About the Program
In the summer of 2001 and
2002, youth ages 7-13 from the city of Chicago participated
in the Healthy Hopping program. The program teaches the youth fun
ways to
be more active through jumping rope and how to have more
nutritious meals and snacks. In 2001, 620 youth participated in the
program and
in 2002 we reached 650 youth.
The program is held in park
districts, boys and girls clubs, and community centers.
Some of the neighborhoods where the program
took place were Humboldt Park, West Town, Garfield Park,
North Lawndale, Near West Side, Hermosa, Belmont Cragin,
Irving Park, and Austin.
There have been many success stories
from the program where children have started to eat
more fruit and vegetables.
Also, many of the children have started to jump rope
instead of watching tv.
This summer as we were conducting the program in the
communities, participants from last year came up to tell
us that they
were still eating more vegetables, drinking water instead
of pop, and trying
to be more active by riding their bike and jumping rope.
Healthy Hopping is a series of 6-8 lessons that
engages youth to increase their physical activity and eat healthy.
Each lesson contains a nutrition activity, jump rope skills,
and preparation of a healthy snack.
Besides teaching nutrition and physical activity, the program provides
the youth the opportunity to work together and practice
achieving new skills.
The lessons include:
-
How to eat following
the food guide pyramid
-
Jump rope tricks with single
ropes
-
Nutrition for building strong bones
-
The importance of exercise
-
Double Dutch jumping
-
How to prepare easy snacks
-
Jump Rope rhymes and games
For more information about the Healthy Hopping Program, please
contact:
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