskans can keep following the precautions already in place. That means continuing to maintain at least 6 feet from others to minimize the spread of the disease. It’s also important to continue with these other basic precautions:
- Wash your hands often and well with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if you can’t access soap.
- Avoid touching your face, including your mouth, nose and eyes.
- Wear a face covering:
- When in public and in places that are reopening, such as stores and salons.
- When exerting yourself through physical activity or passing within 20 feet of others outside.
What else can Alaskans do?
- Minimize your trips out in public, especially if you have regular contact with people who have higher chances for severe illness.
- Continue to work from home when possible. When at work, maintain a 6-foot distance from coworkers and customers.
- Keep a daily journal of anyone you came into close contact with during the day. If you can’t recall all of the people you’ve had 10 minutes or more of in-person contact with during your week, then you are likely having too much contact with others at this time.
- Stay home if you are sick or have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19. Get tested immediately if you are experiencing symptoms.
“The choices that each Alaskan makes during this time will have a big impact on our ability as a whole to keep infections low in Alaska,” Zink said. “That means it matters every single time you choose to stay 6 feet away from others outside your household, every time you wear a face covering in a store, and every time you stay home when you are feeling sick. Every single action on your part adds up to us staying healthier as a state.”
Zink said taking these steps will remain critical for months to come — particularly until there is a vaccine and effective treatment options for people infected with the virus.
Can we start visiting other families or friends?
Yes, but be cautious. Keep physical distance from others, even close friends, and try to do most of your socializing outdoors where air flow is better and the virus has a harder time spreading. We’re entering an ideal time for this now in Alaska, with longer days and warmer weather. But even outdoors, it continues to be important to stay at least 6 feet away from people outside your household.
Can we expand our social bubble to include more people who we interact with in a closer way?
“This is a very interesting question, and one we’ve been exploring in recent weeks,” Zink said. “We’re watching other countries like New Zealand and some Canadian provinces try this approach. It’s also been explored by modeling studies in terms of the safest ways to expand your social bubble while still keeping the spread of infection as low as possible.”
To minimize the chance of spreading infection, again the safest thing is to keep hunkering down with only your household and minimize public outings. But families, individuals and couples may be feeling lonely and needing more social contact with others. Those households could consider adding one other trusted household to their social bubble, Zink said. Think of this as an expansion of your family. You will have more help and more people to socialize with, and that’s a plus. With a bigger family, though, you will have more to keep track of — including how much contact each member has with others.
If you do choose to expand your social bubble, Zink advises keeping your bubble small with the same members over time. She strongly cautions against mixing bubbles. Creating a slightly larger bubble requires a special agreement between households. Members of this new bubble must agree not to join another bubble, because if one person in your group gets the virus, it will likely infect others, too. Everyone within the bubble must agree to follow health and safety precautions, like minimizing interactions outside their bubble and staying at least 6 feet away from people outside the bubble.
Consider your family’s needs and those of others when you think about expanding your social bubble. Would it be helpful to include an aunt, uncle and cousins, or another family, to help with child care? Does someone in your family have special needs that would be met by expanding your bubble? Do you have neighbors you want to see more often? Do you need help caring for an elderly parent?
“The idea is to build your bubble so it’s mutually beneficial for everyone involved,” Zink said. “You have to think carefully about everyone’s needs and then selectively connect with just a few others in ways that benefit everyone involved.”
Once you’ve built a slightly expanded bubble, the way you interact with those inside it can loosen up a bit. You don’t need to stay 6 feet away from people in your bubble and you don’t need to wear face coverings around them. You can invite people in your bubble into your home. You can share a meal. Your kids can play together inside or outside. Adults can socialize with each other, and parents can exchange child care. You can drive together in the same car to go for a hike or bike ride together. In other words, things can feel pretty close to normal within your bubble.
Slightly expanding your social bubble must be done carefully and safely to prevent the spread of infection:
- Keep members of the bubble the same week after week. Don’t add or subtract members as you go. One exception to this is if someone in your bubble gets sick. The ill person will need to be quickly isolated and the whole bubble may need to be quarantined, including missing work and being separated from each other.
- Play and socialize in person only within your bubble. Kids can play with a small group of other children in their social bubble, but they still need to limit interaction with and stay 6 feet away from other children outside of their bubble. Adults also shouldn’t socialize in close proximity (closer than 6 feet) with members of another social bubble.
- Be careful to protect people inside your bubble. If you are a caregiver for an older parent, a relative or someone else who needs help, you can build your social bubble to include that person. Zink said it’s important for people who create bubbles that include members at higher risk for serious illness to keep those bubbles as small as possible. People who are at higher risk for serious illness should not have interaction with anyone who has regular contact with others, such as health care workers or grocery store clerks.
“Having these conversations to build a new social bubble will likely feel awkward, like you’re picking a team and some of your closest friends and family won’t be on it,” Zink said. “I definitely understand that, but it’s something to consider and work through. The focus of these expanded bubbles is to increase your support network if you want to, while still minimizing the chance that someone in your bubble will become infected and spread illness to others. Keeping our bubbles small and consistent is really important to prevent an increase in the number of infections and a stress on our health care providers and hospitals.”
As with all precautions, Alaskans still need to monitor their local guidance in case it requires more restrictions about interacting with others outside their household. For example, if the rules state that you may participate in an activity only with household members, that refers to your actual household, not your expanded social bubble. Please follow the guidance so Alaska can keep moving forward and easing restrictions instead of needing to reinstate them.
Can families visit playgrounds?
Keep checking your local and school district guidance on playgrounds. Some communities and districts have started reopening playgrounds, including the Anchorage School District and Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department. If you are going to use playgrounds, however, your children still need to stay at least 6 feet away from others not in their household or social bubble, and children ages 2 and older should wear a face covering while playing. Playground equipment also will be touched by many people, which could increase the chances of spreading infection. Make sure to thoroughly wash children’s hands after touching playground equipment. When soap is not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol. Supervise young children when they use hand sanitizer to prevent them from swallowing it.
Should we still limit playing or socializing with grandparents, other adults over age 65 or people with medical conditions that put them at higher risk of serious illness?
This has been an incredibly challenging time for grandparents and older adults, as well as their families who want to spend time together. Right now, the safest way to spend time with grandparents and older adults is to do so outdoors, and for grandkids to stay at least 6 feet away from their grandparents, Zink said. Take advantage of these long, warm days and enjoy a visit by sitting at a distance from each other on the deck. Go for a walk together, but stay at least 6 feet apart and wear face coverings if you could pass near others, especially people at higher risk of illness. Continue to have regular visits through phone, email or online apps like FaceTime and Skype. Keeping this distance is most important to protect the health of older Alaskans and others at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19.
I need a hug. You need a hug. Can that happen with people outside your social bubble?
So many of us are ready to show each other how much we’ve missed them, but that will have to wait.
“I know it’s so hard to refrain from touching your friends. We’re social creatures and accustomed to physical interaction,” Zink said. “But the more we can keep our distance right now, the better off we will be. Try to find a unique way to say hello to a friend, like an air high five, an air fist bump, an air hug or a special wave or gesture. I’ve seen people having fun with this, which is inspiring and hopeful. We can find ways to stay close and connected, while refraining from contact.”
Stay tuned. Enjoy time with a few more friends and family, but remember this could change.
As health guidance on COVID-19 is shared, we’re continually reminded of this message: Stay tuned because things may change. That’s still the case. Alaska’s health and political leaders are closely watching what happens as we have more contact with others.
Slightly expanded social bubbles are possible right now because the spread of infection is low in Alaska. If the number of infections increases as our contact with others goes up, the state as a whole or individual communities may need to restrict interaction again and return to hunkering down with just family and household members.
“We know it could be many months before we have a trusted vaccine and treatments that work. We need endurance to get through this time, and I know that’s hard,” Zink said. “When possible, we want to make more options available to Alaskans. We want everyone to be able to get the support they need to stay strong as we continue to cope with COVID-19. It’s reasonable now to slightly expand your social circle. Just be sure to keep that group small and consistent and follow precautions that meet the needs of your own unique situation to keep everyone safe.”
Keep monitoring Alaska's COVID-19 webpage and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services webpage for updates.
| | 5/13/2020 3:08 PM |  MAY 13, 2020 — Alaska kids are now getting less physical activity and more non-academic screen time than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
That’s what nearly 750 parents across Alaska said when filling out a recent survey from the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS). Parents from every region of the state responded, but about 70% of them were from Anchorage, the Mat-Su Borough or Fairbanks area. The full results of that survey called HEALTH are now online.
“It’s concerning that 6 out of 10 parents said their child is getting less physical activity each day than before the pandemic,” said Karol Fink, registered dietitian and manager of Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “Daily activity can really help relieve the stresses that children might be feeling right now. The same goes for adults. Physical activity can improve your mood and reduce your stress and feelings of depression.”
Positive results can be immediate, Fink said. Just one session of activity can lower your blood pressure, improve your body’s ability to keep blood sugars level and help you sleep better that night.
Since April, thousands of Alaska parents have filled out online surveys from DHSS to share how the pandemic is impacting their lives. The first survey that was completed between April 13–23, 2020, revealed that 3 out of 4 Alaska parents were concerned that the pandemic is negatively impacting their child’s physical health. Even more parents were concerned about the impact on their child’s mental health.
Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition and Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology programs worked together on the second, most recent survey. Alaska parents completed it between April 22 and May 4, 2020. This HEALTH survey showed the following, in addition to the physical activity findings shared above:
- Many Alaska children have been learning at home this spring, so there’s an expected increase in academic-related screen time. But parents indicated that screen time not spent on schoolwork has increased as well.
- Nearly 8 out of 10 (78%) parents said their child is getting more non-academic screen time each day than before the pandemic. This includes time that a child spends in front of a TV, computer, smart phone, or other electronic device watching shows, playing games, accessing the internet, or using social media.
- Families are very informed about recommendations to be active outside in a safe way during the pandemic:
- Nearly every parent responding to the survey is "very aware" of the importance of staying 6 feet away from others (98%).
- Nearly 9 out of 10 are very aware about the importance of staying closer to home when possible (85%).
- Slightly fewer, but still a majority of parents, are very aware of the recommendations to wear a cloth face covering if passing within 20 feet of others when breathing hard (72%).
We asked if sugary drink consumption changed during the pandemic because we know that too many Alaskans drink more sugary drinks than is healthy. Drinking sugary beverages can increase people’s chances of developing cavities, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
- About 3 out of 4 parents (74%) said the amount of sugary drinks they serve their child is no different than before the pandemic. Sugary drinks include soda, sports and energy drinks, as well as fruit-flavored and powdered drinks. About 10% of parents said they served more sugary drinks during the pandemic, and 16% reported serving fewer sugary drinks during the pandemic.
- According to pre-pandemic surveys, nearly 1 out of 3 Alaska 3-year-olds has a sugary drink every day. That increases to about 1 out of 2 Alaska high school students having a sugary drink every day. Water and plain milk are the healthiest drink options.
Families needing help during the pandemic can call 2-1-1, visit Help Me Grow Alaska or continue following Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign for updated guidance. Visit the Office of Children’s Services Child Safety and Well-Being During COVID-19 website for information for youth, families and community members. Resources specifically for parents and caregivers of children with special health care needs are available on the Division of Public Health’s Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs website. Parents feeling overwhelmed can call the Alaska Careline at 877-266-4357, text TalkWithUs to 66746 or visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-04</hide>April 2020 (3)
| | 4/23/2020 11:47 AM | 
APRIL 23, 2020 – It’s a challenging time right now.
You can’t attend classes at school.
You can’t give your friends a high-five in the hallway.
And you can’t travel as far as you used to go.
But you can still get out and play. Daily physical activity can make a big difference in how you feel right now. It improves your mood and eases your stress. Just one session of activity can help you feel less anxious and improve your sleep that night. One session can also lower your blood pressure and improve your body’s ability to keep blood sugars level.
Play Every Day has been updating its blog about the safe ways to be physically active while keeping physical distance from others. Now, it’s sharing that message through a short video that you can find online on Play Every Day's YouTube channel.
The video highlights all the ways you can still be active:
- You can do indoor and outdoor activities as a family.
- You can have a great time doing simple things. Puddle-jumping is free, and chasing bubbles is fun.
- You can hike, bike, walk and run — just remember to stay at least 6 feet away from others. Wear a face covering when you’re breathing hard while active and you may pass within 20 feet from others.
So get out and go play.
And do it every day.
Please share this video with others who could use a little inspiration to stay active today.
| | 4/9/2020 3:42 PM |  APRIL 9, 2020 — Communities across Alaska continue to follow hunker-down and shelter-in-place guidelines that have changed how we should be physically active to prevent the spread of coronavirus, also called COVID-19.
“Alaska is beautiful, and being outside can be a good way to be able to take care of your physical and mental health — but it’s important that you do it safely,” said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer.
We talked with Zink to update our ongoing list of Questions and Answers for safe ways to get out and play right now. Her answers address wearing face coverings outside of your home and choosing the safest places to be active — the closer to home, the better. We’ve added her guidance to that previously shared by Louisa Castrodale, epidemiologist with Alaska’s Division of Public Health. It’s important to stay up to date with your community’s guidelines. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is also updating its coronavirus information daily at coronavirus.alaska.gov.
Should you always wear a face covering when you are physically active outdoors?
That depends on your surroundings, your activity, who you are with, and how closely you might pass by others. When you are being active outside, you are less likely to be exposed to the COVID-19 virus when there’s good air movement around you and when you are not touching surfaces, like playground equipment, Zink said.
Particles that we breathe or cough out can pass farther when we’re singing, running or doing other activities that require exerting ourselves, Zink said. That makes wearing face coverings particularly important when you are breathing harder and may pass by others while being active or come within 20 feet of others.
Cover your nose and mouth with a face covering when you are being active outside in a way that makes you breathe harder and in a place that you’ll likely pass people or come within 20 feet of others who are not members of your household. That could be strenuous hiking, running or biking. Remember to always keep distance between you and people who are not members of your household, even if you’re wearing a face covering.
You do not need to wear a face covering when you are doing an activity outside by yourself or only with family members, and you are not passing by others.
Who is the face covering protecting when you are wearing it? You, others or both?
“The reason you mask up — it’s not to protect you from others you are passing, it’s to protect others from you,” Zink said.
“I put my face covering up, I protect you. You put your face covering up, you protect me.”
The types of face coverings we are wearing outside right now are primarily worn to catch our own respiratory droplets and prevent them from spreading to others, Zink said. These homemade face coverings or buffs typically aren’t made with material that’s tightly-woven enough to protect you from very small droplets that others could be breathing or coughing out. That’s why the combination of wearing a face covering when exerting yourself plus maintaining a wide distance from others is so important, Zink said.
What kind of face covering should you wear, and does the type of material matter?
The material does matter, Zink said. The thicker the material, the better.
“If you can hold it up and see light through it, it’s not going to be OK,” Zink said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published this webpage about face coverings and several ways to make them.
Zink recommended using a covering that has a double layer of fabric, perhaps quilting fabric with a thicker weave. If you are an active runner, Zink encouraged making sure your face covering is thick, but also comfortable enough to breathe through the entire time.
Zink cautioned people not to use vacuum cleaner bags or industrial filters in their homemade coverings because those can have fine particles that you could inhale and cause lung damage.
What is the safest way to take off your face covering when you finish your activity?
Zink gave these steps for people wearing face coverings that hook over their ears: Wash your hands before removing the face covering. Remove the covering by touching only the ear loops, not the front of the covering or your face. Pull the face covering away from your face, and don’t have it touch your eyes as you remove it. If it’s a cloth covering, immediately put it in the washing machine and wash in hot water. If you don’t have a washing machine, you can wash the face covering in hot water and soap.
“The virus dies with heat and soap,” Zink said. “It does not die with cold.”
Then wash your hands again. Good handwashing is important, both before and after taking off your face covering, Zink said.
If you are wearing a buff, remove it by pulling it forward away from your face, close your eyes and pull it up over your head. Wash your face and hands immediately afterward. Wash the buff like you would wash the cloth face covering above. Then wash your hands again.
Are you allowed to be physically active at a park or on the trails, or do you have to stay on your own property?
Alaska’s guidance allows you to use local parks and trails, so long as you stay at least 6 feet away from others, Zink said. You do not need to stay on your own property. She said people should continue to follow their local guidelines, too, as they could include other restrictions. Also follow the guidance about wearing face coverings while you're active outside.
Are you required to stay in your own community to be physically active?
Guidance is changing as scientists and health providers learn more about COVID-19. At this time, the state guidance encourages Alaskans to recreate in open spaces and on trails that are near their homes and to comply with guidelines about social distancing and wearing face coverings.
“Be respectful of the places you are going,” Zink said. Don’t drive outside your community and fill up your gas tank there or stop along the way for food. Avoid touching things in other communities, like toilets and playground equipment. Don’t linger at trailheads where other people may be. Wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer when that’s not possible.
Right now, Alaska’s guidelines continue to allow outdoor recreation at a distance from others because there are health benefits that come with safe activity. Zink stressed the importance of choosing activities that limit falling and getting hurt.
Please keep reading below to see previous Questions and Answers about safe physical activity in Alaska.
Should families avoid play dates in communities with hunker-down and shelter-in-place guidelines?
Communities across Alaska have guidelines in place that state people should not invite friends or family members to their homes for a visit.
“What that means is families should avoid indoor play dates in communities with hunker-down and shelter-in-place guidelines,” Castrodale said.
“We recognize this is really hard for kids who feel isolated and can be stressful, but it’s needed for the time being to limit the potential spreading of illness.”
Families should prioritize playing outside with their family members and staying at least 6 feet away from people who are not members of their household. This may be difficult for families with little children who are too young to understand how to maintain a safe distance from others, Castrodale said.
If you play in the same areas as other families, choose wide open places and activities that are easier to do with distance – like hiking and biking. She also said to avoid activities that involve direct contact with non-family members, like football or tag.
“Contact sports are best to avoid right now,” she said.
Castrodale recognized that it’s important for kids to stay connected with friends to reduce the feeling of isolation, but stressed that kids will need to maintain that connection virtually right now. She recommended apps like FaceTime or Skype or other online options for staying in touch with friends.
Should children avoid outdoor playgrounds?
Yes. Picking physical activities other than the playground right now is the best option. Playgrounds are a place where children will want to interact and it will be difficult to have them remain far enough away from each other. It is also a place where parents could find themselves accidently gathering too closely with others. Please keep checking local guidance.
Should children limit playing or socializing with grandparents or other adults over age 60?
Castrodale said it’s wonderful to support children’s relationships with grandparents and older adults, but physical interaction between them right now should be limited or avoided. People 60 and older and those with ongoing health concerns, like heart disease and diabetes, face the highest chances for serious health problems related to coronavirus.
“Part of this idea of social distancing is to protect our most vulnerable folks,” Castrodale said.
So while it’s sad to limit face-to-face interactions with older loved ones, that might be the best thing for their health right now. Instead, use apps like FaceTime or Skype to keep your children and grandparents in contact.
“Right now, the best way to love grandma is to send her a nice note, rather than to see her in person,” Castrodale said.
What can your family do to prevent the spread of illness?
Kids and parents should do several things to prevent getting and spreading illness:
- Wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. That’s the amount of time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song from start to finish twice. If water is not available, use a hand sanitizer that’s made with at least 60% alcohol.
- Cover their own mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing, either through coughing into their elbows or ideally using a tissue. Then, immediately throw the tissue away and wash their hands.
- Avoid touching their faces, especially with unwashed hands. That includes rubbing eyes or touching noses or mouths.
- Don’t share cups, water bottles, utensils or food.
- Parents can frequently clean and disinfect surfaces that kids touch a lot, like doorknobs and toys. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published recommendations for cleaning and disinfecting homes with suspected or confirmed coronavirus infections. This webpage includes a section for routine cleaning of households that states families can use household cleaners and EPA-registered disinfectants on frequently touched surfaces.
- Children and adults should stay home when they have a fever (100.4°F or higher), are coughing or are short of breath. These are some of the symptoms of coronavirus, also called COVID-19. Families also should follow guidelines about limiting contact with others who have recently traveled outside Alaska. These are found under "COVID-19 Health Alerts and Mandates" on coronavirus.alaska.gov.
What should you do if your child becomes sick?
Castrodale said the most important thing to remember is to keep sick children inside the home and away from others, including siblings.
“Anyone who is sick needs to be isolated,” she said. Of course, a parent will need to provide care for that child, but siblings and others should be separated as much as possible. If parents believe the child needs medical care, they should call their provider before going in to the clinic, she said.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is updating its coronavirus information every day. Please stay informed by visiting coronavirus.alaska.gov.
Photograph of Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska's Chief Medical Officer, wearing a face covering while being active outdoors.
| | 4/3/2020 7:51 AM |  APRIL 3, 2020 - A month ago, we had predictable schedules. The parents headed to work at 8 a.m., checking their calendars for meetings and deadlines. The children caught the bus or a ride to school right around the same time. Every hour, they knew what subject was coming next: math, science, language arts, physical education.
And now all that’s turned upside down.
We’re trying to add routines back to our days at a time when nothing feels routine. Our partner in physical activity, the nonprofit Healthy Futures program, has come out strong with two ways to keep activity top of mind every day. One is to continue the Healthy Futures Challenge through participating elementary schools, in whatever way that works for the teachers and students at each school. The other is a statewide virtual physical activity competition that usually launches in May, but jump-started in April to help Alaska youth and adults stay active right now. This year, Healthy Futures is running “100 Miles in April” and you can still sign up online.
Harlow Robinson, executive director of Healthy Futures and the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, stressed that 100 Miles in April is open to youth and adults of all abilities, and it’s not just for people who consider themselves athletes. It’s about staying motivated to move right now and keeping in touch online with others who are doing the same.
Families can form a team with their household members, their extended family, or with friends or coworkers to stay connected. When team members do any activity — running, hiking, walking, biking or anything else — they record the activity on the online platform. The goal is to complete 100 miles of activity individually by the end of April. More than 150 teams with almost 2,000 participating individuals, including many high school students, had signed up by early April, Robinson said.
