BACKPACK CONNECTION 37020

DECEMBER 2019

Hill Country

Backpack Connection

The Benefits

of NINJA Classes

Tribute to VETERANS RED RIBBON WEEK

DADS RULE! FABRA • KENDALL • CURINGTON • FAIR OAKS • ELLISON • HERFF CIBOLO CREEK • AUE • LEON SPRINGS • MCANDREW • VAN RAUB

Connecting Our Families, Our Schools and Our Local Businesses

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BY MEGAN WILSON Give your kids experiences instead of gifts this year (even last minute!)

In the midst of holiday gift giving, I can’t help but think how well-intentioned gifts such as toys and gadgets are quickly forgotten and go unused. Material items are typically what we as parents choose to give, but why not add in some experiences that our kids and family can enjoy? Even at the last minute, an experience gift can be thoughtfully arranged. The best part is this strategy works for not only our children, but those sometimes hard to buy for individuals such as parents and grandparents. Experience gifts can provide priceless memories, or even fun skills that will last a lifetime.

Be Thoughtful About Material Gifts Because kids will inevitably still ask for or need some material items, we have adopted a rule for what we give our kids besides experiences. For each child, we try to give something they: Want * Need * Wear * Read This means we still get to enjoy giving my daughters the makeup sets and princess dolls they so badly want this year.

This rule is also great to share with grandparents and family members who aren’t sure what to give your child.

Give Experiences that Develop Fun Talents and Skills Gifting your kids with things such as lessons or memberships is a great way to ensure lots of fun and excitement that will last! There are so many options for sports, activities, and fun centers that your child is sure to love. This is another great way

for grandparents to help out and give a gift with meaning. An added bonus is that you can usually purchase or register for these activities quickly online! Some ideas include: • Registration to play in a YMCA Sports League • A day pass or membership to Ninja City • Lessons at Boerne Gymnastics or World Karate • A season pass to the local zoo or aquarium Another great option is to give gifts or lessons that will help your kids develop a skill or interest such as photography, baking, or sewing.

Experience Gifts for the Whole Family Give an experience that will create lasting family memories or traditions.

• Family vacations or day trips make a great gift for the whole family!

• An overnight stay somewhere near a great amusement or water park can be fun for all.

• Gear for activities that the family can enjoy together, such as camping, fishing, biking, or boating. The sky is the limit here!

• Gift cards for places like Kelani Yogurt, the movie theatre, or a movie or music membership service.

• Tickets for concerts, musicals, plays, or sporting events.

• Family adventures like hikes up Enchanted Rock, deep sea fishing, rock climbing lessons, or scuba diving lessons.

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Distributed into the Backpacks of 6000 Boerne / Leon Springs Students

Fabra • Kendall • Curington Fair Oaks • Cibolo Creek Aue • Leon Springs McAndrew • Ellison Van Raub • Herff Elementary Schools Art Direction Susie Fluckiger Sales Audra Miller Publisher BP PUBLISHING LLC Content for the Elementary School pages contributed by each school.

Backpack Connection magazines are published every six weeks during the school year by BP Publishing LLC. The advertisements in this magazine are paid for by the advertisers, which allows this magazine to be distributed free to the families of the elementary students. Unless specifically noted, no advertisers, products or services are endorsed by the publisher, BISD, or NISD, or any districts employees. BP PUBLISHING LLC is not responsible for omissions, errors or misinformation within this publication. All real estate advertised within this publication are subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which make it illegally to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings adverting are available on an equal opportunity basis. Reproductions of this magazine in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

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Inexpensive and Last Minute Gifts that Last I don’t know about you, but the Dollar Store is my go-to for this type of gift experience. There is so much fun that can be had at a low price, especially when kids are involved. Wonderful memories and traditions can be created without breaking the bank.

• Make a family movie night basket. Include fun popcorn buckets and favorite candy and drinks.

• A craft bucket can provide fun that lasts and lasts. Kids love new craft supplies, and you can cater this to your children’s ages and interests.

• Get supplies for a family paint night! Find an age appropriate painting tutorial on the internet and grab some paints, brushes, and canvases.

