Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic hosts back-to-school fairs, wellness symposium for teachers
In the Mid-Atlantic states, thousands of local children started the 2014 school year this week. While backpacks, new shoes and textbooks are all essential, Kaiser Permanente is placing good health at the top of the list as well and encourage students to start smart!
During the month of August, Kaiser Permanente invested more than $20,000 in resources to fund three Back-to-School fairs in Baltimore, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, Md. The investment is part of Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving Schools effort to create a culture of health and wellness in schools
Highlights from the back-to-school fairs included spin art bikes, which allow riders to create artwork as they pedal on a stationary bicycle. Along with the health benefit of burning calories and supporting endurance, children were able to take their artwork home. Certified Personal Trainer, Prisna Anderson, led group exercises for families to try together and engaged the crowd in activities to increase heart rate, agility and balance.
In Montgomery County, Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theater group led students through an interactive “corner store” where they could shop for pretend produce, grains and other foods. The children shared their shopping basket with a Kaiser Permanente Registered Dietician to learn more about the nutrition of each selection.
More than two hundred parents, teachers and other adults at the Baltimore City and Montgomery County fairs were screened on the Mobile Health Vehicle for blood pressure and body mass index
Teachers got plenty of wellness action too. Earlier in the month, teachers from Maryland, DC and Virginia were invited to attend a wellness symposium at the Center for Total Health to equip educators with the tools to support healthy classroom environments and to encourage healthy eating and active living. More than 100 teachers attended the two-day event, which was hosted by Kaiser Permanente, the Office of State Superintendent of Education in DC and Action for Healthy Kids.
You can learn more about the symposium on Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Total Health blog.
Kaiser Permanente at Montgomery County Back to School Fair from Doug Yuan on Vimeo.