“I think in a time like this — when we’re all scrambling to adapt and figure out our new normal — that it’s really important to implement routines in our life,” Robinson said. One of those important routines is daily physical activity, which leads to better physical health and helps you feel better by reducing stress and anxiety.
One participating team captain is Ava Earl, well-known Girdwood musician and South High School runner. She was excited for track — her favorite sport — to start after spring break, but then her season and everyone else’s got canceled when schools closed.
“That was pretty disappointing,” said Earl, a junior. Then she heard about 100 Miles in April and began reaching out to others to build a team.
“I thought I was definitely not the only one who was bummed not to be able to race track, so I thought this was an awesome idea,” Earl said.
She was able to rally 25 other high school runners and some of their moms, including her own. This challenge is about being active and staying connected virtually, but it’s also a competition. Some participants like Earl are having fun with that. Her team name? “Ava’s Domination Squad.”
Here’s how both of these challenges will run this spring.
Healthy Futures Challenge
In February, more than 130 elementary schools across Alaska began the free Healthy Futures Challenge. In a typical year, the challenge works like this: Students keep a log of their daily physical activity with the goal of being active at least 60 minutes a day for 15 days each month. After completing the printed logs, students turn them in to their teachers for prizes.
When schools closed in March and that closure extended through May 1, Healthy Futures faced some unusual hurdles: Kids were still filling out the March and April logs, but they wouldn’t be going to school during that time to return the print copies to their teachers. During a typical challenge, teachers keep track of the total number of participating students, and then Healthy Futures staff mail the teachers prizes to give to those students at school. That model would no longer work while school was closed.
Robinson said the Healthy Futures Challenge will continue through the end of April, and he plans to reach out to all participating teachers to provide help. If possible, he’s encouraging participating schools to continue the challenge because the log is one more option for maintaining movement right now.
“It gives kids structure at home and keeps them active,” he said.
Teachers will be able to figure out what works best for their schools and students in terms of collecting completed logs for March and April. To make that easier, students can take photographs of their completed logs and send them to their teachers, Robinson said. Healthy Futures also will send PDF versions of the log form to teachers so they can share that option with families. There’s also a fillable form for kids to track their activity online and then email it in later. Robinson said delivering prizes to the schools remains a challenge that he’s trying to figure out. In the meantime, he encourages teachers to keep cheering on kids who track their activity.
100 Miles in April … and Later May
Robinson said the special 100 Miles in April competition honors staying socially connected while remaining physically distanced. Here’s how: You can sign up as a team — family, friends, coworkers or a former sports team that can no longer compete in person. You stay social with your team by keeping in touch through phone or online about your challenge to complete 100 miles of activity in April. When it comes to doing the activity you choose, however, you do it alone or with your family to honor the requirement to stay at least 6 feet away from non-family members right now.
Remember that you can still sign up for the April challenge online, and there will be Healthy Futures T-shirts and hoodies as prizes. Healthy Futures plans to reset the competition on May 1 and start 100 Miles in May for those who want to continue. These challenges are typically fundraisers for the nonprofit organization. Pledge donations are still accepted, but Robinson said the focus is more on motivating people to keep moving at a challenging time.
“This year — because of everything happening — this is a great resource we can provide to the community,” he said. “Pledging is an option this year, but sitting around while you hunker down is not.”
Earl said her goal is to run 5 miles a day during the 100 miles challenge. She said she can run along the trails in Girdwood and still keep distance from others. When they pass, runners move off to the sides of the trails, she said.
“It’s a good part of my day to just go out and enjoy,” Earl said. “A bonus is I get to spend more time exercising with my family, which I would not be doing otherwise.”
Follow the Healthy Futures program and Play Every Day campaign on Facebook as they continue to post ways to stay active and healthy during this challenging time.
Photograph of Harlow Robinson, Healthy Futures executive director, hiking with his sons in Alaska. Photograph courtesy of Harlow Robinson.
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-03</hide>March 2020 (3)
| | 3/23/2020 5:45 PM | This was published in late March 2020, but the most current guidance can be found on the updated blog published here.
MARCH 23, 2020 — Communities across Alaska are now following hunker-down and shelter-in-place guidelines that have led to a change in how kids should play to prevent the spread of coronavirus, also called COVID-19. In these communities, families should avoid indoor play dates. They should prioritize playing outdoors with family only. Doing an outdoor activity in the same area with a small group of non-family members would be OK only if you could ensure non-family members stayed at least 6 feet away.
Louisa Castrodale, epidemiologist with Alaska’s Division of Public Health, updated answers to how families can still be active under these new guidelines. Castrodale also advised families to stay up to date with their community’s guidelines. Anchorage’s hunker-down guidelines, as an example, are explained online through these FAQs. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is also updating its coronavirus information daily. Please stay informed by visiting coronavirus.alaska.gov.
Can children get out and play right now?
Children can definitely get outside and play right now, but they need to do it carefully. Activity is so important for kids’ physical health, and also for their mental health. Physical activity can help them feel better and reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress, which may be showing up during this challenging time.
Children can run around, hike, bike, ice skate, sled, cross country ski and do other activities as long as the weather and conditions allow. The most important recommendation is to give each other space while doing these activities. Spread yourselves out and maintain 6 feet of distance from people other than family members.
Should families avoid play dates in communities with hunker-down and shelter-in-place guidelines?
The Municipality of Anchorage has a hunker-down guideline in place that states people should not invite friends or family members to their homes for a visit.
“What that means is families should avoid indoor play dates in communities with hunker-down and shelter-in-place guidelines,” Castrodale said.
“We recognize this is really hard for kids who feel isolated and can be stressful, but it’s needed for the time being to limit the potential spreading of illness.”
Families should prioritize playing outside with their family members. If non-family members are playing in the same area, they need to stay at least 6 feet away. This may be difficult for families with little children who are too young to understand how to maintain a safe distance from others, Castrodale said.
If you play in the same areas as other families, choose activities that are easier to do with distance – like hiking and biking. She also recommended avoiding activities that involve direct contact with non-family members, like football or tag.
“Contact sports are best to avoid right now,” she said.
Castrodale recognized that it’s important for kids to stay connected with friends to reduce the feeling of isolation, but stressed that kids will need to maintain that connection virtually right now. She recommended apps like FaceTime or Skype or other online options for staying in touch with friends.
Should children avoid outdoor playgrounds?
Picking physical activities other than the playground right now is the best option. Playgrounds are a place where children will want to interact and it will be difficult to have them remain 6 feet from each other. It is also a place where parents could find themselves accidently gathering too closely with others.
Should children limit playing or socializing with grandparents or other adults over age 60?
Castrodale said it’s wonderful to support children’s relationships with grandparents and older adults, but physical interaction between them right now should be limited or avoided. People 60 and older and those with chronic medical conditions, like heart disease and diabetes, face the highest chances for serious health problems related to coronavirus.
“Part of this idea of social distancing is to protect our most vulnerable folks,” Castrodale said.
So while it’s sad to limit face-to-face interactions with older loved ones, that might be the best thing for their health right now. Instead, use apps like FaceTime or Skype to keep your children and grandparents in contact.
“Right now, the best way to love grandma is to send her a nice note, rather than to see her in person,” Castrodale said.
What can your family do to prevent the spread of illness?
Kids and parents should do several things to prevent getting and spreading illness:
- Wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. That’s the amount of time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song from start to finish twice. If water is not available, use a hand sanitizer that’s made with at least 60% alcohol.
- Cover their own mouths and nose when coughing or sneezing, either through coughing into their elbows or ideally using a tissue. Then, immediately throw the tissue away and wash their hands.
- Avoid touching their faces, especially with unwashed hands. That includes rubbing eyes or touching noses or mouths.
- Don’t share cups, water bottles, utensils or food.
- Parents can frequently clean and disinfect surfaces that kids touch a lot, like doorknobs and toys. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published recommendations for cleaning and disinfecting homes with suspected or confirmed coronavirus infections. This webpage includes a section for routine cleaning of households that states families can use household cleaners and EPA-registered disinfectants on frequently touched surfaces.
- Children and adults should stay home when they have a fever (100.4°F or higher), are coughing or are short of breath. These are some of the symptoms of coronavirus, also called COVID-19. Families also should follow guidelines about limiting contact with others who have recently traveled outside Alaska. These are found under "COVID-19 Health Alerts and Mandates" on coronavirus.alaska.gov.
What should you do if your child becomes sick?
Castrodale said the most important thing to remember is to keep sick children inside the home and away from others, including siblings.
“Anyone who is sick needs to be isolated,” she said. Of course, a parent will need to provide care for that child, but siblings and others should be separated as much as possible. If parents believe the child needs medical care, they should call their provider before going in to the clinic, she said.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is updating its coronavirus information every day. Please stay informed by visiting coronavirus.alaska.gov. | | 3/19/2020 11:57 AM | This was published in March 2020, but the most current guidance can be found on the updated blog published here. 
MARCH 19, 2020 — Schools across Alaska are closed through May 1 to promote social distancing and prevent the spread of coronavirus. That means staying at least 6 feet away from people other than family members, or about a ski’s length away.
The school closure and recommendation for social distancing leave families trying to make sense of a big question: Can their children still play outside the home, and if so, how do they do it safely and minimize the chances of getting and spreading illness?
Louisa Castrodale, epidemiologist with Alaska’s Division of Public Health, answers this and other questions. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is also updating its coronavirus information every day. Please stay informed by visiting coronavirus.alaska.gov.
Can kids get outside and play during social distancing, or do they have to play only inside?
Children can definitely get outside and play right now. Activity is so important for kids’ physical health, but also for their mental health. The national physical activity recommendations say physical activity can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, which may be showing up during this challenging time.
The days are getting longer in Alaska and some communities have a lot of remaining snow for outdoor activities. Children can run around, kick a ball back and forth, hike, bike, ice skate, sled, cross country ski and do other activities as long as the weather and conditions allow. The most important recommendation is to give each other space while doing these activities. Spread yourselves out and maintain 6 feet of distance from people other than family members.
Kids and adults should avoid activities that involve contact with non-family members, like tag, football and hockey.
“Contact sports are best to avoid right now,” Castrodale said.
Do kids need to play only with their siblings and family, or can they play with friends?
Kids can play with friends outside their family circle, but Castrodale said to keep the group small and consistent.
“The fewer people you have contact with, the better,” she said. This line of reasoning follows the national recommendation of canceling mass gatherings and even group interactions of more than 10 people.
If families choose to have play dates, it is best to have play dates with the same family or small group of friends during this period of social distancing. This means choosing another family or a couple of friends to play with during this time, and then only playing and socializing with them. That doesn’t mean, however, that one day your family plays with one small group of people, the next day they socialize with another small group, and the next day a different group entirely. Limiting interactions to these small groups can prevent the spread of illness. It’s important for parents to make sure that no one in the group shows symptoms of coronavirus or other illnesses.
Talk to your kids about the importance of giving others space right now. Kids love to touch and hug others, so remind them not to do that with people outside their family during social distancing. When kids do touch each other, remind them to thoroughly wash their hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and to avoid touching their faces.
Families should take their children’s temperatures and ask how they are feeling before socializing with others. Children and adults should stay home and away from others when they have a fever (100.4°F or higher), are coughing or are short of breath. These are some of the symptoms of coronavirus, also called COVID-19. Families also should follow guidelines about limiting contact with others who have recently traveled outside Alaska. These are found under "COVID-19 Health Alerts and Mandates" on coronavirus.alaska.gov.
Does it matter if these play dates are inside or outside?
Play dates inside a house could be OK, Castrodale said, but the recommendations for small groups and limited interaction still apply.
“I think the bottom line is that play dates where children are not in close proximity are better, and that might be easier outside,” Castrodale said.
“It’s really maintaining distance from one another that’s most important.”
Should children limit playing or socializing with grandparents or other adults over age 60?
Castrodale said it’s wonderful to support children’s relationships with grandparents and older adults, but physical interaction between them right now should be limited or avoided. People 60 and older and those with chronic medical conditions, like heart disease and diabetes, face the highest chances for serious health problems related to coronavirus.
“Part of this idea of social distancing is to protect our most vulnerable folks,” Castrodale said.
So while it’s sad to limit face-to-face interactions with older loved ones, that might be the best thing for their health right now. Instead, use FaceTime or Skype to keep your children and grandparents in contact.
“Right now, the best way to love grandma is to send her a nice note, rather than to see her in person,” Castrodale said.
What can your kids do before, during and after playing to prevent the spread of illness?
Kids and parents should do several things to prevent getting and spreading illness:
- Wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. That’s the amount of time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song from start to finish twice. If water is not available, use a hand sanitizer that’s made with at least 60% alcohol.
- Cover their own mouths and nose when coughing or sneezing, either through coughing into their elbows or ideally using a tissue. Then, immediately throw the tissue away and wash their hands.
- Avoid touching their faces, especially with unwashed hands. That includes rubbing eyes or touching noses or mouths.
- Don’t share cups, water bottles, utensils or food.
- Parents can frequently clean and disinfect surfaces that kids touch a lot, like doorknobs and toys. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published recommendations for cleaning and disinfecting homes with suspected or confirmed coronavirus infections. This webpage includes a section for routine cleaning of households that states families can use household cleaners and EPA-registered disinfectants on frequently touched surfaces.
What should you do if your child becomes sick?
Castrodale said the most important thing to remember is to keep sick children inside the home and away from others, including siblings.
“Anyone who is sick needs to be isolated,” she said. Of course, a parent will need to provide care for that child, but siblings and others should be separated as much as possible. If parents believe the child needs medical care, they should call their provider before going in to the clinic, she said.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is updating its coronavirus information every day. Please stay informed by visiting coronavirus.alaska.gov.
| | 3/9/2020 8:27 AM |  MARCH 9, 2020 — A new drink started appearing in the grocery store aisle stocked for little kids. It’s called toddler milk or toddler formula, and it’s marketed as the “next step” or “follow-up” to formula. Some choose it for picky eaters.
Toddler milk comes in bottles of liquid or containers of powder. Either way, your toddlers don’t need this drink that often contains added sugar and can be more expensive than regular milk.
“Research shows that what children drink — from birth through age 5 — can have a big impact on their health,” said the recent Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids report. The report recommends serving only water and plain, whole cow’s milk to children after age 1, and water and fat-free or low-fat plain milk after age 2.
Toddler milk is not recommended for children ages 5 and younger, stated the Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids report issued from the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Heart Association, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Do toddlers really need a special milk?
According to the report, toddler milks offer no nutritional benefit over other healthy drinks and foods. Toddler milks usually contain powdered milk, calorie-containing sweeteners, vegetable oil, and added vitamins and minerals, stated a related fact sheet. They can be higher in sodium but lower in protein than whole cow’s milk.
Jessilyn Dunegan is a Southcentral Foundation pediatric dietitian who works with parents of young children.
“I have had many families ask about utilizing toddler formulas or milk supplements due to concerns the child will not otherwise be able to meet their nutritional requirement,” Dunegan said. “I find that adding these to the child’s diet often replaces calories and nutrients the child would get from whole foods instead.”
Picky eating, although stressful for parents, does not usually lead to a lack of vitamins and nutrients in young children.
“Offering your child well-balanced meals and snacks that include 2-3 servings of dairy per day is enough to meet the nutritional requirements of normal developing toddlers, even for picky eaters,” Dunegan said.
Toddler milks have added sugar that little kids don’t need
Toddler milks do not add any nutritional value to a child’s diet, but they do add sugar. One of the main ingredients in toddler milks is sugar, usually in the form of corn syrup solids and other sweeteners.
Drinks with added sugars — such as soda, fruit drinks, sports drinks and toddler milks — can increase a child’s risk of serious health problems. Drinking sugary beverages in early childhood can lead to cavities in teeth, weight gain and obesity, and other health problems that develop during a lifetime.
Toddler milk is not “grown-up” infant formula
Toddler milks are promoted as formula for children ages 1-3, but toddler milk and infant formula are not the same thing. The ingredients in infant formulas are regulated by the federal government to meet specific standards. Toddler milks do not need to meet the same standards as infant formula. In addition to added sugars, toddler milks typically contain added fats and salt (called sodium on the Nutrition Facts label).
Serving young children foods and drinks with added sugar, fat and salt can lead to a lifelong preference for these tastes. Dietitians recommend that toddlers learn how to eat and enjoy healthy foods and drinks. If parents are concerned about their child’s nutrition, they should talk to their pediatrician or a dietitian and consider serving healthy foods and drinks instead of toddler milk.
Find out more about toddler milks from the Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids Toddler Milks Fact Sheet.
Read more about the new Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids national recommendations for children ages 5 and younger.
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-02</hide>February 2020 (1)
| | 2/10/2020 8:23 AM |  FEBRUARY 10, 2020 — Do you have little kids who are brand new to cross country skiing? What about kids who want to become better skiers, or kids who are ready to compete on a short, 3K race through the woods?
They’ll all find something worth trying at the Ski 4 Kids event at Kincaid Park in Anchorage on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Registration is now open online.
“Ski 4 Kids is open to all and is a great event for young skiers of all abilities,” said Matias Saari, Healthy Futures events coordinator. Healthy Futures supports Ski 4 Kids and other physical activity events across the state.
“In addition to skiing, kids can try out a variety of other winter activities. To ensure the event is open to as many children as possible, some kids are bused to Kincaid as part of a fun field trip.”
Kids up to age 14 can participate in the annual event that features skiing and more. Kids can try obstacle courses, a mock biathlon, snowshoeing, sit-skiing, ski jumping, orienteering and other activities. If they want to ski the 3K loop, they can complete it timed or untimed. Young children can ski an even shorter 1K loop. Parents are welcome to ski with their children. Each child who finishes the loop receives a Healthy Futures pin and customized buff.
 Registering ahead of the event is required for the timed ski race and can only be completed online. Otherwise, kids can register on Feb. 29, as well as pick up their bibs between noon and 1:15 p.m. at the Kincaid Chalet. Then they can visit any of the stations to try new winter activities. The stations will be found around the ski stadium and stay open until 3:30 p.m. The timed and untimed ski races begin in the stadium at 1:30 p.m.
Ski 4 Kids is a partnership between Anchorage Parks and Recreation, the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage (NSAA), and Healthy Futures. There is no set participation fee, but the organizers welcome donations that help all children have access to cross country ski programs and equipment. Proceeds go toward the NSAA grant program that provides ski equipment to schools and youth groups. Funds also cover transportation costs so more than 200 kids from 11 different schools are able to participate in the event.
Children who are also participating in the Healthy Futures Challenge can count the ski race and other wintertime activities toward their 60 minutes of daily activity on their Challenge log. Go online to see the list of more than 130 elementary schools across Alaska that are completing the Challenge this winter and spring.
Photographs courtesy of Jen Aist
| | Published Month : <hide>2020-01</hide>January 2020 (1)
| | 1/27/2020 9:20 AM |  JANUARY 27, 2020 — Alaska kids: Your next dance partner may be in Juneau, Copper Center, maybe even another state.
This is the fourth year in a row local and statewide organizations have worked together to organize PLAAY Day — that day once a year when children complete a half hour of organized physical activity all at the same time across Alaska. During the morning of Feb. 20, 2020, children will be learning easy dance moves. They’ll dance in their schools while hundreds of other kids dance at the same time in schools and classrooms many miles away. Elementary schools in Alaska and across the country can sign up now using a simple online database.
“PLAAY Day is a unique and meaningful event to connect adults, kids and cultures across Alaska and the United States,” said Wally Wilson, PLAAY Day director.
PLAAY stands for Positive Leadership for Active Alaska Youth. Our partners, the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame and Healthy Futures program, organize PLAAY Day every year to help Alaska children get active for good health.
This year, PLAAY Day will begin at 10 a.m. Feb. 20, with a trio of University of Alaska Anchorage students leading a room of children in several different types of dances. They’ll start with Alaska Native dances and then move to high-energy modern dances like salsa and hip hop. This group will be demonstrating the dances at the Special Olympics Alaska building in the Mountain View neighborhood of Anchorage. GCI and Denali Media will be broadcasting that demonstration live through Facebook and YouTube Live to participating schools. That will allow entire schools or individual classrooms across Alaska to join and for students to dance in their own gyms, classrooms, recreation centers and common spaces. All children will be able to participate at their appropriate levels. An Anchorage School District physical education teacher will be modifying the dances to include students of all abilities, Wilson said.
Schools that sign up for PLAAY Day will receive more information about the event as the date gets closer. Interested schools and groups can register as an entire school, a classroom, a home school or an organization. Registration will remain open through Feb. 20, but schools can receive more help connecting to the live event if they sign up sooner.
Another event in February focused on improving the health of Alaska children is the PLAAY Summit. It is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 14, and Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, on the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium campus in Anchorage. The two-day summit is designed to help teachers, medical professionals, coaches and other leaders focus on improving youth health and emphasize the importance of daily physical activity.
Adam Crum, Commissioner for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, will give the keynote address at noon Feb. 14. He will talk about the overall state of health for Alaska children. Dr. Jay Butler will discuss health harms related to e-cigarettes. Butler is Alaska’s former Chief Medical Officer and the current Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other speakers will talk about heart health, mental health and more. You can go online to register for the PLAAY Summit. Professional development credit and contact hours will be available. The event is in Anchorage, but those outside Anchorage can participate through videoconference after registering online at www.plaay.org.
Many organizations are partners of PLAAY Day and PLAAY Summit. They include hospitals, pediatric clinics, tribal health organizations, nonprofits, school districts, the university, state departments, media groups and businesses. To learn more about PLAAY Day or the PLAAY Summit, contact Wilson at wally@alaskasportshall.org or Harlow Robinson, Alaska Sports Hall of Fame executive director, at harlow@alaskasportshall.org.
Photograph courtesy of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame
| | Published Month : <hide>2019-12</hide>December 2019 (1)
| | 12/17/2019 8:43 AM |  DECEMBER 17, 2019 — Have you ever wanted to know how much added sugar is in your yogurt, breakfast cereal or beverage? Starting Jan. 1, 2020, you can know the answer by reading the new line on the Nutrition Facts label called “Includes Added Sugars.”
