Fall competition offers ways for families, students and schools to get more physically active
Fall is often a busy time of year for many of us. School is back in session. After-school and after-work activities pick up pace. And many homes and businesses are bustling with activity again after a nice summer lull.
How can we keep up with all this new momentum while still making sure we tend to our health? One great way to make sure we’re getting enough steps and strides in the day is through participation in Fire Up Your Feet.
Fire Up Your Feet is a core program of Safe Routes to School National Partnership, available to any elementary and middle school in grades K-8 nationally. Made possible in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, Fire Up Your Feet offers free resources, an online activity tracker, a school fundraising organizer and more, all aimed at increasing physical activity before, during and after school for students, parents, school staff and teachers. The National PTA is our family engagement partner.
How it works
To sign up for the Fall Activity Challenge:
- Go to Fire Up Your Feet.
- If you’re new to Fire Up Your Feet, click Register to register on the site. If you’re a returning visitor, click Login. Spanish speaking audiences can register via the En Español link.
- Earn awards by tracking activity during the Fall Challenge period in your region.
This fall, Fire Up Your Feet is awarding more than $100,000 to participating K-8 schools in select sponsored regions* across the country. Awards will go to support Safe Routes to School and other health and wellness programs. With awards in several categories this year, schools have even more chances to win.
PeopleForBikes Awards
Thanks to generous support from PeopleForBikes, we are pleased to offer an award honoring dedication to bicycling to school. The school in each region that tracks the most bicycling minutes during the Challenge will win a $500 award and a package of bicycling products and discounts.
Fire Up Your Walk to School Day Awards
In each region, schools with a minimum of 25 walkers at the end of the Challenge will be entered into a drawing for Fire Up Your Walk to School Awards ranging from $100 to $500. Check out our Fire Up Your Walk to School Day Award promotion tipsheet for more information.
Fire Up Your Feet Awards
Fire Up Your Feet awards ranging from $200 to $5,000 are available in:
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Metro Atlanta, New Hampshire, Oregon, Southwest Washington, Wisconsin, Virginia or Washington DC. Please click on each state or region link for details.
Weekly Breakout Challenge Awards
In addition to the awards listed above, schools can compete for weekly Breakout Challenge awards in a variety of categories. Visit your state or region’s website for details about the Breakout Challenges.
Earlier this year, more than 352 schools across the country participated in the Spring Activity Challenge. The challenge resulted in 16.7 million minutes of activity tracked and logged, and more than $70,000 in challenge grants were awarded.
What’s new this season?
This year, the Fall Activity Challenge offers some new and updated resources to make logging those minutes of activity easier than ever.
Fire Up Your Feet participants who sign up as “coordinators” can add and track participation for many students at a time. And the new family tracker functionality allows participants to add and track multiple family members at once.
Check out the how-to videos, newsletter text, flyers and sample letters on the Fire Up Your Feet website to help get the word out.
Getting “fired up” for health
As the nation continues to look for opportunities to increase physical activity in schools as a critical step in combatting the childhood obesity epidemic, Fire Up Your Feet encourages families, students and schools to work together and create active lifestyles before, during and after school and in daily life.
There’s never been a better time to get Fired Up! We encourage all of you to explore this wonderful program in support of school and community health.
Learn more by visiting the Fire Up Your Feet website.
Visit the Safe Routes to School National Partnership website and the National PTA website to learn about their programs and how you can get involved.
* Sponsored regions in fall 2014: Metro Atlanta area, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon, SW Washington, Wisconsin, the Washington DC area and Virginia.