Dear Friends in Teaching and Learning,

In 2009, Kentucky’s General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1, which resulted in many changes to Kentucky’s education system, including eliminating Practical Living/Career Studies (PL/CS) from the state standardized accountability test. The new law prompted the current period of “Program Review” for health and physical education. There are still four areas of study: health education, physical education, consumerism and careers. And of course, while the adults talk about the future, the students still need to be learning right now!

For this school year (2011-2012) each FIT4FUN Reader will depict four main themes:

• Science – the science of nutrition, physical activity and creativity

• Social Etiquette – good manners for all social occasions and all people

• Dental Health – learning important lifelong habits that affect whole-body health

• Health Literacy – learning about and discussing health

As always, they will also contain original prose, poetry and art, as well as several opportunities for self expression. All FIT4FUN Readers serve students of all ability levels, including those who cannot yet read or write.

As always, The FIT4FUN Readers will still contain and cover curriculum. This is because our main effort – to help parents become better co-educators – is wholly intact, regardless of the numbering system used by teachers to account for this learning. This school year, we will expand to serve all students in all Kentucky public elementary schools, at no charge to the school or family.

Teachers: when you have finished using them with your class, please have the students take the Readers home to keep and review with parents. Parents: please watch for the Readers to come home in the backpack and review their important lessons with your student.

Autumn, 2011 FIT4FUN Reader

Theme: The science of art and creativity

Title: I’m an inventor!

• Cooperation among scientists, working together

• Introduction to the scientific method

• The science of the body in motion (psychomotor skills)

• Draw a fire safety poster about “stop, drop and roll”

• Health Literacy – definition and understanding

• Learning etiquette skills for eating at home and in public

• Special activity: Invent something, then write and draw about it

• Proper tooth-brushing habits

• Invent a new animal made from parts of other animals

• Draw how to stay “fit for fun”

• The science of healthy food, names of uncommon fruits and vegetables

• Dental health activity

• Thank you letter to the person who invented your favorite thing (parts of a letter)

• Science and health jokes

• Picture window – reflect on the season and cycle of life

The FIT4FUN Reader is designed to be used in the classroom, the home and in the community, in the hope that this cohesive approach will not only reinforce important ideas for children but draw them into a harmonious partnership with their bigger world: their schools, their homes, their communities. We encourage you to incorporate some of these universal ideas within school or community fall festivals, as we mark the change from the time of exuberant, free physical play and activities of sunny summer to the calmer, more focused activities of the cooler, shorter, autumn school day. You will find ideas here about the harvest season, the emerging fall colors, the tastes of fall food and the natural cycles of nature and childhood.

Each student will receive the FIT4FUN Reader in September, December, February and May, just like last year. An identification line is always included on the front cover to help classrooms keep track of ownership. The Reader is intended to help you teach these important life lessons.

All of the activities promote health and wellness and are designed to help teach young children to feel responsible for their own health and capable of making the smart decisions that ensure lifelong health. There are four child characters that represent one each of the Four Pillars we believe represent a child’s natural learning process:

 May,May:Imagine

 Bim:Play

 Chuey:Learn

 Robyn:Grow

Each page contains ideas for the mind and body to keep children engaged and interested. The content of the Reader is designed to build on children’s imaginative processes through play and social interaction. Play is the work of childhood. We seek to help you grow students who are thoughtful and creative; realizing that much of what adults would consider merely play is actually a child’s learning process in action. We strive to be culturally expansive, responsive and respectful. We eagerly seek your feedback as this is an evolving publication. We want it to serve your needs in planning and delivering these important skills. Please use the surveys that will regularly be posted here to tell us what you think.

Next issue: Winter 2011

Theme: The science of art and creativity

Title: I’m an artist!

Topics covered:

• Artistic expression

• The science of light: spectrum, color wheel

• The history and art of paper money

• Write your own song about food

• Explain through drawing what you know about art and artists

• Draw a safety poster about family safety (car, home)

• Health Literacy – How to understand and talk about your health

• Etiquette during shopping, learning about unit pricing

• Need or want: how to buy wisely

• Special activity: Children as artists, making a special piece of art

• The fun of learning new things

• The new “My Plate” lesson – portion size

• Draw yourself staying “fit for fun”

• Make a poster about dancing

• Dental health activity

• Write or draw about a new way you will try to make art

• Art and health jokes

• Picture window – reflect on the season and cycle of life

Please always feel encouraged to write to us with your thoughts, suggestions and ideas. We welcome all such efforts.

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Jan Winter, Founder and Publisher