After more than 20 years, this label is getting a makeover. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is updating the Nutrition Facts label with the new line for added sugars and other changes to make sure families have access to useful and accurate nutrition information about the foods and drinks they’re consuming.
You may have already seen the new label on packages, but large food and drink companies need to update their labels by Jan. 1.
“The new label is definitely easier to read,” said Jennifer Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with the State of Alaska Family Nutrition Program. “The big change is the ‘Added Sugars’ line. That will be so helpful for people trying to reduce the amount of added sugar they’re consuming for better health.”
Look for changes on the label
With the old label, it was impossible to know how much sugar was found naturally and how much sugar was from added sweeteners. Added sugars include those sugars that are added during the processing of foods and drinks, such as white table sugar (sucrose), brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup and honey. For example, plain white milk has lactose, a natural sugar, but not added sugars. Similarly, 100% fruit juice has fructose, a natural sugar, but not added sugars. On the other hand, chocolate milk contains both natural lactose and added sugars, such as high fructose corn syrup or sucrose. Fruit-flavored drinks can contain a small amount of natural fructose and a large amount of added sugars.
The new, updated label lists grams of added sugars on a separate line under “total carbohydrates.” The new Nutrition Facts label will help families see exactly how many grams of sugars have been added to their foods and drinks.
Guidelines recommend limiting daily added sugar
Added sugar typically means extra calories, but little or no healthy nutrients. People can fill up on sugary foods and drinks rather than eating other, healthier foods. Too much added sugar can lead to cavities, unhealthy weight gain, and type 2 diabetes — even in young kids.
For the best health, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting the amount of sugar you eat and drink to less than 10 percent of daily calories. For example, a 4-year-old child should limit added sugar to about 32 grams each day. There are four grams of sugar in each teaspoon of sugar, so the recommended limit for this child is fewer than 8 teaspoons of added sugar each day.
Just one drink can take children — even adults — over that daily sugar limit. For example, a 10-ounce fruit drink with 8 teaspoons of added sugar has more sugar than little kids should have in one day. Just one 20-ounce soda with 65 grams (16 teaspoons) of added sugar has more sugar than most children and adults should have in a day.
New label also changes serving sizes
The new Nutrition Facts label is also changing serving sizes and servings per container. These are now based on the amount of food that people typically eat at one time, which is usually more than the old suggested serving amount. For example, a 20-ounce bottle of soda will be labeled as one serving, since people are likely to drink the whole bottle at one time. Be sure to check the serving size and the number of servings per container when comparing calories in different foods or determining the amount of sugar in a drink.
The Nutrition Facts label helps families make informed decisions about the foods and beverages they eat and drink. The updated label will make it easier to choose foods and drinks that contribute to lifelong healthy eating habits.
Go online to learn more
| | Published Month : <hide>2019-11</hide>November 2019 (2)
| | 11/25/2019 12:34 PM |  November 25, 2019 — Parents want to serve healthy foods and drinks to their kids. 100% fruit juice sounds healthy. It’s just the juice from different types of fruits — apples, oranges or grapes.
There’s no added sugar in 100% fruit juice, but new national recommendations and local dietitians recommend limiting it for children.
We talked with Pam Horan, a registered dietitian at the Providence Medical Group Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic in Anchorage, to learn more about juice. She works with families of children who are trying to maintain a healthy weight. She also works with children who have diabetes. Horan said she focuses on helping these families make changes that support lifelong healthy eating goals that include eating fruits and vegetables every day and limiting added sugar.
Horan said juice is a source of liquid calories and sugar — even though it’s natural sugar and not added sugar. Read Horan’s answers about juice and other drinks below.
How much 100% fruit juice can children have in a day?
Juice is not recommended at all for children under 1 years old. Whole fruit is really the preferred source for daily fruit intake. But if you choose to serve juice, the upper limit is no more than 4 ounces (1/2 cup) a day for children between 1–3 years old. For children between 4 and 6 years old, it’s no more than 6 ounces (3/4 cup) a day and for children who are 7 years old or older, no more than 8 ounces a day (1 cup).
That’s not much fruit juice! Do you have suggestions for other healthy drinks that parents and caregivers can serve children?
At mealtimes, drink a glass of milk or water. During the day, try infused water. Infused water looks pretty and tastes great. It allows you to get a hint of flavor in your water without creating a high sugar drink. To make your own infused water take some cut-up fruit (fresh or frozen) and/or herbs and add them to your water. The longer the fruit sits in your water before you drink it, the more flavor the drink will have. For a stronger flavor, allow the fruit and water to sit overnight in the refrigerator.
What are some simple recipes for infused water?
Make your own infused water at home with some of these popular flavor combinations:
- Strawberry and basil
- Orange and blueberries
- Kiwi strawberry or kiwi lime
- Cucumber mint or cucumber strawberry
- Lemon lime
- Mixed berries
- Watermelon or mashed cantaloupe
- Pineapple mint
Don’t be afraid to play with different fruit combinations that you like. For maximum flavor and food safety, make sure you wash your fruit before cutting. Infused water can safely stay in your fridge for up to 3 days if the fruit has been washed. Be aware though that the fruit starts to get mushy within 12–24 hours.
Is the natural sugar found in whole fruit and 100% fruit juice better for you than other sugars, like white table sugar or brown rice syrup?
100% fruit juice may be a bit better than just having a spoon of any sugar, but it still can't satisfy your hunger or provide all the nutritional benefits like a piece of fruit can. A whole piece of fruit provides fiber for healthy digestion and cholesterol control, vitamins and minerals that help our body function and cancer fighting chemicals called antioxidants. Whole fruit is really the preferred source for daily fruit intake.
Why do pediatricians and dietitians recommend limiting 100% fruit juice for children?
Sugar. Sugar plays a large role in childhood obesity and dental decay. A small daily intake of juice has not been shown to contribute to obesity in children, but can still contribute to cavities. If a person wants to drink juice, they can as long as they stay within the recommended daily limits. They would also benefit from a glass of water afterwards to rinse the sugar off of their teeth.
Many drinks say “Contains Fruit Juice” or “Organic” on the front of the bottle. Does that mean these are healthy drinks?
No. A drink with this label may only be a small amount of actual fruit juice and then be filled with sugar, water, dyes and other "flavors." "Organic" labeling only refers to the process of growing and producing a food item free of artificial pesticides and fertilizer. Being "Organic" cannot be used in any other way to determine if a food item is healthy.
The labels on drinks can be confusing for families. Some beverages are called fruit drinks or fruit cocktails. Others are 100% fruit juice. Are those the same types of drinks?
Fruit drink, cocktails and punches are typically a mixture of water, sugar and some type of flavoring. They may contain little or no actual fruit. To help us stay within the recommended daily sugar limits listed above, water and milk should be the liquids that we drink on a daily basis (mostly water).
Read more about the new Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids national recommendations for children ages 5 and younger.
| | 11/14/2019 11:58 AM | 
NOVEMBER 14, 2019 — This fall, four leading health organizations shared a new report focused on what drinks to serve to little kids to help them grow up healthy. All four organizations agreed: Sugary drinks are not recommended for children ages 5 and younger.
In this report, sugary drinks include the following beverages:
- Soda
- Fruit drinks and ades (like lemonade), which can be in liquid or powdered form
- Sports and energy drinks
- Sweetened water
The report also recommends not serving little children flavored milk, like chocolate or strawberry.
“People are born with a preference for sweet tastes, and the early years are an important time for forming life-long flavor and food preferences,” stated the online report. “Minimizing children’s exposure to sweet-tasting foods and drinks early on could be a strategy for helping to shape their taste buds to prefer less sweetness throughout life.”
Sugary drinks can lead to many health problems
These recommendations for what drinks to serve and not serve to little children followed a review of scientific research and a consensus by four health organizations: the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Heart Association. These organizations published a report that is part of the Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids project run through the national Healthy Eating Research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign reinforces these national recommendations in its communication materials for families, schools, child care centers and health care providers.
Research shows strong evidence of health harms linked to sugary drinks. Drinking these beverages in early childhood can lead to cavities in teeth, weight gain and obesity, and other health problems that develop during a lifetime. Instead, the report prioritizes serving two drinks: water and plain, white milk.
“Drinks with added sugars offer little to no nutritional benefits, often take the place of healthier foods and drinks in a person’s diet, and don’t make you feel full,” stated a Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids fact sheet.
Summary of the new recommendations
The new report includes recommendations broken down for different ages of children and different types of drinks. Below are the drink recommendations for children ages 2–5. The report suggests talking with your child’s health care provider to tailor these recommendations to the child’s specific health needs.
Serve water or milk to children
Water:
- Children ages 2–3 should drink 1–4 cups of water each day.
- Children ages 4–5 should drink 1 ½–5 cups of water each day.
According to the report, the amount of water children need will depend on their activity, the weather, and how much fluids they are getting from other drinks and foods.
Milk:
- Children ages 2–3 should drink up to 2 cups a day of plain, pasteurized fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk.
- Children ages 4–5 should drink up to 2 ½ cups a day.
Limit serving juice
100% fruit juice:
Only serve 100% fruit juice if your child is not eating enough whole fruit. If you choose to serve juice:
- Children ages 2–3 should drink no more than ½ cup (4 ounces) of 100% fruit juice per day.
- Children ages 4–5 should drink no more than ½ cup–¾ cup (4–6 ounces) per day.
The report stressed that these recommendations for drinking juice are upper limits for the day, not minimum requirements. These daily limits are recommended because even 100% fruit juice can lead to cavities and unhealthy weight gain, the report said.
The report noted that 100% juice is not the same thing as other drinks with “fruit” or “juice” in the name. Drinks that have 100% juice do not contain added sugar. Drinks that say “fruit” or “juice” may have little if any juice and could be mainly water and added sugar. Ounce for ounce, a fruit drink can have as much added sugar as soda.
Avoid serving drinks with added sugar, low-calorie sweeteners and caffeine
Parents of little children should avoid serving the following drinks:
- Sugary drinks, including all of those listed earlier
- Flavored milks, like chocolate or strawberry
- “Transition” or “weaning” formulas that can be called toddler milks, growing-up milks or follow-up formulas
- Drinks with caffeine, such as soda and energy drinks
- Low-calorie sweetened drinks, often called diet or light drinks that are sweetened with stevia, sucralose or other artificial sweeteners
- Plant-based or non-dairy milks, such as almond, rice or oat milks. With the exception of fortified soy milk, these alternatives can lack important nutrients that are found in cow’s milk.
“Unsweetened and fortified non-dairy milks may be a good choice if a child is allergic to dairy, lactose intolerant, or is in a family that does not eat dairy products,” the online report stated. “Be sure to consult with your health care provider when choosing a plant-based/non-dairy milk.”
Go online to learn more
The complete set of recommendations are found online at the Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids website.
- Health care professionals can find more information online, including the full report and communication materials for families.
- Parents and professionals can also find summaries by age and type of drink.
- The website includes fact sheets that summarize recommendations for certain drinks:
| | Published Month : <hide>2019-10</hide>October 2019 (2)
| | 10/21/2019 9:05 AM |  OCTOBER 21, 2019 — Would increasing the amount of time kids get to eat lunch mean they eat more, healthy foods and aren’t hungry in the afternoon?
Would increasing the amount of recess time improve their behavior in the classroom?
And is it possible for Anchorage elementary schools to do both — increase lunch and recess time — and still find ways to meet other requirements in a school day?
This school year, the Anchorage School District will be evaluating how a new pilot project to increase lunch and recess time in participating elementary schools affects everything from students’ hunger and stress levels, to teachers’ assessment of behavior in their classrooms, to parents’ perceptions of their children’s behavior and hunger levels after school.
"The Anchorage School District and the parent organization ASD60 created the Wellness Initiative pilot program to look at the benefits and challenges of increased physical activity throughout the day and increased time for students to eat,” said Anchorage School District Deputy Superintendent Mark Stock. “We have 21 elementary schools in the voluntary pilot program that will collect data throughout the year.”
Starting the Wellness Initiative in Anchorage
Starting this fall, the 21 schools participating in this pilot began increasing the total amount of time for lunch and recess each day. The pilot, called the Wellness Initiative, began after a group of local parents raised concerns during recent years that young kids in Anchorage schools did not have enough time to eat a healthy lunch, nor be physically active during the school day. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day for the best health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend children have at least 20 minutes to be seated and eating lunch at school.
“We have to make time for their health and well-being,” said Carey Carpenter, an Anchorage mother of two elementary school students. Carpenter helped start the parent organization called ASD60 — ASD for Anchorage School District and 60 for the total minutes these parents want allotted for lunch and recess every day.
About one-third of ASD elementary schools voluntarily signed up for the pilot this school year, agreeing to provide the following every day:
- 10 minutes seated time for breakfast (if the school provides a breakfast)
- 20 minutes to be seated and eating lunch
- 54 minutes of physical activity (90% of the national recommendation), which includes 30 minutes of recess and a combination of physical education, school-wide activities and in-classroom activities
Carpenter said the ASD60 parents wanted more lunch and recess for all elementary students, but were particularly concerned about the effect brief lunch and recess periods had on Anchorage’s most vulnerable children. For children in families who earn low incomes, breakfast and lunch offered through school may provide the majority of their calories every day. If these children don’t have enough time to eat, they miss out on most of their nutrition that day.
“We’re really hurting the kids that need it the most,” Carpenter said.
The same issue applies to time for physical activity, she said. Families with lower incomes may not have the ability or funds to sign up their children for afterschool sports clubs or leagues. That may limit their children’s activity to only what they get at school during the day.
Increasing time during the school day for eating lunch and being active may lead to improved performance in the classroom. The CDC published a report called “The Association Between School-Based Physical Activity, Including Physical Education, and Academic Performance.” This review of research showed a link between physical activity and improved grades and academic achievement. It stated that physical activity can improve attention, concentration and behavior in the classroom.
“There is substantial evidence that physical activity can help improve academic achievement, including grades and standardized test scores,” the CDC report stated.
Evaluating the pilot
News about this pilot project reached across the country last spring, sparking the interest of Harvard professor, Dr. Juliana Cohen. Cohen’s area of expertise is studying school-based interventions related to lunch and recess time. When she saw a Google alert about the ASD pilot, she reached out to the district to see if she could help evaluate it.
“I’m volunteering my time for this, just because I think this is just a wonderful opportunity to monitor the effectiveness of this type of intervention,” said Cohen, an adjunct assistant professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and assistant professor at Merrimack College in Massachusetts.
Mike Scott, assistant principal at Mears Middle School in Anchorage, is leading ASD’s evaluation. Cohen is working with ASD to study the pilot in several different ways.
The evaluation will help ASD decide whether or not to adopt longer recess and lunch periods for all Anchorage elementary schools during future school years. There are several planned components for the evaluation. One involves teachers at participating and nonparticipating elementary schools. These teachers will voluntarily fill out a survey to assess children’s behavior and energy levels in their classrooms. They will fill out these surveys in the fall and again in the spring, helping evaluators compare student behavior in participating versus nonparticipating schools.
Evaluators also plan to give brief, voluntary surveys to students to take after lunch and recess. The surveys ask about stress, happiness and hunger levels. Cohen said the evaluation team is looking into adding a few questions to the district’s annual parent survey that comes out during the second semester. These questions would focus on parents’ perceptions of their children’s behavior and hunger level after school.
Cohen said the final piece of evaluation would include interviews and focus groups to learn more from principals, teachers, cafeteria staff and parents. This will help examine the process of implementing the pilot: what was successful during the pilot, what didn’t work well, and what are the recommendations for improvement if the pilot continues or expands?
“Is this initiative benefiting students?” Cohen asked. “Is it something that works for this community? Is it something that should be expanded throughout the district?”
Receiving early feedback from families
The pilot just started, but some parents are reporting positive changes for their children. One Anchorage mom called the extra lunch time a “big win” for her son.
“My son is at Rabbit Creek Elementary and is loving the extra recess and lunch time,” said Hannah Stream. “It was definitely a highlight to the start of the year. Last year I believe he came home with unfinished food almost every day and often said he didn’t have time. This year, lunch has been completed every day so far and he says he has enough time.”
Jenny Fawcett said this is the first year her daughter, a third-grader at Trailside Elementary, has had enough time to eat her entire lunch.
“She has more energy in the afternoon and a more positive attitude and behavior,” Fawcett said. “The extra recess time gives her extended time to play and get her wiggles out.”
Crystal Mitchell said her daughter in sixth grade has appreciated the extra outside recess time at Ravenwood Elementary in Eagle River. Mitchell noted that the stress level has increased over the years as her daughter’s classes require more attention.
“It’s important to have a moment of clarity for kids to just step away to be kids,” Mitchell said. “It’s important for them to have consistency and the ability to have play time.”
The pilot will continue through the remainder of this school year. During the coming months, the district’s staff and partners will continue the evaluation to study how the pilot is running and look for possible impacts of more lunch and recess time. Read more about the Anchorage School District Wellness Initiative online. ASD60 also can be followed on Facebook.
Photograph courtesy of the Anchorage School District
| | 10/8/2019 7:53 AM | .jpg) Alaska is well-known for open spaces that make it possible for all kinds of outdoor activities. Anchorage alone has a few hundred parks, 11,000 acres of parkland, and more than 250 miles of trails and greenbelts. Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program partnered with the Anchorage Park Foundation to distribute a new map and guide so families can learn what parks are nearby, how to get there, and the types of play opportunities available.
The new Anchorage Playground Map and Inclusive Play Guide includes vibrant photos that highlight the park designs, giving kids a glimpse of the excitement they can expect there. Anchorage parks provide fun opportunities like sliding, climbing, spinning, swinging, and exploring nooks and towers. Some parks offer experiences for many senses, including musical play. The guide gives parents details they need to prepare for taking the family to the park. It mentions if the park has picnic tables and benches, if it’s close to woods or water, and if the playground equipment is designed for children of certain age ranges. Studying the map and guide together as a family gets everyone involved in planning the next adventure.
“My husband and I wanted to get the kids out, and this map gave us the ability to choose a park near our home and make a family day of it,” said Alyssa Marizan, a local mom of three young children. “Not only did the kids play, but we were able to be active with them and had a blast.”
Guiding families to nearby places for outdoor play can help them meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommendations that school-age children get 60 minutes of activity every day and adults get 150 minutes every week. Many Alaskans fall short of that daily and weekly recommended activity. A lack of physical activity can increase the chances of unhealthy weight gain, which is linked with serious diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Two out of three Alaska adults are overweight or obese, and one out of three Alaska kids is above a healthy weight. Taking the whole family to the park helps everyone be physically active and get closer to their activity goals.
The Anchorage Park Foundation continues to help build playgrounds designed with everyone in mind. While this new map lists all the parks in Anchorage, it gives special mention to parks that provide opportunities for children and adults of all abilities. These parks are often called “inclusive parks,” and they include playground equipment that allows children of all ages and abilities to play with their peers. These parks also have parking stalls that are Americans with Disabilities Act accessible.
“Climbing, swinging, sliding, spinning, these parks offer the best new ways to play,” said Beth Nordlund, Executive Director of the Anchorage Park Foundation. “Not only are they more accessible to all, they are also way more fun! These free guides are flying off our shelves, so please make sure to come get yours.”
While supplies last, the map is being distributed by the foundation and their inclusive play partners free of charge at park and recreational events around Anchorage. For more information about inclusive play and the maps, visit https://anchorageparkfoundation.org/programs/inclusiveplay.
Photographs courtesy of the Anchorage Park Foundation
| | Published Month : <hide>2019-09</hide>September 2019 (3)
| | 9/30/2019 8:38 AM |  Walking to school has many benefits for Alaska kids and their communities. It can help students move more and do better in school. Walking also can reduce traffic in neighborhoods, and that can make it safer and easier to get to school.
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, is Walk to School Day. Kids across Alaska will be making a special effort that day to walk to their schools, but some local families make walking to school a daily habit.
“I walk my son to and from his elementary school every day,” said John Angst, father of a Rabbit Creek Elementary School student in Anchorage. “We always really look forward to our walks to and from school. It’s a great way to get going in the morning and a nice way to unwind after school. It gives us a chance to talk without the distractions of TVs, phones and computers.”
Move more, feel better and perform better
Walking to school helps children get closer to the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity that kids need for the best health. Daily activity improves growth and development, as well as heart health. It makes muscles and bones stronger. A walk to and from school likely doesn’t take an hour, but the benefits add up over time.
“Walking to school provides students an opportunity to activate their bodies and brains in preparation for a great start to the school day,” said Melanie Sutton, curriculum coordinator for the Anchorage School District Health and Physical Education Department.
An hour of daily activity might sound like a lot, but it doesn’t have to happen all at once. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans say every bit of activity counts — no matter how short. That means kids can add the time it takes to walk to and from school to other activities, like the minutes they spend being active at recess, in gym class, or playing with their friends and family.
Walking to school could help children at school, too. The national guidelines say that regular activity improves memory, attention and performance in the classroom. Kids who get regular physical activity can learn better and improve their grades.
Promoting safety for walkers
Simple strategies make it safer for children to walk to school. Vision Zero Anchorage is an initiative to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries for all road users. Communities like Anchorage are making it safer to walk by enforcing low speed limits in school zones, using marked or signaled street crossings, designing safe and convenient sidewalks or paths between neighborhoods and schools, and adding street lighting.
Drivers can help keep walkers safe by not driving distracted.
“When driving, it’s much safer for everyone if we put down our phones, and leave the controls, displays and navigation alone,” said Dawn Groth, physical activity and nutrition specialist with the State of Alaska. “Let’s pay attention to what is going on around us.”
During recent school years, the Rabbit Creek Elementary School PTA in Anchorage called for a cell phone ban while driving to protect their students from distracted drivers. This led to similar requests from other local parents, teachers and students. As a result, during the summer of 2019, Anchorage passed an ordinance making it illegal to drive in active school zones or grounds while talking on a hand-held mobile communication device, such as a cell phone, smart phone, tablet or any similar device. School zones where the speed limit is always 25 MPH or less are active between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Other school zones are active when school zone lights are flashing. Parents picking up their kids can use their devices once their car is parked. The penalty for using a cell phone in a school zone is a $500 fine.
Take steps to keep children safe
Everyone can help ensure children get to and from school safely.
Drivers:
- Do not use your smart phone or device while driving, including while stopped at a light or stop sign.
- Pay attention. Look for and stop for children.
- Slow down, especially in school zones, intersections and places kids walk and play.
- Leave the controls, displays and navigation in your car alone.
- Drink your coffee or do your grooming when you reach your destination.
- Do not drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Parents:
- Be a role model for good driving habits.
- Ask children who are walking to put away mobile devices that can distract them.
- Put reflective stickers or materials on outer clothing and bags of children.
Kids:
- Walk on sidewalks and use crosswalks. If no sidewalk is available, walk facing oncoming traffic.
- Wear blinking lights.
- Always look left, right, then left again before crossing any street.
For more information on ways to promote safe walking to school, visit https://www.transportation.gov/mission/health/Safe-Routes-to-School-Programs. | | 9/18/2019 9:09 AM |  SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 — It’s been a long week, and you’ve made it to the store to buy groceries for your family. You’ve got a toddler in the cart and a grocery list in your hand.
You’re looking for convenient, healthy drinks for your little kids. You’re in the drink aisle and spot a bottle that says “Cranberry Raspberry Drink.” The front of the label also says “Organic” and “100% Vitamin C.” Plus the bottle size is small enough to fit into your preschooler’s backpack or lunchbox.
Before you add that drink to the cart, turn that bottle, pouch, box or can around. The back of the label will tell you the truth about what’s actually in that drink.
Many drinks in the grocery store appear healthier than they are, based on the words and pictures shown on the labels. But many of these drinks aren’t the best options for your toddlers, preschoolers or older children. The healthiest drinks for them — and your whole family — are water or milk.
“Ounce for ounce, fruit drinks can be hiding just as much added sugar as soda,” said Karol Fink, registered dietitian and manager for Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “Serving these sugary drinks to your kids from a very young age can increase their chances for developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease years from now. Serving healthy drinks like water or milk now, plus daily physical activity, can prevent these serious diseases that last a lifetime.”
National recommendations give limits for daily sugar
A drink can have a fruit in its name and NOT be made with any fruit juice. Some fruit drinks have a small amount of fruit juice, but they’re still filled with a large amount of added sugar. If sugar or any other sweetener is listed in the first three ingredients, your drink is likely loaded with sugar.
For the best health, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting the amount of sugar your kids eat and drink to less than 10 percent of their daily calories. For preschool-age children, that means limiting added sugar to fewer than 8 teaspoons a day. Small drinks like fruit drinks can be packed with that much sugar, even more.
Play Every Day is sharing new videos to help show the large amount of sugar in fruit drinks, and to give examples of how labels on these drinks can be confusing to families looking for healthy options. Its Fruit Drink PSA focuses on those labels and explains how the added sugar in small fruit drinks can add up to serious health problems over time. Another 30-second video shows that these small fruit drinks can have the same amount of sugar as 8 mini doughnuts. Serving water or milk instead can cut out a lot of added sugar each day.
Look out for other sugary drinks, too
Other drinks also contain a lot of added sugar. A label on a vitamin drink may say it’s loaded with vitamins, but it’s also loaded with sugar. A drink can contain 100% vitamin C and still have added sugar along with the added vitamins. As an example, a 20-ounce bottle of a vitamin drink can have 8 teaspoons of added sugar.
Sports drinks are sold as beverages to rehydrate you after physical activity, but water is all that kids (and adults) need after they get out and play. A 20-ounce sports drink can have 9 teaspoons of added sugar. Water has none. And what about that orange powdered mix that looks like it could be served with breakfast? Mixing up a powdered drink for your child is like stirring sugar into water. An 8-ounce glass of a powdered mix can have almost 6 teaspoons of added sugar.
Organic drinks may sound healthy, but that’s not always the case. Organic drinks often have the same amount of sugar as non-organic drinks. Both organic and non-organic drinks with added sugar can lead to health problems in little children.
Learn more about serving healthy drinks to your family
You may have young kids at home, take care of them in a pediatric or dental clinic, or tend to them in child care centers or preschools. Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign has educational materials to help learn more about the large amounts of sugar hiding in many drinks, the health harms related to that added sugar, and ways to make it easier to serve healthier drinks at home, at school and on the go. All of these materials are free and available to download online. Looking for print copies? Please contact playeveryday@alaska.gov to request materials related to physical activity, sugary drinks or healthy drinks.
| | 9/3/2019 9:09 AM |  SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 — When the leaves start falling, Alaska kids start racing through the trails.
On several days this month, thousands of elementary students from Anchorage to Fairbanks will be running through the wooded trails during the annual Cross Country Jamborees and similar fun runs.
The Anchorage School District is organizing three running Jamborees, and the North Star Borough School District in Fairbanks is organizing four races. The Jamborees will wrap up by the end of September, but Anchorage parents and children will have weekly opportunities to keep running as a family through the end of October. The popular fall running tradition called the Tuesday Night Race series begins on Sept. 10, 2019. The series continues on different trail systems throughout Anchorage every Tuesday through Oct. 29, 2019.
Long history of fall fun runs in Anchorage
The free running Jamborees in Anchorage go back almost three decades. This year, the Anchorage School District Health and Physical Education (PE) Department will partner with the Healthy Futures program, Play Every Day, local athletes, and others to organize several Jamborees in North Anchorage, South Anchorage and the Beach Lake area of Eagle River. Several thousand Anchorage kids across the city are expected to participate.
“The elementary school Jamborees are a great opportunity for kids of all abilities to get some exercise in a festive atmosphere,” said Matias Saari, Healthy Futures event support coordinator.
Many children are getting ready for the fun runs by participating in their schools’ running clubs. Elementary students will run different distances, depending on their ages. The race course length ranges from about ½ mile to 1 mile. All kids will receive a Healthy Futures pin when they reach the finish line, Saari said.
Like in past years, participating children and their families will be able to stay hydrated at a special “H2O 2GO” water trailer from Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility (AWWU). The trailer has multiple drinking fountains and water bottle fill-up taps for thirsty runners and observers.
Dates, times and locations for Anchorage Jamborees
Here are the dates, times and locations for the upcoming Anchorage Cross Country Running Jamborees:
- North Anchorage Jamboree — Thursday, Sept. 19, starting at 5:30 p.m., with an optional walk-through of the race course beginning at 5 p.m. The Jamboree will be held at the trails near Bartlett High School. For more information, contact Benjamin Elbow, Rogers Park Elementary physical education (PE) teacher, at elbow_benjamin@asdk12.org.
- South Anchorage Jamboree — Saturday, Sept. 21, starting at 10 a.m., with an optional walk-through of the race course beginning at 9:30 a.m. The Jamboree will be held at the trails near Service High School. For more information, contact David Hall, Chinook Elementary PE teacher, at hall_david@asdk12.org.
- Beach Lake (Eagle River) Jamboree — Thursday, Sept. 26, starting at 5 p.m. The Jamboree will be held at the Chugiak High School trails. For more information, contact Caela Nielsen, Ravenwood Elementary PE teacher, at nielsen_caela@asdk12.org.
Elementary students can attend any of the Anchorage Jamborees, regardless of where they live or where their elementary schools are located. Parents are encouraged to pre-register their children for the Jamborees at their schools. All children must have a signed waiver before participating in the event. Ask your child’s physical education teacher for more information about the Anchorage Jamboree in your area.
Dates, times and locations for Fairbanks running events
Here are the dates, times and locations for the upcoming running events in the Fairbanks area:
- Birch Hill Recreation Area — Thursday, Sept. 5, starting at 5:30 p.m. This event is hosted by U-Park Elementary School.
- Chena Lakes Recreation Area — Thursday, Sept. 12, starting at 5:30 p.m.
- Salcha Elementary School — Thursday, Sept. 19, starting at 5:30 p.m. This event is hosted by Salcha School.
- Chena Lakes Recreation Area — Thursday, Sept. 26, starting at 5:30 p.m. This event is hosted by Watershed and Two Rivers schools.
For more information about Fairbanks events, contact Norm Davis at norm.davis@k12northstar.org.
Photograph courtesy of Healthy Futures
| | Published Month : <hide>2019-08</hide>August 2019 (2)
| | 8/19/2019 10:40 AM |  AUGUST 19, 2019 — Schools open this week for thousands of children from Juneau to Anchorage to Bethel. More than 115 elementary schools in 23 school districts across Alaska are getting ready for the Fall Healthy Futures Challenge that starts Sunday, Sept. 1. Many schools in rural communities are participating, thanks in part to organizations like the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC).
Aqqaluk Elementary School in Noorvik is ready for the free challenge that has students logging their physical activity each month. So is Chief Ivan Blunka School in New Stuyahok. Kids will be doing the Challenge in Fort Yukon in the Interior, Sterling on the Kenai Peninsula, and White Mountain at the end of the Iditarod Trail.
Recruiting champions to support the Challenge in rural Alaska
This year, ANTHC is partnering with Healthy Futures to expand the number of Healthy Futures champions who support the Challenge in their rural, often remote communities. Champions can be more than teachers and coaches, said Dana Diehl, Wellness and Prevention Director at ANTHC. They can be parents, young adults looking for ways to help their communities, and people who work in health education and prevention at local clinics.
“I think one of the things that we like about Healthy Futures is it doesn’t have to be organized physical activity,” Diehl said. Participating students can count all kinds of activities, not just organized sports.
“In the rural areas, that’s especially important because there are so many opportunities to get activity in the outdoors,” Diehl said. That includes Alaska Native dancing, hunting for moose, picking berries, fishing and more, she said.
Diehl lives and works in Anchorage, but she grew up in Aniak along the Kuskokwim River — the home of Auntie Mary Nicoli Elementary School. Teachers at this small school regularly sign up to participate in the Challenge. Diehl said she’s excited that her hometown school commits time to promoting physical activity and the Healthy Futures Challenge.
“The village is on a river, so there are all kinds of things you can do on the river – like fishing,” she said. “It’s across from all kinds of rolling hills where you can go berry picking.”
Families can bike, walk and run near the village’s airstrip, she said.
“There are all kinds of opportunities to get out and play around Aniak.”
Completing the Challenge: Logging 60 minutes of activity at least 15 days a month
The free Healthy Futures Challenge runs each fall and spring for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Students keep a log of their daily physical activity with the goal of being active at least 60 minutes a day for 15 days each month. Students can count active time in gym class and during recess. They receive a prize each month for completing their activity log.
This school year, Play Every Day, Healthy Futures and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium are working together to share a 30-second video to encourage more schools across Alaska to sign up for the Challenge. The video also encourages parents to reach out to their children’s schools to support the Challenge. It features children being active in all kinds of ways in communities across Alaska, from Utqiagvik to Unalakleet to Bethel, Wasilla, Petersburg and Sitka.
Adding new prizes for the Healthy Futures Challenge
New this school year is a set of updated Healthy Futures prizes. Each month of the Challenge, students who complete a log will receive a colored gel art pen and a matching colored sticker. They can put the sticker next to their name on a classroom poster to recognize their participation, said Alyse Loran, Healthy Futures Coordinator.
Another addition is an end-of-year raffle for a grand prize. Students will get a raffle ticket after completing one month of the Challenge. They will write their name on the ticket and place it in a grand prize box supplied by the Healthy Futures program. At the end of the school year, school staff will draw a ticket for a grand prize. The winning student at each school will be able to choose from a menu of prizes, including a Healthy Futures Champion hoodie, disc golf set, cornhole set, and other outdoor games, Loran said.
Consistent participation in this year’s Challenge will give students better chances for winning a grand prize, while also encouraging them to build the habit of daily physical activity. There are six months of the Challenge in a school year: three in the fall and three in the spring. For each month of participation, students will get new pens in different colors and raffle tickets to sign and drop in the box. Students who complete more months of the challenge this school year will receive more tickets, which means more chances of winning the grand prize.
Elementary school coordinators will be entered into a grand prize drawing based on the percentage of student participation in their schools. Schools with high participation also receive banners to hang in their gyms to recognize their students’ commitment to physical activity.
| | 8/5/2019 8:54 AM | AUGUST 5, 2019 — Alaska parents say that one reason they serve their little kids sugary drinks is convenience. When a toddler says she’s thirsty, there’s a pack of drink pouches in the pantry. The toddler grabs one, punches a straw through the top and starts drinking.
Parents are on their way out the door — dad headed to work and his 3-year-old to be dropped off at preschool. It’s the morning rush, so he grabs a small bottle of a fruit drink and slides it into the backpack.
Common drinks have too much sugar
While convenient, these grab-and-go drinks are often loaded with added sugar that can lead to cavities, type 2 diabetes, unhealthy weight gain, even heart disease. A 6-ounce drink pouch can have about 3 teaspoons of sugar. A 10-ounce bottle of a fruit drink can have 8 teaspoons. A 12-ounce can of soda can even more — 10 teaspoons. Families often buy vitamin drinks and sports drinks in even larger-sized, 20-ounce bottles. That sports drink can come with 9 teaspoons of added sugar, and the vitamin drink with 8.
This summer, Play Every Day is sharing new videos, online and print messages to help Alaska families figure out how much sugar is hiding in drinks and to promote drinking water or milk instead. In just 30 seconds, we use a common sweet treat to show how much sugar is in a small fruit drink. This new video shows a 3-year-old girl stacking up mini doughnuts next to a cranberry raspberry drink. Then you hear the message: “A small fruit drink can have the same amount of sugar as 8 mini doughnuts. You wouldn’t let your children eat that much sugar, so why let them drink it?”
Our new handout includes this infographic to show the amount of sugar in drinks commonly served to little kids.
How much sugar is too much?
The most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting the amount of sugar your kids eat and drink to less than 10 percent of their daily calories. For preschool-age children, that means limiting added sugar to fewer than 8 teaspoons a day. As the infographic shows, the sugar from drinks alone can take kids over the recommended limit, and that doesn’t include the added sugar little kids also get from foods.
Added sugars can be tricky to spot because these sweeteners go by many different names. They’re called high fructose corn syrup, honey, glucose, sucrose and other names:
Read the drink label. Check the back of the bottle to see how much added sugar is in your drink. If sugar or any other sweetener is listed in the first three ingredients, your drink is likely loaded with sugar.
Serve healthy drinks at home and on the go
Unlike sugary drinks, water and white milk have no added sugar. They are the healthiest drink choices for children, and they can be just as convenient.
- You can keep cold pitchers of water in the fridge so water is ready whenever kids are thirsty.
- You can add slices of fruit or mint to water to give it flavor.
- On your way out the door, you can put a refillable bottle of water in your child’s backpack.
- You can pack store-bought water bottles, too, but in many Alaska communities, you can drink water straight from the tap or filter it using special pitchers.
Children want to drink what their parents drink. Parents can be role models and choose healthy options. In child care centers and preschools, caregivers can show toddlers and preschoolers how they choose healthy drinks, too.
Read more about serving healthy drinks to preschool-age children.
| | Published Month : <hide>2019-07</hide>July 2019 (2)
| | 7/23/2019 11:15 AM |  JULY 23, 2019 — Diseases that can last a lifetime often develop when we’re adults. That includes type 2 diabetes, heart disease and many types of cancer.
But the beverages we drink and the physical activity we do — or don’t do — as children can help prevent these chronic diseases years down the road.
That’s why Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign is launching new videos, online and print messages focused on encouraging families to serve their children healthy drinks starting at a very young age. That includes water and white milk, which have no added sugars, colors or flavors. New materials also support daily physical activity for children ages 5 and younger.
“It’s so important to start early, to serve children water instead of sugary drinks and prioritize daily physical activity for the whole family,” said Karol Fink, registered dietitian and manager of Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “Taking those steps when your children are toddlers and preschoolers is a great investment toward better health for years to come.”
The Physical Activity and Nutrition program within the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services runs the Play Every Day campaign. This year, the program continued its partnership with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium to create and share these new materials.
New recommendations for preschool-age children
Play Every Day’s new messages call attention to recently updated national recommendations for daily activity and limiting adding sugar. The new Physical Activity Guidelines call for a mix of light, moderate and vigorous activities off and on during several hours each day for preschool-age children.
The updated U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting the amount of sugar your kids eat and drink to less than 10 percent of their daily calories. For preschool-age children, that means limiting added sugar to fewer than 8 teaspoons a day. Small drinks like fruit drinks can be packed with that much sugar, even more. For the best health, serve your children healthy drinks instead:
- Birth to 1 year: Choose breast milk or iron-fortified formula only.
- 1–2 years old: Serve water and whole white milk.
- 2–6 years old: Serve water and fat-free (skim or nonfat) or low-fat (1%) white milk.
New Play Every Day videos, posters and other educational materials
Play Every Day’s staff created its new materials after talking with Alaska parents and learning they wanted to know more about which drinks were hiding large amounts of sugar — and just how much of it. Alaska parents often start serving their children sugary drinks at a young age. On any given day, more than 1 out of 4 Alaska parents report serving their 3-year-old children soda, fruit drinks, sweetened powdered drinks, sports or energy drinks, according to the most recent state survey of Alaska parents of preschoolers.
The labels on these sugary drinks can often make them look healthier than they really are. New Play Every Day videos and materials help parents make sense of drink labels that highlight added vitamins and natural flavors, while not making it clear that the drinks have a large amount of added sugar. Drinks can be loaded with added sugar, even when they:
- have a fruit in their name — like cranberry or raspberry.
- say they are organic.
- have "100% vitamin C" written on the label.
A drink can have a fruit in its name and NOT be made with any fruit juice. Some fruit drinks can have a small amount of fruit juice, but then have a large amount of added sugar. Organic drinks often have the same amount of sugar as non-organic drinks. Both organic and non-organic drinks with added sugar can lead to health problems in little children.
The following new materials share information about how much sugar is hiding in drinks and the health harms that can result over time when children start consuming sugary drinks and foods at an early age:
Share the message
Follow and like Play Every Day’s Facebook page, and share the campaign’s messages with others. Play new animated short videos about water, milk and sugary drinks in child care centers, preschools, pediatric offices and more.
Do you want free printed copies of posters or educational handouts? Please contact us at playeveryday@alaska.gov.
You can also download free electronic copies from these webpages that list print and video materials:
| | 7/1/2019 8:33 AM |  JULY 1, 2019 —You have family friends coming to town, and you’re looking for an available public use cabin to rent.
You want to head to Kachemak Bay near Homer, and wonder which trails are open right now and which are closed to flooding.
Speaking of those trails, you could really use a map that you can view online, and not need to print.
All that, and more, are now available on the newly-updated Alaska State Parks website.
Making it easier to find what you need
The Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation launched its updated website this spring and will continue to add new features this summer, said Wendy Sailors, who oversees the division’s public outreach. Alaska State Park users can visit the site to find public use cabins, trail updates and general park information.
Sailors said the previous website version had too many pages, too many words, and not enough cues for users to locate important information quickly. The division’s staff have been working hard to streamline webpages by adding drop-down menus, improving photographs and other visual elements, and tightening up wording to help people navigate the site.
“When you go to a page, it’s really easy to see everything without scrolling,” Sailors said.
Sailors said the division also updated the website to try to reach those who aren’t typical visitors to Alaska’s state parks. Staff wanted to offer a variety of ideas and tips to safely visit and explore the parks.
“What I hope they find is direction for a fun adventure,” said Sailors.
They are sharing those ideas through special events, too, as part of the new Families to Parks program. This year, the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation named local travel journalist and outdoor advocate Erin Kirkland, publisher of AKontheGO.com, as its first Alaska State Parks ambassador. The division and Kirkland are planning and promoting parks at events around Southcentral Alaska. The next one is planned for Saturday, Aug. 31. It’s called “Fall Family Adventure Day” at Bird Creek Campground south of Anchorage. Families will learn skills for setting up camp, including meal preparation, preparing a campfire, and learning ways to enjoy state parks during the fall season.
Booking a public use cabin or finding an open trail
 One of the most popular features of the new website is the menu directing people to information about public use cabins in state parks. Alaska State Parks offers more than 80 recreational cabins for public use. Sailors shared the reminder to start planning early, booking cabins up to seven months in advance.
“Everybody wants to go camping,” Sailors said. “Everybody wants to stay in public use cabins.”
When people click on the desired cabin online, they’re able to print a handout that organizes key information: Is there a nearby toilet? Hiking trails? What should visitors bring that the cabin doesn’t have?
Another important aspect of the new site is its comprehensive trail status updates. The division regularly collects updates for open or closed trails due to wildlife or environmental factors, like flooding. Visitors can find trail maps and guides online and even view them in 3D.
Coming soon
Sailors and her division are also looking at adding elements to a new, free app Alaskans can use on their phones and mobile devices. It’s called OuterSpatial, and it currently lists parks, trails, and cabin information online for the Mat-Su Borough. Sailors said the app will soon include information about the rest of the state park units, once funding is available.
This app is particularly useful because it is GPS-based and can be accessed with or without Wi-Fi. People also will be able to use the app to send instant feedback and comments about the current condition of state park trails in real time.
“We don’t have enough staff to hit all the trails every single year,” Sailors said. “We need that feedback from everybody.”
Photographs courtesy of Alaska State Parks | | Published Month : <hide>2019-06</hide>June 2019 (1)
| | 6/11/2019 8:06 AM |  JUNE 11, 2019 — The children at Cook Inlet Native Head Start are boating in canoes, swimming with a beluga whale, and racing sled dogs. That’s all pretend, of course, in their new culturally-designed playground.
This Anchorage Head Start is a cultural immersion program for Alaska Native and American Indian children from birth to 5 years old. One of the goals at Cook Inlet Native Head Start is to help children develop knowledge and pride in their traditional Native heritage.
“Everything in the playground is used for education,” said Maggie Kaloke, a teacher in the Eagle classroom with children ages 3–5. “We can talk about different cultures and histories with everything on our playground.”
Families from all around Alaska live in Anchorage now, so the playground represents the five major cultural areas of Alaska. The children play on small replicas of a cedar house from the Southeast region; a sod house to represent the Yup’ik and Cup’ik, Alutiiq, and Unangax regions; and whale jawbones from the Iñupiak region. A large Aleutian Islands bentwood hat covers the toddler slide and climbing gym. Picture panels hanging on the fence depict traditional scenes from all over Alaska.
The playground was a whirl of activity, with kids darting back and forth between play areas. Getting a child to stop long enough to find out their favorite activities was nearly impossible. “Climbing” yelled one boy, as he went running to the fishnet rope ladder.
 “This playground really gets the kids moving more than our old playground,” said Tiffany Deason, a teacher of 3- to 5-year-olds in the Raven classroom. “It’s designed for climbing, swinging, biking, and racing. The kid’s love it.”
Teachers and staff spent several years planning and designing the playground before it was built during the summer of 2018. A teacher at the center designed the bentwood hat, and another staff member painted the large picture panels that surround the playground.
After playtime, the little kids lined up to go back inside to their classrooms. It was time for lunch. And like the equipment in the playground, meals at Cook Inlet Native Head Start also tie in culture. The kids that day sat down together, family style, and ate reindeer stew.
| | Published Month : <hide>2019-05</hide>May 2019 (2)
| | 5/22/2019 8:04 AM |  MAY 22, 2019 — One square foot of dirt sounds like a small amount of space, but children at Ray’s Child Care and Learning Center in the Mat-Su Valley are making the most of it. Children at the center are growing vegetables, herbs and flowers in their own one square-foot garden box.
“Children plant different types of seeds in their own little gardens, water daily, and watch their seeds grow,” said Natalie Ray, the founder and director of Ray’s. The children love to show off their plants and get excited about them, and that enthusiasm is shared by the parents.
“Parents think it’s wonderful,” Ray said. “Even if they don’t do it themselves, they want their kids to experience it.”
Ray has been doing “Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE)” long before it became popular. She’s added gardening to her lesson plans for over 30 years. Farm to ECE activities include gardening, purchasing local foods, and teaching kids about food and agriculture. Farm to ECE activities match many of the goals of child care providers, including providing hands-on learning, engaging parents and community, and developing life-long healthy habits.
In addition to the square-foot garden the children tend, Ray also planted a larger edible garden for them to explore. She includes plants that are culturally important to Alaska Native people and can be harvested in the wild, like raspberries and fireweed.
Ray takes advantage of Alaska’s Farm to School program through the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture. The Farm to School program provides Alaska-focused resources and grant opportunities that can help child care providers with their Farm to ECE experiences. Ray has received several grants to help build raised garden beds, buy child-size shovels for little kids to use in their gardens, and purchase a food dehydrator to dry some of their harvested produce.
Efforts to educate kids don’t just happen in the garden. Ray’s students also take field trips to local farms and host farmers in the classroom. Ray also ties in gardening and healthy foods into other lessons, including art and reading.
“Farm to ECE activities set up young children for a lifetime of healthy habits,” said Johanna Herron with the Alaska Division of Agriculture. “It helps kids develop an appreciation for local food; knowledge of good food choices; and a connection to their environment, land, and their community.”
When it’s time to harvest at Ray’s Child Care and Learning Center, the kids enjoy some vegetables right off the plants. They add other vegetables to their meals. Serving the harvest helps kids see the complete cycle of the garden, from the seed to the table.
Ray continues to expand the center’s Farm to ECE program by adding composting, hydroponic gardening during the winter season, and using fish fertilizer. Ray said she wants the kids attending her center to understand where food comes from, because knowing that can empower them to take care of their health.
For more information on the Division of Agriculture’s Farm to School program, check out their website at www.farmtoschoolalaska.org. Sign up for the program’s newsletter or call (907) 745-7200.
| | 5/1/2019 11:42 AM |  MAY 1, 2019 — “Do you want a soda with that?”
Would you say “yes” if you knew that added up to 250 extra calories to your meal?
Wouldn’t it be helpful to know about those extra calories right away, when you’re making the decision about what to order?
Starting this May, that information will be right there for you.
Larger chain restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores selling prepared foods will now be posting calorie counts on their menus, menu boards or on signs next to food so consumers can make informed, healthier choices. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires these types of eating establishments to post calorie information right next to food items on the restaurant menus or signs in stores.
“It’s hard to guess how many calories are found in restaurant foods. It’s usually a lot more than people think,” said Diane Peck, a registered dietitian nutritionist with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. “Having the calories listed on the menu can help people who want to maintain a healthy weight and reduce their risk of diet-related disease make an informed decision about what to eat.”
Providing nutrition facts where people make decisions about what to eat and buy can lead to healthier choices and improve what restaurants offer. In addition to the calorie count on the menu, restaurants must also provide other nutrition information upon request, such as fat content, carbohydrates, sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, added sugar, fiber and protein. All of this information makes it easier to know which foods and drinks are the lower-calorie, healthier choices when ordering fast food, grabbing prepared foods from a grocery store salad bar, or ordering pasta at a chain restaurant.
“Alaska ranks in the top ten for highest adult obesity rates in the U.S., so I think menu labeling holds a lot of potential for impact,” said Dr. Leslie Redmond, a registered dietetian nutritionist and associate professor with the University of Alaska Anchorage. “I think it’s encouraging to see widespread efforts such as menu labeling being enforced to help educate consumers and support them in making healthier food and beverage choices. It may seem like a small thing, but even small changes can help nudge people towards healthier behaviors.”
Here’s how you can use the information to make better food and drink choices:
- Choose a grilled chicken sandwich at 380 calories instead of a fried chicken sandwich at 570 calories.
- Drink water and sparkling water with no calories instead of a sugary drink, which can range from 140 calories to 250 calories, depending on the serving size.
- Ask for sauces and salad dressings on the side to help reduce added calories.
- Ask your server for nutrition information on the menu item you’re thinking about ordering. That will help you find out how much sodium, saturated fat or fiber is in your meal.
- Check out the calories of the supersized meal before ordering. The extra hamburger patty, slice of cheese or French fries adds a lot of extra calories. Choose the smaller bag of fries, or even a small salad if it’s available, to reduce calories in your meal.
For more information, check out a short FDA video called “Calories Count.” The video is focused on the new menu labeling law and recommendations for eating and drinking healthy options at restaurants. | | Published Month : <hide>2019-04</hide>April 2019 (2)
| | 4/16/2019 8:41 AM |  APRIL 16, 2019 — Alaska has long winters and challenging weather, but that doesn’t stop kids from going outside to play for gym, recess and sports. Unfortunately, what does stop kids is not owning proper gym shoes, sports shoes and winter gear. Some Alaska kids are coming to school with shoes duct-taped to their feet. They’re not wearing jackets because they don’t own jackets.
That’s where The Basics steps in. PE teachers, coaches, nurses and other faculty at schools make the request for their students in need, and The Basics fills the order. Over the years, it has helped thousands of kids in school districts across Alaska play at recess, join school sports teams, participate in gym class and otherwise look forward to any type of physical activity during their day. But even more than that, The Basics has helped keep these kids’ feet and bodies warm, dry, and comfortable, in and out of school.
The Basics is an Alaska-based nonprofit organization started by Pamela Skogstad, a physical education specialist with over 25 years of experience adapting PE for children of all abilities in Alaska’s public school system. During her career, Skogstad’s idea of The Basics began while working in Title 1 schools with low-income families.
“My colleagues and I would use our own money to purchase shoes for children in need and realized the high demand,” she said. During the first year of The Basics, the group raised enough money for 150 pairs of shoes for children in need in Anchorage.
“The next year it took off, and this is our eighth year,” Skogstad said. The Basics has provided more than 9,000 pairs of shoes — including gym shoes and sports and winter gear — in seven school districts that include Anchorage, Mat-Su, Kenai and Sitka.
The group’s mission is to empower children in need to choose healthy, active lifestyles by supporting them with the proper shoes and gear. The Basics relies on online donations, individuals’ donations of shoes and clothing, and annual fundraisers. The group just received a grant to create an online system that will make it easier for schools to order items and help the organization know if it is meeting kids’ needs.
This nonprofit organization gives kids opportunities they didn’t have because they lacked the right pair of shoes or boots.
“We were contacted by a coach about a student who dreamed of playing football but didn’t have a pair of shoes to practice or compete on the field,” Skogstad said. “We purchased a pair of football shoes and had them delivered to the coach. We learned this past October that this student excelled in football, became a star athlete, and received an athletic scholarship and eventually attended college.”
A pair of girls wanting to be part of a team showed the true meaning of friendship by sharing a pair of cross country ski boots — rotating each practice and sitting out every other race just so they could both participate.
Coaches, teachers, nurses and The Basics staff worked behind the scenes to find a pair of ski boots for these girls. The Basics delivered the boots to the school office and the coach privately gave them to the girls so they could both continue participating in practices and races. All donations made through The Basics are confidential.
Since August, The Basics has delivered more than 700 pairs of gym shoes, sports shoes and winter gear to over 17 schools in the Mat-Su Valley. Just recently, the Mat-Su Borough School District received 12 pairs of shoes to support 12 students joining a baseball team. Even more gear went to schools in Kenai, Dillingham and Anchorage.
The Basics is growing and has established a storage and distribution facility in the Palmer area. The organization will continue to grow and plans to build a distribution facility on the Kenai Peninsula, too. Sports-specific shoes (such as shoes for track, baseball, soccer and softball) are in demand this spring. By supporting kids with the proper gym shoes, athletic shoes and winter gear, The Basics is removing limitations for children and helping them participate in all kinds of healthy activities.
Contact The Basics if you’re in the Anchorage, Mat-Su, Kenai, or Sitka school districts and know of students who need proper gym shoes, sports shoes or winter gear. If you are interested in your school district receiving donated shoes, clothing and gear, contact Skogstad, the president of the nonprofit organization.
Photograph courtesy of The Basics | | 4/2/2019 8:21 AM |  APRIL 2, 2019 — When school lets out this week, dozens of young girls in Sitka are going to start warming up. They’re going to run, pacing themselves and setting goals for completed laps. They’re practicing for something big.
On May 18, 2019, this Girls on the Run team will finish a Community 5K Fun Run that takes them along Sitka’s harbor and ends among the spruce, hemlock and towering totem poles of Sitka National Historic Park.
But they’re really practicing for something even bigger, said coach Shadeed Miller. They’re building skills for the rest of their lives.
Some of those skills set them up for a lifetime of fitness and a better chance for physical health. But other skills set these girls up for the other key ingredients of well-rounded health that go beyond the physical, to social and emotional growth.
“I want them to have a sense of pride in themselves, in each other and community,” said Miller, who works for Sitkans Against Family Violence. He said he hopes these girls discover their “limitless potential.”
Girls on the Run is a national program that promotes physical activity while also empowering girls, Miller said. During the course of the three-month program, Girls on the Run focuses on helping girls build confidence, strength of character, and positive connections with others; care and show compassion for others; improve their competence in many areas; and contribute to their community, Miller said. Sixteen communities across Alaska are participating in the program this year, said Natalie Watson, coordinator for Girls on the Run of Greater Alaska. Sitka’s 11th season started in February and ends with the Fun Run in May. This year, 33 third- through fifth-grade Sitka girls are participating. There’s a cost for the season, but Miller stressed there’s also a scholarship program funded by Sitka organizations and individuals to ensure money doesn’t stand in the way of any girl who wants to participate.
Play Every Day features the Sitka Girls on the Run Team in its newest video that shows the fun ways kids across Alaska play every day in all seasons and every kind of weather: snow, cold temperatures, sun, and in the case of Sitka — often rain. In this video, the Sitka girls run through the Sitka national park, past totem poles and across a finish line where their friends are ready for high-fives and congratulations.
During the Girls on the Run season, practice begins each afternoon with discussions about what the girls think of themselves, as well as issues they may be facing socially, such as gossiping and bullying. The program helps girls learn how to be intentional with their decisions, choose to be happy, feel good about themselves, and stand up for themselves and others, Miller said. It helps them strengthen their physical abilities and complete their final challenge: the Community 5K Fun Run through nature.
“If you literally take one step after the next and put good intention into it, you can change so much of your life — and for the better,” Miller said.
Taking one step after another through nature is something Miller knows firsthand, and he uses that as an example with the girls when they’re struggling.
In 2016, Miller said he chose to step away from his job at the time and challenge himself in a different way. Even though he hadn’t camped since he was a Boy Scout, he started hiking and camping along the entire Appalachian Trail in April 2016. He started in Georgia and walked 2,189 miles through 14 states, ending in Maine on September 25, 2016. He started walking all by himself, but along the way met hikers who walked with him much of the time. His personal experience became social. These hikers finished together and remain friends for life, he said.
“All I was doing was walking, each and every day,” Miller said. But that commitment to walking changed him physically, mentally and emotionally. It forced him to listen to his body and how he was feeling, he said.
When he’s running with the Girls on the Run, he listens for any shred of doubt from the young participants.
"'Hey, you are moving forward,’” he tells them. ”'And that’s all that counts.’”
He tells them about what it took to complete an almost six-month hike. He looks first for that disbelief on their faces, and then the realization that they got this — just like he did.
"'Ok,’” the girls realize. "'I can do this.’”
Sitka: Mark May 18, 2019, on your calendars, because 33 girls are going to do this, and you can be there to cheer them on. | | Published Month : <hide>2019-03</hide>March 2019 (1)
| | 3/22/2019 9:05 AM |  MARCH 22, 2019 — Over Spring Break, cooks at child care centers around Alaska came to Anchorage to sharpen their culinary and math skills with help from the Institute of Child Nutrition. They learned best practices and developed skills for providing nutritious meals for young children.
The Institute trainers included a math teacher and a professional chef. They offered “Culinary Math” as a one-day training and “Healthy Cuisine for Kids” as a two-day training. Both provided classroom and hands-on experiences for learning culinary math, nutrition and healthful cooking methods.
The Institute is a federally-funded national center dedicated to research, education and training for child nutrition programs. Participants who took the training this spring used math and food preparation techniques to produce lots of healthy, tasty dishes designed to appeal to young children. Those dishes included “Tuscan Quinoa Salad,” “Porcupine Sliders,” and a class favorite: “Roasted Fish & Crispy Slaw Wraps.” Destiny Ritter, a food service specialist in Kodiak, learned to make a cheese sauce for “Chić Penne,” a healthier version of macaroni and cheese.
“The trick is to let the sauce cool before adding the cheese, so it’s not grainy,” Ritter said.
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) Child Nutrition Programs received a grant to offer the trainings to cooks who work with the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The CACFP provides healthy meals and snacks to children and adults receiving day care. It plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making healthy meals more affordable for low-income families.
“Child care center directors have been requesting cooks’ training to assist their staff in understanding and meeting the CACFP meal patterns,” said Ann-Marie Martin, Alaska CACFP program coordinator. “Sometimes cooks come to a center with very little culinary training, so this is an opportunity to gain skill development and resources to provide healthier options for the children in care. DEED is very excited to be able to fill this need by utilizing USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) grant funds.”
Math skills are helpful for adjusting recipes and following the CACFP meal patterns. Isaiah Conley, a cook with the Anchorage Boys & Girls Club, said he enjoyed the math sessions.
“I learned how to break down recipes, like how many grains are in that snack so we’re following the CACFP rules,” Conley said.
This training helps cooks from early child care centers across Alaska come together in small groups and receive additional support from knowledgeable trainers. Sydney Hinkley, a cook with the Children’s Lunchbox in Anchorage, said the training helps her try new recipes, as well as learn from cooks at other child care centers.
“It’s a chance to compare notes,” Hinkley said.
“Culinary Math” and “Healthy Cuisine for Kids” will be offered in Alaska six times in the next two years. The DEED grant provides funding to help cooks from 54 communities travel to Anchorage or Fairbanks to participate. For more information about the classes, contact Ann-Marie Martin at (907) 465-8771 or annmarie.martin@alaska.gov.
In the photograph above: Brenda Marquez from Dutch Harbor and Mikal McGlashan from Sand Point prepare “Lentils of the Southwest.”
| | Published Month : <hide>2019-02</hide>February 2019 (1)
| | 2/26/2019 11:19 AM |  FEBRUARY 26, 2019 —For years, our partner Healthy Futures has been recognizing children’s commitment to daily physical activity with monthly prizes.
Now, a local group of pediatricians is adding another level of recognition for these active Alaska kids.
The Children’s Clinic, a pediatric clinic in Anchorage since 1970, is encouraging their elementary school-age patients to participate in the free, school-based Healthy Futures Challenge. Patients in participating elementary schools can bring their completed Healthy Futures physical activity log to the clinic, show it to their pediatrician or nurse, and receive a special prize to celebrate that activity. The clinic will even accept the log as a faxed or emailed copy. These Anchorage pediatricians also are opening up the challenge to children who attend schools that are not yet signed up for the Healthy Futures Challenge. The child can download the physical activity log, fill it out for the month and turn it in to the clinic for a prize.
Dr. Janet Shen, one of three pediatricians at The Children’s Clinic, said she thought it was a great idea for doctors to recognize the physical activity their young patients are doing.
“This is exactly what we want you to do,” Shen said. Getting kids moving can encourage the rest of the family to be physically active, too, she said.
“With this growing epidemic of heart disease, diabetes and obesity, I think any time we can encourage healthy habits from a young age, hopefully we can play a role in promoting long-term health,” she said.
“It will be something that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.”
Healthy Futures, a nonprofit program run through the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, offers two physical activity challenges in elementary schools each school year: one in the fall and the second in the spring. Students keep a log of their daily physical activity with the goal of being active at least 60 minutes a day for 15 days each month. This helps Alaska children get closer to the national recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity every day for the best health. The challenge is free to schools and students. Students who successfully log their physical activity each month of the challenge win Healthy Futures prizes, which have included water bottles, jump ropes, and other prizes that promote activity.
The Children’s Clinic — which cares for about 5,500 patients — now adds a second level of recognition for active children. Patients who completed an activity log for February will receive a glow-in-the-dark wristband that says “I’m an action hero.” This band will go along with the wristbands that Healthy Futures gives to participating students this school year. Future prizes from The Children’s Clinic will include a drawing to play at local gyms, such as rock gyms or trampoline playgrounds.
“I just have a passion for kids to be outside,” Shen said. “I try to tear them away from their screens to get them to be more physically active.”
Children — and their parents — are spending more and more time on their phones, tablets and devices, and this screen time pulls them away from being active, Shen said. Regular physical activity plus adequate sleep and a healthy diet can have benefits beyond physical health, including improved behavior, mental health and performance in the classroom, she said.
The Spring Healthy Futures Challenge continues through March and April this school year. It’s not too late for elementary schools to sign up and participate. This spring, about 150 schools across Alaska have signed up for the challenge. Principals or teachers can sign up their schools for the Healthy Futures Challenge using this simple online database. If you have questions about the Healthy Futures Challenge, contact Alyse Loran, Healthy Futures program coordinator, at (907) 360-6331 or alyse@healthyfuturesak.org.
| | Published Month : <hide>2019-01</hide>January 2019 (2)
| | 1/30/2019 8:31 AM |  JANUARY 30, 2019 — Students and teachers at Alaska schools are getting ready for the next PLAAY Day — that day once a year when children complete a half hour of organized physical activity all at the same time in communities across the state.
The first PLAAY Day took place two years ago, and since then hundreds of children in schools from Aniak to Glennallen to Ketchikan have participated. The third annual PLAAY Day is set for Thursday morning, Feb. 21, 2019. Alaska schools can sign up now using a simple online database.
PLAAY stands for Positive Leadership for Active Alaska Youth. Our partners, the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame and Healthy Futures program, are running PLAAY Day to help Alaska children get active for good health.
“This is a shared experienced about really connecting kids in different places,” said Wally Wilson, director of PLAAY events for the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. Schools have been signing up across Alaska, as well as in other parts of the country like Connecticut and Washington, D.C., Wilson said.
This year, participating children will be doing the physical activities of superheroes, nationally recognized athletes and former presidents. Kids will do the motions of cross country skate skiing, in honor of Olympic gold medalist Kikkan Randall. They’ll do the motions of a balance beam walk like Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas. They’ll pretend to complete a slap shot like Stanley Cup winning hockey player Scott Gomez. These athletes and leaders are role models for Alaska’s students — putting the emphasis on choosing healthy physical activities.
“It’s cool to be healthy,” Wilson said.
PLAAY Day will begin at 10 a.m. Feb. 21, with students from the University of Alaska Anchorage Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation leading a room of Anchorage-based children in the fun session of activities. They’ll be demonstrating the activities at the Special Olympics Alaska building in the Mountain View neighborhood of Anchorage. GCI and Denali Media will be broadcasting that demonstration live to participating schools using free videoconferencing technology. That will allow children across Alaska to join along and complete the half hour of physical activity in their own gyms, classrooms, recreation centers and common spaces. All children will be able to participate at their appropriate levels. Physical activities included during PLAAY Day will be able to be modified and adapted to include students of all abilities, said Harlow Robinson, executive director of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.
Schools and organizations across Alaska will participate in PLAAY Day live by streaming through Facebook and YouTube Live. Schools that sign up for PLAAY Day will receive more information about the event as the date gets closer. Interested schools and groups can register as an entire school, a classroom, a home school, or an organization.
Right after PLAAY Day concludes, the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame will run the PLAAY Summit on Feb. 22 and 23, 2019, at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in Anchorage. The theme of the 2019 PLAAY events is “Exercise Leadership.” The Summit will feature experts from around the state who will help teachers, parents, nurses, coaches, administrators and other leaders address many areas of youth and adolescent health, including psychological, social and emotional development. The summit will focus on physical activity as a way to improve health. The keynote speaker this year is Dr. Michael Yogman, a Boston-area pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Yogman recently published an article called “The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children.” This article focuses on the importance of play in healthy youth development.
People in remote locations across Alaska will be able to participate in the summit through videoconferencing. Professional development credits for school district employees, credit hours for nurses, and social work continuing education units (CEUs) will be available to participants.
Many organizations are partners of PLAAY Day and PLAAY Summit. They include Healthy Futures; the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; GCI and Denali Media; Special Olympics Alaska; the Anchorage School District; University of Alaska Anchorage; clinics and hospitals, including the Children’s Hospital at Providence, Alaska Center for Pediatrics, LaTouche Pediatrics, the Children’s Clinic and Alaska Pediatric Therapy; the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services; the Play Every Day campaign; Bristol Bay Native Corporation; the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority; and businesses, such as Kaladi Brothers Coffee, Moose’s Tooth, the Alaska Club, the Dome and Skinny Raven Sports.
To learn more about PLAAY Day or the PLAAY Summit, contact Wilson at wally@alaskasportshall.org or Robinson at harlow@alaskasportshall.org.
Photograph courtesy of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame | | 1/8/2019 8:26 AM | January 8, 2019 — Play Every Day’s partner, the Healthy Futures program, is extending the sign-up period for the Spring 2019 Challenge so more elementary schools can participate in the physical activity challenge that runs Feb. 1 through April 30.
Every school year, Healthy Futures runs a fall and spring physical activity challenge that is free for elementary schools and students. During the challenge, students keep a log of their daily physical activity with the goal of being active at least 60 minutes a day for 15 days each month. This helps Alaska children get closer to the national recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity every day for the best health. The Healthy Futures program awards prizes to K-6 students who log their physical activity and turn in those logs at the end of each month. The state’s Play Every Day campaign continues to work with Healthy Futures to support the challenge in elementary schools across Alaska and encourage children to build the healthy habit of daily activity.
The Healthy Futures program typically starts in December — a couple months ahead of time — to sign up schools for the Spring Challenge. This year, however, schools in Anchorage and the Mat-Su Borough were closed in early December so school district staff could assess damage from the Nov. 30, 2018, earthquake and make repairs as needed. Healthy Futures started registering schools for the Spring Challenge in December, but decided to extend registration this month so more schools could participate.
"We wanted to be as supportive and accommodating as possible with teachers and schools dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake,” said Harlow Robinson, Healthy Futures executive director. “Extending the deadline hopefully gives our partners and teachers time to focus on recovery before looking ahead to the Spring Challenge."
As of this week, more than 120 elementary schools have signed up for the Spring 2019 Challenge. During a typical challenge, between 150 to 200 elementary schools across the state sign up to participate. You can go online to see if your school is already signed up for the Spring Challenge. If your school isn’t signed up yet, the principal or a teacher at the school can sign up for free using this simple online database.
If you have questions about signing up for the Healthy Futures Challenge, contact Alyse Loran, Healthy Futures program coordinator, at (907) 360-6331 or alyse@healthyfuturesak.org.
| | Published Month : <hide>2018-12</hide>December 2018 (2)
| | 12/18/2018 10:49 AM |  The school day had started in Utqiaġvik, and the thermometer read minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. It had been in the negative degrees during the entire school week, but that’s typical in December in the northernmost Alaska — and U.S. — community with about 4,500 residents. The day stayed dark and then dim from morning until night. The sun doesn’t rise midwinter this far north of the Arctic Circle.
And yet, the youngest kids in Utqiaġvik could still play every day. That’s because they attend a school that has done something unique. Inside its heated school building, Fred Ipalook Elementary has an entire school playground that most of us are used to seeing outdoors instead. The playground includes jungle gyms, slides, ladders, basketball hoops and open space. The elementary students in Utqiaġvik love to use the indoor playground, said Monica Lugo, physical education teacher at Fred Ipalook Elementary. It’s open to them every day of the school year during normal recess time, extra recess sessions and as a reward for demonstrating good behavior at school.
“There really is no excuse for them to get no activity,” Lugo said.
Having playgrounds that make it possible to play in any weather helps Alaska children meet the national Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published updated guidelines in November 2018, but the recommendation for school-age children remained the same: For the best health, these children should get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. Kids can get that activity through recess, physical education class, and activities before and after school.
Lugo said Fred Ipalook Elementary does have outdoor playgrounds to support physical activity, but they aren’t used as much as the indoor playground during cold, snowy months. Sometimes the snow is piled so high that the slide can’t be used. Other times, students don’t bring the right clothing to play in below zero temperatures.
“Not all the kids bring the gear that’s heavy enough, or they forget gloves or hats,” Lugo said.
Other Alaska communities face different types of weather challenges when it comes to playing outside. Petersburg in Southeast Alaska is one example. The community of about 3,000 residents has many rainy days. The rain doesn't stop Stedman Elementary students from playing outside, however, because the outside playground has a roof that covers basketball hoops, four square games and other areas for play.
"We don't hold kids in for rain," said Ginger Evens, wellness team member and teacher for the Petersburg School District.
"Anybody can play, anywhere.”
Strategies like these may work in other schools. Talk about these ideas with your school districts, PTAs, principals and wellness committees to see if they could work in your communities and schools. Read more online about other strategies schools across Alaska are using to make healthy foods, drinks and physical activity available to more children.
| | 12/10/2018 7:23 AM |  Do you want to prevent cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, injuries and unhealthy weight gain? Do you want to sleep better and improve your ability to think, reason and remember? If you do, move more and sit less.
That’s the recommendation shared in the new Second Edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, published in November 2018.
“Regular physical activity is one of the most important things people can do to improve their health,” wrote Alex M. Azar II, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in the guidelines. “…The scientific evidence continues to build — physical activity is linked with even more positive health outcomes than we previously thought. And, even better, benefits can start accumulating with small amounts of, and immediately after doing, physical activity.”
Physical activity can improve physical and mental health, as well as academics. For children in elementary and middle school, the guidelines say that regular activity improves memory, attention and performance in the classroom. Activity improves mental health by reducing children’s and adults’ risk of depression. For older adults, regular activity can cut the risk of falling and suffering injuries from falls. Just one session of physical activity can reduce your anxiety and even improve your sleep that night.
While the guidelines recommend that adults move at least 150 minutes a week and school-age children move 60 minutes a day, that might be more than you and your family can do right now.
“Do what you can,” the guidelines state. “Even 5 minutes of physical activity has real health benefits.”
While regular activity can improve health in many ways and lower the risk for common chronic diseases that last a lifetime, most Alaska adults, youth and children do not meet the recommendations for activity. Nearly 4 out of 5 Alaska adults and teenagers don’t get enough aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity during the week.
Looking for a quick summary of the guidelines? Read the Top 10 Things to Know online. The recently updated Physical Activity Guidelines share new recommendations supported by science.
Immediate benefits for how people feel, function and sleep
According to the guidelines, just one session of physical activity can reduce anxiety, improve memory, lower blood pressure and improve your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels. The guidelines confirm that activity can improve quality of sleep for adults. It can reduce the amount of time it takes to fall asleep and can increase the amount of time in deep sleep. It also can cut down on daytime sleepiness.
Risks of not being physically active
For the best health, adults need to move more. Increased time in low-levels of activity — like sitting, lying down, or watching TV or some other type of digital screen — is linked with increased risk for death, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer, the guidelines state.
For the most health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 ½ hours) of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes (1 ¼ hours) of vigorous activity each week. Adults should do muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week. Moderate activity includes anything that gets your heart beating faster, such as biking, hiking, recreational swimming or raking the yard. Jogging, running, carrying heavy groceries or shoveling snow are examples of vigorous activities.
Importance of encouraging physical activity early in life
Parents and caregivers should help children ages 3–5 be active throughout the day. The guidelines state this regular activity will improve their growth, development and bone strength, and help them grow up at a healthy weight.
The guidelines continue to recommend that older children ages 6–17 play every day for 60 minutes or more. This should include a mix of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic, muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activities.
Short bursts of activity bring benefits
The new guidelines stress that any amount of physical activity has some health benefits. The previous edition of the guidelines stated that only 10-minute sessions of activity counted toward meeting the guidelines. The new edition removes this requirement and encourages people to move more frequently throughout the entire day.
For more information about the importance of physical activity, visit the Active People, Healthy Nation website. | | Published Month : <hide>2018-11</hide>November 2018 (1)
| | 11/13/2018 9:35 AM |  School food service directors from the southeast to the northernmost parts of Alaska made the decision to serve only plain white milk during lunch and breakfast to cut back on the amount of sugar children drink during the school day.
In 2011, Carlee Johnson became the food service director at the Petersburg School District in Southeast Alaska. She learned that the children in Petersburg schools were offered chocolate milk every day of the week at school. Flavored milk was the most popular choice among the students, she said. Johnson started making changes to improve the availability of healthier food and drink options in Petersburg schools. Within months of her arrival at the district, Johnson’s food service program stopped ordering the chocolate milk.
“I completely took it out,” she said.
Geno Ceccarelli, food service coordinator, made the decision for the North Slope Borough School District when he started there five years ago. When he arrived, children could choose a chocolate or strawberry-flavored milk on Fridays. Ceccarelli said the flavored milk was high in sugar.
“So I eliminated it,” he said.
Johnson and Ceccarelli said some children and families were upset when the food service programs removed the chocolate milk from schools, but the food service directors explained the health reasons for making the change. When Petersburg students asked why they could no longer have chocolate milk, Johnson told them flavored milk is meant to be a treat offered only occasionally — “not like an everyday item.”
Both school districts participate in the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, which provide low-cost or free meals to millions of eligible children nationwide during the school day. Participation in the program requires the schools to provide at least two options of milk for lunch, but those options do not need to include chocolate or flavored milk. The options can look like they do in North Slope and Petersburg, where they include two types of plain white milk: one low-fat and one fat-free.
Cutting out chocolate and flavored milk reduces added sugar served to children at school. An 8-ounce container of fat-free chocolate milk offered at school can have about 3 teaspoons of added sugar. The sugar that children drink plus the sugar that they eat can quickly take kids over the recommended daily limit of added sugar for the best health.
Added sugar wasn’t the only concern in the chocolate milk. Flavored milk also can have added salt, Johnson and Ceccarelli said. Added salt is something both are trying to reduce in the foods and drinks they serve to children in school.
Switching to only white milk was just one change Johnson and Ceccarelli made at their school districts to make meals healthier for children. Petersburg schools added salad bars and stopped serving some processed foods, like chicken nuggets. Ceccarelli cut the added sugar in foods by using pureed carrots, blueberries and applesauce as sweeteners. He switched white rice to brown rice and reduced added salt by switching to dried herbs to season foods.
“Trying to do better for the kids — that’s my goal,” he said. “Less sugar, less sodium, more flavors, whole grains.”
Ceccarelli and Johnson also encourage students to drink water, and both of their school districts have made water more available. Schools in Utqiaġvik, formerly called Barrow, supply pitchers of water for the children at lunch. Schools in North Slope villages often set out coolers of water, Ceccarelli said.
Water became more available in all Petersburg schools when the district replaced older water fountains with water bottle filling stations in the elementary, middle and high schools, as well as in the gym area. Then, district staff gave all students their own water bottles so they could drink water in class and throughout the day. The food service staff in Petersburg schools occasionally make water more appealing in the cafeteria, too, by providing sliced lemons or limes to flavor the water.
Strategies like these may work in other schools. Talk about these ideas with your school districts, PTAs, principals and wellness committees to see if they could work in your communities and schools. Read more online about other strategies schools across Alaska are using to make healthy foods, drinks and physical activity available to more children.
| | Published Month : <hide>2018-10</hide>October 2018 (3)
| | 10/29/2018 7:58 AM | The Southeast Island School District (SISD) faces a few challenges when it comes to getting fresh fruits and vegetables. Its eight schools are scattered around several islands, with many accessible only by float plane. Produce travels long distances on a barge from Seattle, making several stops before reaching a Southeast Island scho ol. Most vegetables don’t grow well in Southeast Alaska’s rainforest.
Despite the odds, Southeast Island students, teachers and communities are working together to provide their own freshly grown produce for their school lunch program. The district’s school garden program began in 2014, with a greenhouse funded by an Alaska Workforce Development Grant. When Thorne Bay School began using a wood-fired boiler, they funneled some of the heat to the greenhouse to help grow foods year-round. An indoor hydroponic system grew lettuce that was used for school lunches.
Four years later, the district has six greenhouses, one orchard, and over 100 berry bushes. Chickens and rabbits freely roam the orchards. Three schools now use an aquaponics system, where fish provide nutrients to the plants and the plants clean the water for the fish.
Fresh salad bars with locally grown produce are on the menu every day. Students also have access to the greenhouses and will eat fresh tomatoes as a snack.
“Students were happy to eat salad when they realized they could pluck leaves from the plants themselves,” said Megan Fitzpatrick, a teacher in the district’s Farm to School program and the district's greenhouse manager. "It’s rewarding to hear kids go from asking ‘That’s what a cucumber plant looks like?’ to eating salad every day at school.”
Along with the fresh produce, the school gardens add other benefits. The Southeast Island School District provides fruits and vegetables for local farmers markets. School curriculum includes the garden as well. For example, photosynthesis is taught in the greenhouse, and kids learn geometry by measuring garden beds, how much soil to fill them with, and how many plants can be added to each bed. The garden also has taught students job skills in agriculture.
This past summer, the school district received a national Farm to School grant that will help expand the successful program. The district’s future plans include providing training for safe-handling of local produce to food service workers in all eight schools, reclaiming 80 percent of food waste by separating garbage from compostable materials, making produce available in all eight schools’ cafeterias three times a week, and using surveys to show students’ awareness of a healthy diet.
The school district’s Farm to School program is challenging and a continual learning curve. It’s difficult to fit time in the daily class schedule that is solely dedicated to the garden. Yet, those involved in the program feel there’s nothing more rewarding than working with children and teaching them about food.
“If there’s anything that unites all walks of life, it’s food and it brings all people together,” said Fitzpatrick. “We all have food in common.”
October is national Farm to School month. To learn more about Farm to School in Alaska, visit http://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_FTS.htm.
Photograph courtesy of the Southeast Island School District
| | 10/23/2018 3:50 PM |  It’s Wednesday, so children attending elementary schools in Sitka will have fish sandwiches made with Alaska pollock, peas and carrots for lunch.
That’s because the Sitka School District has a special program that serves locally harvested fish during hot lunch once a week — on Wednesdays — at all of its schools. Watch this video to see how the program works in the Sitka School District.
Sitka, an island community of about 9,000 residents in Southeast Alaska, is known for its local wild salmon. Every year, Sitka hosts a health summit. Community members pick goals to improve the health of their residents. Serving locally caught wild salmon and fish in schools became the goal at the 2010 summit. This program is now called Fish to Schools, and it relies on several partnerships with the Sitka Conservation Society and local fishermen.
Fish like wild salmon have health benefits. Fish provides:
"It's just really good for you, while tasting so good," said Eric Jordan, a Sitka fisherman who donates some of his catch to the program.
The school chefs at Sitka School District provide the children with a lot of variety when serving fish at lunch. They prepare baked salmon, fish nuggets, sweet and sour rockfish, salmon chowder and more.
“Now we’re doing homemade fish nuggets, our version of fish and chips, which is like the rockfish or the halibut when we have that. We take it, roll it in corn starch, dip it in a fat-free ranch, roll it in some herbed Panko (bread crumbs), and it’s baked. And it retains the moisture and the flavor and the seasonings,” said Jo Michalski, executive chef for the Sitka School District.
Strategies like these may work in other schools. Talk about these ideas with your school districts, PTAs, principals and wellness committees to see if they could work in your communities and schools. Read more online about other strategies schools across Alaska are using to make healthy foods, drinks and physical activity available to more children.
| | 10/9/2018 8:36 AM |  Alaska parents may think their children get a physical education class as often as they did growing up. In 2017, however, only 1 out of 5 Alaska high school students attended daily physical education classes.
Experts from SHAPE America and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) call for elementary schools to provide 150 minutes of physical education each week. Not all elementary schools in Alaska provide that much. Some school districts and schools within districts, however, are making regular physical education classes a priority and seeing the benefits. Providing high-quality physical education (PE) in schools is not the same thing as providing physical activity. Time for physical activity, however, is a great way to practice what’s learned in PE classes and can help Alaska children grow up at a healthy weight. Recess is one example of physical activity time.
Physical education:
- teaches fundamental skills in movement, like throwing and catching a ball
- improves children’s motor skills
- builds a foundation for lifelong physical fitness habits, and
- delivers academic benefits, including the possibility of improving children’s behavior in the classroom, grades and test scores.
Meeting recommendations in Alaska schools
Elementary schools in two different Alaska school districts have found their own ways to meet the recommendations for PE each week. In the Petersburg School District, that means providing PE classes four days each week and exceeding the 150 minutes of recommended PE time by the end of the school week. At Seward Elementary School, that means PE class all five days of the school week, every week, for children in grades 3-5.
Petersburg School District
At Stedman Elementary School, students in grades K-5 alternate between a week of gym class and a week of swim class, said Ginger Evens, teacher and wellness team member in the district. Students have 40 minutes of PE each day for four days during the school week, along with a minimum of 20 minutes of recess each day.
Daily physical activity and PE have become part of the school culture in Petersburg, Evens said.
“I believe Petersburg prioritizes meeting the national standards for PE time for children because of the overall benefits for their personal well-being, as well as for academic performance,” she said. “In the past, parents and community members have gone to school board meetings when there has been talk of cutting the swim program or reducing PE time and argued for keeping both programs.”
Petersburg’s commitment to PE also delivers the benefit of learning life-saving swimming skills in a coastal community. Students learn how to properly wear a life jacket, put on a survival suit and use cold water survival skills that are essential for a fishing community, Evens said.
Seward Elementary School in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
The teachers and principal at Seward Elementary School had been investigating strategies for improvements at school. They read research showing the connection between more active time in PE classes and recess and improvements in students’ learning and behavior.
In 2005, the staff changed the class schedule so all students in grade 3–5 could get 30 minutes of PE class every day, said Mark Fraad, the school’s sole PE teacher. That enabled the elementary school to reach the recommended 150 minutes of PE time each school week. The change to PE time, however, required changes in other areas, too. The school staff agreed to start having students eat lunch in classrooms so the gym was open for more PE classes all day.
Students at Seward Elementary seek out activity time as a reward, Fraad said. When they meet a goal, students ask for more PE time instead of treats or a food-related party.
“We’re offering a healthy alternative to the pizza party,” he said.
School staff noticed improved student performance and behavior after adding more physical education time. During the school year following the addition of PE classes, the percent of students skilled in math and reading increased in grades 3–5.
Strategies like these may work in other schools. Talk about these ideas with your school districts, PTAs, principals and wellness committees to see if they could work in your communities and schools. Read more online about other strategies schools across Alaska are using to make healthy foods, drinks and physical activity available to more children.
| | Published Month : <hide>2018-09</hide>September 2018 (2)
| | 9/25/2018 7:34 AM |  Do you have 60 seconds?
Watch our new video that shows all the ways Alaska children get out and play for 60 minutes every day. You’ll see kids in Utqiaġvik chasing each other in the snow and kids in Bethel jumping down sand dunes. You’ll see kids in Unalakleet running through the neighborhoods, kids in Petersburg swimming, and kids in Sitka splashing in puddles and playing kickball. You’ll see children shooting hoops, climbing jungle gyms, jumping rope, tumbling, flipping, riding bikes, dancing and running among the totem poles in Southeast Alaska. They’re smiling, laughing and happy because they are moving.
Find our free materials online
We are sharing videos, related posters and materials across the state and asking you to share them with your family, friends, teachers and schools; in your health clinics; and with your community organizations. You can run these videos in waiting rooms or share them on your websites or social media channels. You can hang posters in your schools, recreational and community centers, medical and dental clinics, and in other places that children and families visit. All materials are free and can be downloaded online from our physical activity resources webpage and another webpage with materials focused on cutting back on sugary drinks and choosing water and healthy drinks instead. On those pages, you’ll find the following:
• A 30-second video showing Alaska kids playing
• A 30-second video about schools that have made it easier for students to drink water instead of sugary drinks
• A "Jump In" poster promoting 60 minutes of daily play
• A “Play” poster promoting all the fun ways children can be active every day
• A link to our longtime partner, the nonprofit Healthy Futures program that provides a free physical activity challenge through more than 150 Alaska elementary schools each year.
You also can request a package of our educational handouts (rack cards) to share with parents regarding the health and academic benefits of daily physical activity. Play Every Day also has several educational rack cards about choosing healthy drinks instead of sugary drinks. Go online to find version 1, version 2 and version 3 of these rack cards.
Help Alaska families overcome challenges to daily physical activity
We talk to Alaska families before we make our materials. We have heard the challenges they say they face when trying to meet the national recommendation for 60 minutes of daily physical activity. They talk about a lack of time and a commitment to other priorities, like homework for children, chores and work for parents. They talk about challenging weather, which can mean cold, snowy, dark days in some communities and wet, rainy days in others. They talk about how cost can get in the way, with some sports and activities coming with price tags that are out of reach. They talk about a lack of opportunities in some communities, which don’t have pools or gyms open after school and on weekends.
Play Every Day’s messages show there are ways to overcome those challenges to get to the benefits on the other side. Daily activity can mean time spent together as a family, going for hikes, riding bikes and playing basketball. Daily activity can help children grow up at a healthy weight and feel good about themselves. It can reduce the risk of developing diseases that can last a lifetime, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Physical activity also can improve academic performance, including grades and focus in the classroom.
Over the years, we have found so many examples of Alaska children facing cold, snowy or rainy days and choosing to play anyway. Utqiaġvik kids dressed in their parkas and snow pants and turned a snow pile into a fun place to slide and jump. Bethel kids did the same thing with a sand dune. Puddles on the Petersburg and Sitka playgrounds became opportunities to splash. The kids threw on their raincoats and played outside, even finding a break from the rain under the covered playgrounds that some Alaska schools build to help children stay active in wet weather. After playing in the snow, Utqiaġvik kids could warm up inside by playing at recess in an entire jungle gym and basketball court that’s built in the heated school building.
Learn more online about ways to support daily physical activity for the children in your life. | | 9/4/2018 11:24 AM |  A year ago, about one-third of the residents in a small, rural Alaska community decided to take on a challenge — to eat only traditional, local foods for six weeks.
A group of Igiugig high school students in Teacher Tate Gooden’s classroom came up with the idea for what they called the Native Foods Challenge and then set it up as a school science study, complete with questions that needed answers:
- What would happen if the community ate only traditional, local foods for six weeks?
- How would their health be affected?
- Would they notice changes in blood pressure, blood sugar or body weight?
They followed up their questions with a written hypothesis: “We think this experience is going to be painful. People are going to be going through withdrawals from sugar and caffeine, but we think that our health is going to greatly improve.”
What started out as a children’s challenge resulted in noticeable improved physical health for the small village’s adults, Gooden said. Igiugig — southwest of Anchorage on the Alaska Peninsula — has only 69 residents. Twenty participants, ranging in age from 7 to 48, completed the challenge from Sept. 13 through Oct. 30, 2017.
“We had a lot of weight loss in the adults, which was great,” Gooden said. Nine adults lost a total of 192 pounds during the six weeks, he said. One adult who had diabetes reported being able to cut back on medication during the challenge. Another adult reported a decrease in high blood pressure, he said.
Gooden’s students wrote a report about the steps of their challenge from start to finish, they summarized their findings and then presented the project at the end of last school year during a science fair. It all started by reading a book for class.
Two years ago, Gooden’s high school students read “In Defense of Food,” by Michael Pollan. This book discusses an experiment in Australia when Aboriginal people traveled into their traditional rural homeland for seven weeks and ate only foods they could hunt or gather. Then they examined the health outcomes from such a diet.
After reading the book, Gooden’s class in the Lake and Peninsula School District wanted to try something similar in rural Alaska.
“We like to do more than learn about things,” Gooden said. “We like to invest and become involved with the topic.”
The students pitched the idea to the community and learned that many residents wanted to join in on the challenge. It started with baseline health screenings in January 2017 at the community health center run through Southcentral Foundation. The community health aide measured participants’ blood pressure, blood sugar levels and weight. Those screenings continued monthly through the end of the Native Food Challenge. Then the community scheduled the challenge to start in September 2017. Planning in advance meant participants had months to harvest, prepare and store fish, berries and greens to eat later during the challenge.
Each participant got to choose how strict they would be with their eating. Some called themselves “purists,” eating only foods found close to Igiugig. Another group only ate foods from Alaska. A third group focused only on whole foods, skipping packaged or processed foods. Igiugig has a store, but Gooden says the food there is often processed and costly. The fourth group of participants were less strict with their eating. All groups were allowed to add oats and salt to their diets.
Gooden listed many examples of what counted as locally caught or grown food: salmon, moose, ducks and geese, chickens, wild greens and berries, and food that grew in the gardens, such as kale, turnips, tomatoes, potatoes and rutabagas. What they were eating became a daily conversation, he said: “What are you having for dinner? Do you have anything for me? Do you want to trade?” Participants got creative with their ingredients. Someone made rutabaga and potato chips by thinly slicing the vegetables, then salting and baking them, Gooden said.
The group punctuated the food challenge with a 22-mile hike to Big Mountain, an area that is historically and culturally important to Igiugig residents, Gooden said. When they arrived, the participants had a potluck featuring native foods. It took multiple days to complete the hike, walking through windy, rainy and chilly weather. That hike stood out for the children.
“They were proud of themselves,” Gooden said. “They felt accomplished.”
As the project ended, the students wrote conclusions in their report. There were parts of the challenge that were difficult.
“Our hypothesis was correct,” the science report ends. “Everyone suffered caffeine withdrawals and sugar addictions. The first few weeks were difficult. … But toward the middle of the challenge the community got used to the new diet and began to thrive.”
The students wrote that they learned a lot about food and their health. The community is planning to do another food challenge in the fall of 2019, Gooden said.
The participants in 2017 valued the shared experience, he said.
“We were part of a community,” Gooden said. “We were part of a team. We were in this together.”
Photograph of a turnip harvest courtesy of Igiugig School | | Published Month : <hide>2018-08</hide>August 2018 (2)
| | 8/27/2018 8:58 AM |  Students are going back to schools across Alaska this month, and a number of these schools are continuing programs that make healthy drinks, foods and physical activity more available to hundreds of children. To share those ideas that work, Play Every Day launched a new short Public Service Announcement (PSA) that highlights programs in two corners of Alaska: the North Slope Borough School District and Petersburg in Southeast Alaska.
Programs like these may work in other schools. Talk about these ideas with your school districts, PTAs, principals, and wellness committees to see if they could work in your communities and schools.
Creating soda-free schools
One way to help children grow up at a healthy weight is to cut back on serving them sugary drinks. Reducing added sugar can lead to many health benefits, including preventing type 2 diabetes, cavities, even heart disease. After years of support from students, families and athletic booster clubs, the North Slope Borough School District made a change that elementary and middle schools in the district would be soda-free schools. This means soda can't be sold at schools, and it also can't be provided to students for free or brought from home.
Making it easier for kids to drink water at school
Another way to help kids cut back on sugary drinks is to give them more access to drinking water. That's the change that Petersburg School District made in schools across the Southeast community.
In recent years, staff at the district noticed the schools’ water fountains were getting old. They spent years replacing all of them with fountains that could also fill water bottles. The district installed water bottle filling stations at the high school, middle school, and elementary school, as well as the community gym where the elementary students have physical education classes. Then district staff gave a water bottle to every student. In Petersburg, that included about 450 students in grades K-12. Students could fill up those water bottles throughout the day and drink from their bottles during class.
These are just two school districts that are making changes that can help children grow up at a healthy weight. Read more examples from across the state in the success stories shared online.
| | 8/15/2018 9:42 AM |  In today’s world, children are often “plugged in.” In a 2017 state survey, 58 percent of Alaska high school students reported that they spend three or more hours a day watching television, playing video games, or using a computer or electronic device for something other than school work. Actual face-to-face interaction is becoming less common, and Facebook and FaceTime more so. Taking children outside and to the parks, for long or short trips, can teach them the value of “unplugging” at a young age and positively affect their long-term physical and emotional well-being.
With the increased use of social media, television and video games, time in nature is becoming less common — so much so that author Richard Louv has coined the term “nature deficit disorder” and talks about this phenomenon in his book called “Last Child in the Woods.” In his first chapter, Louv writes “As one scientist puts it, we can now assume that just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may all very well need contact with nature.” It opens up a whole new world, he explains in his book, that children cannot get from time in front of their electronic device.
Matt and Erin Callahan live in Anchorage and both work full-time. They plan their life around getting their children outside on trips of all lengths, keeping these outings varied and incorporating physical activity and learning. Their family recently went to Cordova on the Alaska ferry with their son Liam, 9. Matt said they chose this form of transportation so they could stay outside and learn about the outdoors, including glaciers, whales, and porpoises.
“We prefer a slower pace and more education,” he said. In Cordova, they hiked Mt. Eyak as a family. Mt. Eyak is a ski hill in the winter and a popular hike for locals and visitors in the summer. It has a vertical rise of 2,500 feet, covers about 5 miles round trip, and takes two to three hours to hike.
Erin Callahan is a psychiatric nurse practitioner. When her son was born, she felt compelled to brush up on neurodevelopment and learn as much as possible about healthy brain development.
"Every article and book I read concluded the same thing and that was: Too much connectedness to screens and media is harmful to the developing brain as it undercuts thinking, creativity, physical activity and overall emotional well-being. I always felt this intuitively but reading it over and over really gave me the push I needed to set healthy limits around our kids’ screen time," she said.
To this day, her son does not get screen time during the week and his time is limited on the weekends and in the summer. Erin said that, as a couple, they explain the “why” when their son asks about his television and computer restrictions that his friends don’t have. They explain that his brain and body need outdoor time, time to problem-solve, think creatively and read to develop in a healthy way, and that screen time could limit that.
They have kept him active since he was a toddler, with gymnastics, soccer, swimming lessons, skiing and outdoor play with friends. He participates in a daily summer camp that prioritizes physical activity all day long. He still plays soccer, is taking a parkour gymnastics class that he loves and participates in a cross country skiing program in the winter.
“Luckily, I no longer have to look for the research on exercise and its positive effects on the brain,” Erin said.
“Every day I'm writing prescriptions for people to get out and exercise,” she said. “The side effects are fantastic!”
Alaska is filled with opportunities to play outside with your family. You can choose trails; local, state and national parks; and endless activities that can keep kids entertained and connecting with nature, often at no or low cost. National parks are easily accessible, and the Every Kid in the Park Program gives every fourth grader and their family a free national park pass for one year. Alaska has 123 state park units in nine regions, covering 3.3 million acres and endless recreational opportunities year-round.
Keeping kids active early on can make a huge difference in how they will prioritize activity later in life. It’s never too late to start. Plan a trip with your kids to a park. Ride bikes on a trail and pack a picnic for along the way. Help your kids build a fort in the backyard, encourage them to play outside and set some limits on screen time. Take time during the week to get out there and play.
Resources to learn more
American Academy of Pediatrics
Create your personalized family media use plan here. | | Published Month : <hide>2018-07</hide>July 2018 (2)
| | 7/24/2018 12:34 PM |  Farmers markets are open in communities across Alaska, selling locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Many parents come to the markets with their children, and we’ve come up with a way to keep kids busy and learning about what’s growing in local farms. Bring our Farmers Market Bingo Card and make a game of trying to find three items in a row or all of the items on the card.
Farmers Markets are cropping up across Alaska and becoming a popular way to get fresh produce, support local farmers and provide a fun activity for the whole family to enjoy. Depending on the market, there are also activities for kids, petting zoos, music and locally made crafts and foods.
Kelly Gerlach lives in the Glennallen area. There is a Wednesday market in downtown Glennallen at a local business parking lot. You can find fresh produce from a local farm in Slana, baked goods from the area, as well as music and fun activities for the kids.
Kelly’s daughter Brynna, age 13, enjoys the local market.
“I love the market because of the fun crafts, the petting zoo and the independence I feel when I have my own money and can buy my own food,” she said.
The Anchorage and Mat-Su Borough have 26 farmers markets, including five throughout Anchorage, three in Eagle River and the remaining 18 in and around Palmer and Wasilla. If you live nearby, walking or biking to the market is a great option as many markets have bike racks. The Fairbanks area (including Delta Junction and North Pole) has 15 markets, the Kenai area has 13 and the following rural areas have local markets: Bethel, Dillingham, Glennallen, Southeast (Haines and Sitka), and Valdez.
The Mat-Su farms sell fresh produce, eggs and meats in Anchorage. The Center Market, located in the Sears Mall in Anchorage, is the only year-round market. It is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. –4 p.m. The market has a wide variety of vendors that sell locally grown meats, vegetables, sprouts, spices, mushrooms and more.
Other markets may have only one vendor, but that vendor will have fresh vegetables, such as Dinkel’s Veggies at the Northway Mall in Anchorage. The Eagle River market at the VFW post is open on Tuesdays and has a handful of vendors with vegetables, pickled foods, jams, homemade crafts and a vendor that serves authentic Mexican food.
Families with lower incomes can purchase affordable fresh produce at the farmers markets. Low-income seniors and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants can use a coupon for up to $30 at participating farmers markets in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Homer, Kenai, Kodiak, Dillingham and the Palmer and Wasilla areas. Visit the State of Alaska’s Division of Public Assistance for more information.
Most markets run from early June to the end of September, at varying days and times, and some end earlier or go even later into the year. Teach your kids healthy eating habits and support local farmers by visiting a market near you. Make it a fun learning experience by taking the Farmers Market Bingo card. Go online to find a farmers market near you.
| | 7/9/2018 11:11 AM |  Planting strawberries in towers, greens in a hydroponic system and carrots in a small swimming pool are just some of the fun activities kids are doing this summer through the Alaska Farm to Summer Meal Program.
Summers can be a challenging and hungry time for children. In Alaska, over half of students qualified for free or reduced lunches during the school year. When the school year comes to a close, these children typically lose access in the summer to the affordable or free meals. To address this, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program helps approved sites provide nutritious meals for free to children younger than 18.
The Farm to Summer Meal Program pairs up with these sites to promote healthy eating by growing their own fruits and vegetables or purchasing them from local farmers and farmers markets. This summer, seven school districts, childcare programs and a 4-H Club are connecting students, food service staff and teachers to healthy local foods and learning about the origins of their food.
A goal of the Farm to Summer Meal Program is to increase children’s preferences for fruits and vegetables by providing opportunities for hands-on learning for them to grow, harvest, purchase and prepare these healthy foods. The Bethel 4-H Club found kids usually “pass” on the peas during the after-school snack.
“After planting pea seeds, at least two kids requested peas, which had never happened before,” according to Sharon Chakuchin with the Bethel site.
The cool temperatures this summer slightly delayed planting, but they haven’t dampened the enthusiasm.
“Naturally, playing in the dirt was loved by all,” said Natalie Ray with Ray’s Child Care and Learning Center in Palmer. “We use organic dirt, and children use garden gloves and little shovels.”
This is the third year Loretta Fitting with the Alaska Gateway School District in Tok has participated in the Farm to Summer Meal Program.
“We love to garden. The kids are always ready to learn new things,” she said. “I am hoping to have them start their own gardens at home.”
The Alaska Division of Agriculture Farm to School Program and the Department of Education and Early Development Child Nutrition Programs initiated the Farm to Summer Meal Program in 2016. This summer, the Department of Health and Social Services, Obesity Prevention and Control Program provided funding for seven programs to participate.
Everyone can celebrate Alaska’s gardeners, farmers and local food during the 2018 Alaska Farm to Summer Week, July 23-27. Check out the Campaign Toolkit to find activities, recipes and where to find fresh, healthy Alaska Grown foods.
| | Published Month : <hide>2018-06</hide>June 2018 (1)
| | 6/4/2018 8:41 AM | Alaska offers many opportunities to get out and play with your kids—camping, hiking, exploring and fun outdoor events—and many communities offer an assortment of kid-friendly runs or events at low or no cost. Getting your kids involved in physical activity is one of the best ways to support positive healthy habits they can take into adulthood.
Mosquito Meander in Fairbanks, Alaska Run for Women in Anchorage
Fairbanks starts its summer with the 2018 Mosquito Meander on June 9, a 5K (3.1 mile) family fun run/walk. This year will be the 26th running of the event, which benefits the Resource Center for Parents & Children. On the same day, Anchorage will have the Alaska Run for Women with 5- and 1-mile events for females of all ages and abilities. The run benefits the fight against breast cancer, with 100% of the donated proceeds going toward mammograms, breast cancer research and education.
Other events in Seward, Cooper Landing, Palmer and Ketchikan
Here’s a glimpse of what’s going on around the state for kids:
• Fairbanks has four Kids Cross Country (XC) Runs at 6 p.m. every other Friday evening from June 8 through July 20 at the West Valley High School soccer fields.
• Seward Real Estate’s Bear Bells Run 1-mile event for kids is June 8 and Cooper Landing’s Trail Run is June 9.
• Anchorage starts one of four “Splash ‘n Dash” races, a kids-only swim and run at the Service High School Pool on June 26.
• Palmer has a Kilted Mile Race on June 30. It’s a family event and part of the Scottish Highland Games.
• Ketchikan hosts the Blueberry Fun Run and Walk on August 4. This includes a 1-mile kid’s run.
All of the details of these races and more can be found in the Alaska Runner's Calendar.
Leaders who start these races believe in making exercise fun for kids. Tracey Martinson started the Kids XC Runs in Fairbanks about 15 years ago. She says she started them because there weren't many opportunities for young kids ages 5–10 to run in a timed event that is geared toward their abilities (0.5 mile to 1.5 miles).
“The goal is to help kids enjoy running, not be overwhelmed by it, as can happen if they enter a 5K race,” she said. “We also have the Equinox Kid’s Marathon, now in its 16th year.” Find more information on the kid’s marathon here.
Heather Helzer, a competitive triathlete and ultra-runner, started Alaska Splash n' Dash in Anchorage last year as a way to give kids who are interested in triathlons more competition in Alaska. She wanted kids to have an opportunity to compete or participate in kids-only races. The Alaska Splash n' Dash is a swim/run three-race series, in which kids receive points and awards at the end of the series.
“The goal is to encourage more kids to get involved in the sport of triathlon without the barrier of needing a bike, keeping the entry to the sport low and the race price low as well,” said Helzer. Prices are $20 for one race and $50 for all three races, which includes a medal at every race, T-shirt, snacks and more.
Last year, about 40 kids participated in each Splash n’ Dash, with a total of more than 70 kids for the race series. Helzer said she expects 75–100 kids at this year’s races. Life jackets are allowed, and parents can run the entire course with their child. They also encourage the entire family to volunteer if they're unable to race.
“This is a kids-only fun race with the goal for every kid to finish and have fun,” Helzer said. For more information, visit Turnagain Training.
For more kid-friendly events, visit the Healthy Futures website. | | Published Month : <hide>2018-05</hide>May 2018 (2)
| | 5/21/2018 8:48 AM |  The Eagle River Triathlon is Sunday, June 3, 2018, and it’s a great opportunity to start the summer spending time outdoors with your kids. The triathlon also kicks off a series of summer physical activity events, including the Mayor’s Marathon Kid’s Mile on June 21 and the Anchorage RunFest Kids 2K on August 18.
The Eagle River Tri is a sprint distance triathlon. It has an untimed event for kids ages 6 to 12, as well as timed events for adults and children 13 and older. The intent of the event is to promote a safe and fun introduction to the triathlon, as well as a competitive race for more experienced elite athletes.
Local athlete Liane Nagata has participated in the Eagle River Tri with her daughters, Lauren (20) and Madalyn (15) when they were younger. She said it was the perfect introduction to triathlons for her daughters, as they later completed the Gold Nugget Triathlon in Anchorage.
“The event is fun to watch, and once they did it one time, they were ready to do it again,” Nagata said. “They enjoyed it and the organization (of the event) makes it fun and definitely safe for even the littlest kids.”
The entry fees are $30.00 for kids and $108.00 for adults. The online registration deadline is June 1, 2018, or until the event sells out. There is no race-day registration, except for the kids’ race. The kids’ race, however, has a limit of 250 participants.
The sprint distance for adults is a 500-yard pool swim (10 laps/20 lengths), followed by a 20K (12.4 miles) bike and a 5K (3.1 miles) run. The kids have a choice of a long course or a short course. The long course includes a 100-yard (two lap) swim, a 2-mile bike, and .8 mile run. The short course includes a 50-yard (one lap) swim, a 2-mile bike, and .8 mile run.
Race director Kristin Folmar says 150-225 kids typically turn out for the Eagle River Tri, which she calls a low-key, no-pressure event.
“If a kid swims one lap in the pool and wants to get out, that’s an option,” she said. “It is meant to be a fun, safe, positive experience and an event for the whole family. It is a community event, and the kids get to see the adults participate first. The kids get to warm up with pre-game events sponsored by Healthy Futures and Chain Reaction Cycles.”
For more information about the Eagle River Tri, visit the kid’s page on the website. Families who are interested in signing up for other summer events can learn more online. Information about the Mayor’s Marathon Kid’s Mile on June 21 can be found here. Learn more about the Anchorage RunFest Kids 2K on August 18 at this website. Plan ahead for these fun events!
Photograph courtesy of Matias Saari, Healthy Futures program
| | 5/11/2018 3:20 PM |  In winter or summer, the trails across Alaska are ideal for great adventures. Some Alaskans use them in a big way, such as mushing dogs almost 1,000 miles along trails during the yearly Iditarod race. Alaska’s health department is partnering with the Anchorage Park Foundation to help many Alaskans use them in an everyday way. Anchorage Park Foundation’s “Health on Trails” program makes it easier for people to learn what trails are nearby, how long it takes to walk them, and how far you can go on trails during a lunch break or after work.
“The Anchorage Park Foundation works hard to improve our parks and trails. However, if people aren’t getting out and enjoying these premier amenities, then we aren’t making the most of our resources,” said Molly Lanphier, with the foundation. “Getting out during the workday is one way that Anchorage residents can take full advantage of Anchorage’s crown jewel.”
Alaska’s Obesity Prevention and Control Program worked with the foundation to pilot a worksite wellness map project as part of the Health on Trails initiative. Together they are working with two employers — the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association (APIA) and Catholic Social Services — to connect employees to the parks and trails closest to their worksite and promote workplace wellness.
“The wellness map gives employees the tools, social support, and encouragement to adopt a physically active lifestyle right from their office door” said Karol Fink, program manager for the state’s obesity prevention program.
The custom-designed map shows a safe and interesting walking route that employees can take right from their office door — before, after or during their breaks at work. The maps include the nearby trail’s distance, safety considerations, and a legend that highlights viewpoints, bridges, and other attractions along the path. To learn about the map and walking route, employees were invited to attend a luncheon and take a guided tour of the route with Lanphier from the Park Foundation.
As one example, Catholic Social Services’ map showcases baseball fields, sitting benches, and a warning where sidewalks are not present during the 1.25-mile walk around Tikishla Park. On the back of the map, there are recommendations for changing weather conditions, respecting wildlife, and how to be prepared to enjoy the outdoors.
Encouraging Alaskans to walk on trails before or after work or during breaks is one way to help people of all ages get closer to the nationally recommended amount of daily activity. Many Alaskans are currently falling short. In 2015, 58% of Alaska adults met the recommended 150 minutes of aerobic physical activity per week. In 2017, only 18% of Alaska high school students met the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day of the week. The maps are one way APIA and Catholic Social Services are supporting their employees in making healthy lifestyle choices and promoting physical activity.
“Alaska is unique because the weather and daylight is always changing. Finding opportunities that are safe, enjoyable, and easily accessible is important,” said Inmaly Inthaly from Catholic Social Services. “Walking from our worksite makes a lot of sense because we’re already here.”
Go online to learn more about the Health on Trails program.
| | Published Month : <hide>2018-04</hide>April 2018 (2)
| | 4/17/2018 1:50 PM |  Alaska is a state where high school standouts go on to ski for a gold medal at the Olympics, shoot hoops for the NBA, and play baseball for the big leagues.
That’s Chad Nading’s story – from East High Thunderbird to baseball player for the San Diego Padres system. For Nading, it started with a physically active childhood and continued through years of sticking with the game.
“In 2016, I was sitting on a couch with no opportunities to keep playing, when an independent baseball team — the Wichita Wingnuts — called me,” said Nading, the former four-time Alaska state champion. “They needed help filling innings because they had injuries.”
“I had no guarantee I would stay for more than a weekend. It was my decision whether to take a chance and play, or retire from baseball.”
Nading took a chance. He earned a permanent spot with the Wingnuts and later signed with the San Diego Padres organization in 2017. He went on to play with the San Antonio Missions.
“I took a chance and got the opportunity to prove myself, and it was the best decision I could have made,” he said.
Over the years, Nading kept sharpening his skills by coaching with the Alaska Baseball Academy and Notre Dame Preparatory, while giving young athletes the knowledge he wished he had at a younger age. Nading points to his youth as the reason for his success.
“I was very active as a kid. Whatever my friends wanted to do – roller hockey, fishing, basketball, football – I was willing to do it,” he said. “My parents were very supportive of my desire to be active, as well as whatever I decided to do.”
His experience with sports turned into a passion, which turned into a determination to excel. Nading lettered in multiple sports at Anchorage School District’s East High School, winning state titles in track and field, baseball, and football.
“Sports are humbling, especially in the big leagues,” he said. “Staying positive in tough times and confident in good times has led me to where I am. I had to fight through really bad days by telling myself that I was good enough and tomorrow is a new day to show my ability.”
Nading encourages youth to be as active as possible and try several sports.
“Be coachable, while listening to yourself,” he said. “Take care of yourself by eating well, exercising often.”
He had one more reminder: Drink plenty of water. Nading said he remembers to drink water by carrying a bottle with him and filling it up at least four times each day.
Photograph courtesy of Chad Nading
| | 4/4/2018 8:02 AM |  Have you ever competed in a race when winning meant crossing the finish line before the last note of a song? What about when winning gave you naming rights for a bison? Communities across Alaska are organizing a set of unique races to kick off this spring’s running season.
These events are supported by our partner, Healthy Futures. Thousands of children across Alaska are logging their physical activity this month on their Healthy Futures Challenge logs. These fun events count toward the children’s goal of 60 minutes of physical activity every day.
Beat Beethoven in Fairbanks
It’s time to sign up for “Beat Beethoven,” an annual 5K race that kicks off the running season in Fairbanks on Saturday, April 14, 2018. Participants who finish before the last note of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony get a voucher for free admission to a Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra performance. The composer’s well-known symphony is about 31 minutes long, which could make it a quick-paced race on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.
Early bird registration for this Symphony Orchestra fundraiser ends Monday, April 9, and late registration continues through race day. The race starts at 11 a.m. April 14. Healthy Futures will hand out medals to children who finish.
Run in Portage to name first-born bison
Further south, Portage will be the site for another interesting fun run on April 14, 2018. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center has organized the Bison Run Wild 5K to raise funds to care for the wood bison at the center. The man and woman who win the race will get to name the first bison born this season. Go online for more information and to register for the race that starts at 11 a.m.
Race for a healthy heart in Anchorage
April brings the 40th annual Alaska Heart Run in Anchorage. A timed race begins at 9:30 a.m. and an untimed race starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Participants can walk or run a 3K or 5K course at the Alaska Airlines Center on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. The event benefits the American Heart Association to pay for research and programs that help address heart disease and stroke. Top finishers in each age group will receive certificates and ribbons. All children in grades 6 and under will receive medals. Go online for more information or to register.
Visit an Alaska events website to find out more about summer events supported by Healthy Futures.
Photograph courtesy of the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra
| | Published Month : <hide>2018-03</hide>March 2018 (1)
| | 3/12/2018 8:09 AM |  Vitamin D is often called the “sunshine vitamin” because our bodies can make vitamin D when sunlight contacts the skin. During our dark winter months, many Alaskans are getting very little (if any) vitamin D from sunlight exposure, so we need to think about getting the vitamin through foods and supplements. Vitamin D is important for strong bones and may contribute to overall good health.
“Eating healthy foods is always the best option”, says Diane Peck, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with the Alaska Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “Healthy foods provide so many more nutrients and other benefits that aren’t found in supplements. But for many people in Alaska, taking a vitamin D supplement along with a healthy diet may be appropriate.”
Lucky for us, some of the foods with the most vitamin D are found in Alaska. Traditional diets protected Alaska Native people during the long, dark winter. Salmon — fresh, canned or smoked — is an excellent source of vitamin D. Marine mammals, fish oil and seal oil contain large amounts of vitamin D. Oysters, shrimp, halibut, flounder, and rock fish are good sources, too.
Other foods that contain vitamin D include tuna fish, cod liver oil, egg yolks, and some mushrooms. Vitamin D has also been added to many foods. Look for the words “vitamin D fortified” on packages of milk, soymilk, yogurt, orange juice, oatmeal, and ready-to-eat cereals. For a list of foods and their vitamin D content, see the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
The amount of vitamin D needed varies throughout your lifespan. You can learn more about the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D at https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-Consumer/. Besides living in a place without much sunlight, other factors may affect vitamin D levels:
• People with darker skin don’t produce vitamin D as quickly as people with lighter skin.
• Older adults may not produce vitamin D as well as younger people.
• Breastfeeding is the best choice for the health of infants, but breast milk can be low in vitamin D.
If you think you’re not getting enough vitamin D, talk with your health care provider. It is important to note that taking too much vitamin D can have negative effects and may interact with other medications you’re taking.
| | Published Month : <hide>2018-02</hide>February 2018 (2)
| | 2/27/2018 8:47 AM |  Fifteen years ago, a small nonprofit started a free physical activity challenge to help Alaska children get moving. The hope was to support children to be physically active every day. This would help them grow up healthy and prevent childhood obesity, a serious problem in our state.
Healthy Futures — a small program with a big goal — has been supporting active children all across Alaska ever since. During the first Healthy Futures Challenge in 2003, just 30 of Alaska’s 400 elementary schools participated. The Healthy Futures program was founded by the late Bonny Sosa Young and her husband Sam Young, parents who were concerned about childhood obesity in Alaska.
Since 2003, more partners started to work with Healthy Futures to support physical activity. Providence Health & Services Alaska is a longtime partner. The United Way of Anchorage supports the program, as does the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, ConocoPhillips, the Alaska Kidney Foundation and others. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Obesity Prevention and Control Program and its Play Every Day campaign became a partner for the 2012 Spring Challenge, and that partnership continues today. Now, Healthy Futures is run through another organization called the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.
Participation took off as more organizations started working with Healthy Futures to promote the same goal of active Alaska kids. Look at how the program has grown:
- First Challenge during the 2003-2004 school year: 30 schools, 2,300 participating children
- Spring 2012 Challenge: 110 schools, almost 7,000 participating children
- Fall 2017 Challenge: 165 schools, more than 14,000 participating children
- Spring 2018 Challenge: About 175 schools signed up for the Challenge that runs February through April, 2018
“It's nice to see the growth of the Healthy Futures program over the years, but it's especially gratifying to know that the essence of Healthy Futures has never really wavered during that time,” said Harlow Robinson, executive director of Healthy Futures and the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. “The mission and the core programs have always been fundamentally sound and that is a testament to Bonny Sosa's vision.”
It’s not too late for schools to sign up for the Spring Challenge online. The Spring Challenge runs in February, March and April. Students keep a log of their daily physical activity with the goal of being active at least 60 minutes a day for 15 days each month. This helps Alaska children get closer to the national recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity every day for the best health. The challenge is free to schools and students. Students who successfully log their physical activity each month of the challenge win a prize from Healthy Futures.
Staff at interested schools can contact alyse@healthyfuturesak.org to learn about signing up for this and future physical activity challenges. Parents can ask their children if their elementary schools are participating in the challenge (almost half of them are), and can help support their kids to complete the physical activity goals each month.
The map of schools participating in the Spring Healthy Futures Challenge was created in mid February, 2018.
| | 2/20/2018 11:56 AM |  State health leaders focused on obesity prevention are working with Alaska dental providers to help reduce sugary drink consumption among children and families.
During January and February, Alaska Obesity Prevention and Control Program staff visited Bethel and Utqiagvik to train more than 80 dentists, dental assistants, and dental health aide therapists, as well as pharmacists, pediatricians, physician assistants and diabetes prevention professionals. The providers with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation and Arctic Slope Native Association learned how to use a new, brief guide called “When Sugar is Not So Sweet.”
The trained dental providers are now using the guide to talk with families about the large amount of sugar hiding in many drinks, the health risks linked to that added sugar, and steps families can take to cut back on sugary drinks and choose water or milk instead. The brief guide is available for free online. A rack card about picking a plan to cut back on sugary drinks also is available online.
“This training gave our entire team knowledge and tools that we need to influence an efficient change in our community,” said Dr. Tucker Burnett, a dentist with YKHC. “With this training, we are better equipped to reach out and help adjust our patients’ thinking about what they drink.”
The new guide for dental providers offers another strategy to talk with families about the risks of eating and drinking too much sugar. Sugary drinks are the number one source of added sugar in people’s daily diets.
“Too many of Alaska’s children and adults are drinking sugary beverages, often every single day,” said Karol Fink, the Obesity Prevention and Control Program manager who conducted the trainings. “About 40 percent of Alaska high school students report drinking at least one sugary drink every day. Almost 25 percent of Alaska adults say they drink a sugary drink every day.”
Just one sugary drink can have more added sugar than children and adults should have in one day, based on the added sugar limits in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Helping Alaskans cut back on added sugar can help prevent serious health problems that may start in childhood and last a lifetime, Fink said. These health problems include cavities, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity. In Alaska, about 1 out of 3 children is overweight or obese. About 2 out of 3 adults are overweight or obese.
The training offered for YKHC and Arctic Slope dental staff is part of a two-year pilot Healthy Drinks for Healthy Kids project. The project is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve dental health and prevent obesity and other chronic diseases in Alaska. The pilot is supported by the Alaska Dental Society; the Alaska Women’s, Children’s and Family Health, Oral Health program; and dental providers across the state.
The Healthy Drinks for Healthy Kids project also includes new public education materials focused on reducing sugary drink consumption. Two public service announcements will air on television and online this spring. One video announcement shows how cutting back on sugary drinks can help prevent serious health problems, including tooth decay and type 2 diabetes. The other video shows parents switching out unhealthy food items for healthier options at meals, but stresses that parents would be doing more to protect their children’s health if they also stopped serving them sugary drinks and served water or milk instead. Parents and their children also will see educational posters hanging in hundreds of schools across Alaska, as well as in public health centers, medical and dental clinics, and in Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) offices. Alaskans will find related videos and educational posts on social media.
Visit our website to learn more about the Healthy Drinks for Healthy Kids project. Dental providers who want to know more about the guide can contact playeveryday@alaska.gov.
Photograph: Dr. Tucker Burnett and dental assistant Isaiah Anvil with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation received training to use the brief dental guide called "When Sugar Is Not So Sweet."
| | Published Month : <hide>2018-01</hide>January 2018 (3)
| | 1/30/2018 9:17 AM |  Kids at Auntie Mary Nicoli Elementary in Aniak are getting ready to play. So are kids at elementary schools in Craig, Glennallen, Ketchikan, Kiana, Manokotak, Nightmute and White Mountain.
Around the state, about 80 elementary schools and groups have signed up to help children complete a half hour of organized physical activity — all at the same time in communities across the state. They will be participating in the second PLAAY Day, scheduled for Thursday morning, Feb. 22, 2018. PLAAY stands for Positive Leadership for Active Alaska Youth. Our partner, the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, is running PLAAY Day to help Alaska children get active for good health.
It’s not too late for schools to sign up to participate. PLAAY organizers are hoping for at least 150 participating schools, so thousands of children across the state have the opportunity to be physically active on PLAAY Day.
“The goal behind PLAAY Day is to galvanize communities to encourage children to be physically active,” said Harlow Robinson, executive director of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. “A shared physical activity — especially on the grand scale of our state — has the potential to create enthusiasm around the cause.”
At 10 a.m. that morning, children will participate in a half hour of physical activity in school gyms, classrooms, recreation centers, common spaces or even outside. Students from the University of Alaska Anchorage Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation along with Anchorage-based youth will lead the children in an organized and synchronized fun session of activity. Children will be able to participate at their appropriate levels and physical abilities. Physical activities included during PLAAY Day will be able to be modified and adapted to include students of all abilities, Robinson said.
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and GCI will link all of these schools and groups through a free, live videoconferencing session. Schools and organizations can participate in different ways, from toll free dialing into a conference with video playing at their location to interactive video teleconference participation.
Schools can sign up now for PLAAY DAY and will receive more information about the event as the date gets closer. Interested schools and groups can register as an entire school, a classroom, a home school, or an organization.
Along with organizing PLAAY Day, the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame will run the PLAAY Summit on Feb. 23 and 24, 2018, in Anchorage at ANTHC. The Summit will feature experts from around the state who will help teachers, parents, nurses, coaches, administrators and other leaders address many areas of youth and adolescent health, including psychological, social and emotional development. The PLAAY Summit also will focus on physical activity as a way to improve health.
Partners of the PLAAY Day and PLAAY Summit include Healthy Futures, ANTHC, GCI, the Alaska Center for Pediatrics, Alaska Airlines, Children’s Hospital at Providence, the Anchorage School District, Bristol Bay Native Corporation, Play Every Day, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, University of Alaska Anchorage, Vidyo, The Alaska Club, Anchorage Running Club, LaTouche Pediatrics, Alaska Pediatric Therapy, Bear Tooth, Kaladi Brothers, and others.
To learn more about PLAAY Day or the PLAAY Summit, contact Wallace Wilson at wally@alaskasportshall.org or Harlow Robinson at harlow@alaskasportshall.org.
| | 1/15/2018 7:47 AM | 
A group of 10 elementary and middle school boys in Fairbanks have invented a device to get you thinking about how much water you drink every day.
They did their research this year and learned that kids — and adults — don’t always drink enough water every day for the best health. They want to help you remember to drink water every day, and they designed an original bracelet to help you do that. They named it the Hydracelet.
These boys have a special name, too. They’re called the Philosophers, which is the team name for their Lego Robotics competition. They work together through the Interior Distance Education of Alaska (IDEA) homeschool program in Fairbanks. Lego Robotics involves building and programming robots to accomplish tasks. Each year, the First Lego League competition also comes with a research topic. This year’s topic is hydrodynamics. Each group had to come up with a water-related challenge and design a plan to tackle it. The Philosophers chose to explore ways to help people who don’t drink enough water every day.
“I was one of those kids who didn’t drink enough water, until I used the Hydracelet,” said 12-year-old Dawson Cooper, a seventh-grader on the Philosophers team.
It turns out the Hydracelet was a winning idea. The Philosophers won the Best Project award during the Fairbanks Lego Robotics regional qualifier in December, so the team and their Hydracelets will be in Anchorage this Saturday, January 20, 2018, for the statewide Lego Robotics competition at Dimond High School.
“We’re going to give them to the judges so they can see how they work,” Dawson said.
When designing the Hydracelet, Dawson talked with Fairbanks pediatrician Dr. Letha Archer to learn more about water and good health. Dr. Archer said not drinking enough water is definitely a problem she has seen in her 22 years of practice. Dehydration can lead to constipation and headaches, she said. Water also helps your body maintain a normal temperature, cushion the joints, and get rid of waste through sweating and urination, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I see a lot of kids who drink the wrong kinds of drinks, so I push water,” Dr. Archer said. The wrong kinds of drinks, she said, are those with added sugar, like soda, sports drinks, and sweetened fruit drinks. These drinks can hurt teeth, and lead to weight gain and obesity, she said. Water, on the other hand, has no added sugar and no calories.
Dr. Archer said she thinks the Philosophers are working on a great research project and she was impressed by the Hydracelet. The team worked with an online company to order blue silicone bracelets in adult and youth sizes that say “Hydracelet” on the inside and have the numbers 1 through 8 printed in a large white font on the outside. Each number stands for one, 8-ounce glass of water. Then the group worked with a 3D printer in the Fairbanks area to create a square-shaped slider that wraps around the bracelet. Each time you drink an 8-ounce glass of water, you move the slider up a number. When the slider reaches 8, you know you have consumed eight glasses of water, or 64 ounces, that day.
How much water you need every day depends on a number of factors: your age, weight, overall health, physical activity level, and more. The Mayo Clinic says 8, 8-ounce glasses of water a day is “easy to remember, and it’s a reasonable goal.” Some people might eed more, and some might need less. Dr. Archer said 64 ounces of water a day is a good target in general for older school-age children and adults.
Zach Burgess, a 12-year-old Philosophers team member who lives in North Pole, said he didn’t drink that much water each day before wearing the Hydracelet. He said he drank only two to three glasses of water a day, and thinks this led to a lot of headaches. He’s been wearing a Hydracelet for the past two months and said he moves the slider over to eight glasses of water most days.
“Every time I look at my wrist and it’s a low number, it reminds me to drink more water,” Zach said.
The boys started with a limited quantity of Hydracelets, only about 200. They raised funds to pay for this first batch and sell them for a few dollars each, putting the proceeds toward buying more. Dawson said they are hoping to raise enough money to buy Hydracelets that they can give away to hospitals, clinics and schools in the Fairbanks area. Dawson said he hopes handing out Hydracelets will help teach kids the importance of drinking water for good health. Zach said he hopes children around Alaska — and maybe around the country — will wear them.
You can learn more about the Philosophers and their Hydracelet project on Facebook. The team also has an Etsy page for the bracelet.
Photograph: Dawson Cooper, left, and Zach Burgess, right, wear their Hydracelets to help remind them to drink water.
| | 1/2/2018 10:52 AM |  Holly Brooks is a name many Alaska children may recognize.
They likely heard her voice telling jokes or sharing messages about the benefits of physical activity and the Healthy Futures Challenge during morning announcements at school.
Or they may have seen the Olympic cross country skier on TV in a Play Every Day public service announcement.
Or maybe she has even visited their school to speak to students about healthy activity choices and choosing milk or water instead of sugary drinks.
Brooks is a big name in Alaska sports, and she just received one more honor. Brooks will soon be inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018.
When considering candidates, the selection panel considers how much pride an individual brings to Alaskans, said Harlow Robinson, executive director of Healthy Futures and the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.
“Holly is a great example of an Alaskan we can all be proud of,” Robinson said.
Brooks is a former member of the United States Ski Team. She earned seven top-10 finishes in World Cup races and two national championship wins. She skied in two Olympic Winter Games. In 2013, Brooks helped the U.S. team win a World Cup relay medal. Brooks has also won the 50K Tour of Anchorage and 55K American Birkebeiner marathon races, along with several prestigious in-state mountain races including Mount Marathon, Bird Ridge, and Lost Lake.
Brooks said she is honored and humbled to be named to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.
“I think it is really important for kids to be introduced to healthy role models and people they can look up to, and it’s amazing to be identified as one of those role models for the state,” she said.
Brooks has been a spokesperson for Healthy Futures and the Play Every Day campaign since the earliest days of her professional career. She said the opportunity these programs have provided to meet thousands of kids and share positive messages with them has been one of the highlights of her career.
“Probably one of my favorite parts about being a professional athlete is the platform you get to speak from as an Olympian,” she said. “I love going into the schools and meeting the kids. Not every kid is exposed to healthy activity and lifestyle choices at home, so being able to be that person in a kid’s life is really special.”
Robinson said that passion is one of the reasons Brooks was selected for the award.
“Her dedication to giving back to the community speaks to the kind of person Holly is, and illustrates the positive impact she's had in Alaska,” he said. “Holly has been a tremendous spokesperson.”
| | Published Month : <hide>2017-12</hide>December 2017 (1)
| | 12/12/2017 1:45 PM |  The holiday season is in full swing, and communities across the state have planned fun ways to be physically active outdoors with your family.
Dec. 16, 2017
Celebrate the Solstice. Go for a walk in the woods in Eagle River, snowshoe in Fairbanks, or head out for a run in Willow.
The Eagle River Nature Center invites you to bring your lantern, or borrow one of theirs, to light your way along the trails to a bonfire. The free event runs from 6-8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 16. Participants can bring nonperishable food items to donate to the Eagle River Food Bank. Find out more online.
If you live in the Fairbanks area, sign up for the free Solstice Snowshoe Shuffle at noon, Dec. 16. Participants will shuffle along a 1-mile loop. Don’t have your own snowshoes? Don’t worry. The event organizers have extra snowshoes available for participants. Learn more at on Facebook.
Willow has put out quite the invitation online: “We want to encourage people to come to Willow and run in the dead of winter!” The Willow Winter Solstice Marathon Races also take place Dec. 16 with several options for those interested in shorter or longer runs. There will be a 5K, a half marathon and a marathon. Each course will be on winter trails. The event’s website is filled with words of caution, letting potential participants know they should be prepared for cold temperatures and varying types of weather. The website includes reminders to train for cold weather, pack extra clothes, and consider bringing snowshoes and spiked shoes. “You may need them!” the website said. Read more about this event online.
Dec. 17, 2017Got skis? Great if you do, but don’t worry if you don’t. Come to Kincaid Park in Anchorage from 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, for the second Solstice Tree Tour. The whole family can ski — or walk — in the woods. Adults and children of all abilities are welcome. Trees along 2.5K of the Mize Loop will be decorated by local businesses and organizations, including our partner Healthy Futures. Find out more about the Tree Tour.
Dec. 31, 2017
Run — or dance — into the New Year.
Wrap up 2017 on a healthy note with your family. Join the Resolution Run New Year's Eve near the Alaska Pacific University campus in Anchorage. At 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31, participants will run or walk 5K of roads and wooded trails decorated with a fun light and music display. The event starts and ends with a party at the Atwood Center. Watch an online video about the run and learn more online.
Mark your calendar or sign up early. A popular ski event for kids is coming up soon.The annual Ski4Kids Day is set for Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, at Kincaid Chalet in Anchorage. The event features short ski races ranging from 1K to 3K that are timed or untimed. Children receive a medal and goody bag for finishing. Ski4Kids features many other winter activities, too. These include obstacle courses, a mock biathlon, and more. There is no participant fee for Ski4Kids, but a donation goes toward the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage to provide ski equipment to schools and youth groups. Registration is available online. Find out more about the event.
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