Don’t Forget to Let Your Kids Give too!

Help your kids be creative and thoughtful by asking them what they’d like to give to parents, siblings, or grandparents!

This is a great opportunity to teach them the spirit of giving and strengthen family bonds. Helping them give can be as easy as creating a “coupon book” together for things that can be redeemed from them throughout the year, letting them create a piece of artwork to gift, or allowing them to earn money by doing chores so they can shop for friends and family members themselves.

Whatever kind of experience you decide to give this holiday season, giving something that will make memories, strengthen families, or teach new skills will bring joy to everyone involved.

Happy Holidays!

CONTEST WINNER Congratulations to the winner of the November Which Wich contest. Cameron Juliet Gentile, a first grader at Leon Spring Elementary, won the drawing of all correct answers and receives a $20 gift card to the RIM Which Wich location.

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NinjaCity opened it doors in January 2019 and the idea of a Ninja Warrior gym was new to many families in the Hill Country area. Over the past year, thousands in the community have since visited and experienced NinjaCity through Birthday Parties, Summer/Holiday Camps, Open Gym Play or as a student in its weekly classes. “We appreciate all of the support we have received from everyone in the community; we truly feel blessed with amazing customers and I love being able to provide fun entertainment while helping kids become fit and confident” says Ashley Wells, owner of NinjaCity.

Over the past year, NinjaCity experienced several firsts, such as being voted the #1 Kids Party Place and having some of their students take the gold medal in both state and national league competitions. As they close out on their first year of business they are excited to see the sport continuing to grow and look forward to bringing more fun and fitness in 2020.

Top 10 reasons Ninja Classes are great for your child—other than having so much fun!

1. Ninja classes make your child strong.

Obstacle courses are designed to develop upper-body and leg strength. Learning to swing on rings and climb ropes strengthens

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arm and chest muscles. Jumping up and down on mats and blocks strengthen legs.

2. Ninja classes make your child a well-rounded athlete, teaching them skills that are important in other sports.

Strength, agility, coordination, balance, and flexibility are all skills that are useful in other sports. Signing your child up for Ninja classes will set them up for success later if they choose to specialize in a different sport.

3. Ninja classes teach your child to jump.

Learning to navigate Ninja obstacles is very similar to Parkour, a training discipline developed from military obstacle course training. In a comparison of Parkour practitioners to gymnasts and power athletes, Parkour athletes outperformed in both vertical and long jump tests.

4. Ninja classes teach your child body control and agility.

Learning how to complete obstacle courses forces you to learn how to use your body weight and muscles to your advantage. This control and agility will be helpful for your child all of his or her life. Students that practice side to side motions train their muscles to turn in new directions increasing the strength of joints, and decreasing the risk of injury.

5. Ninja classes teach confidence that carries over into other parts of life.

When you’re going up against a course as daunting as the Ninja Warrior course, you’ll need all the concentration and focus that you can get. Undergoing such tasks forces you to get into a flow state, where your mind is clear and you are able to live in the moment and react accordingly.

6. Ninja classes help to strengthen your child’s bones.

When children participate in weight-bearing activities, their bones become stronger and denser. In Ninja classes, children are constantly working against gravity with the force of their weight to move their bodies. Studies show that adult bone health is related to the amount of physical activity done as a kid.

7. Ninja classes improve your child’s balance.

Balance is important for navigating obstacles. Students may not become the next Ninja Warrior champion, but your child will certainly become more coordinated as a result. Improving coordination can help feel more confident in trying other new things without being concerned with the potential of embarrassment.

8. Ninja classes increase your child’s flexibility.

Ninja’s need to be flexible in order to easily move their bodies up and over obstacles. Better flexibility may improve performance in physical activities, decrease risk of injuries, help joints move

through a full range of motion and enable muscles to work most effectively.

9. Your child will learn how to fall.

One of the first lessons in Ninja class will probably be how to fall. It’s important to try to minimize impact and absorb shock while protecting your head. A ninja gym is a perfect place to learn how to fall safely because of all of the mats used.

10. Ninja classes will improve your child’s coordination If you’ve ever watched American Ninja Warrior, you know that the contestants have a ton of hand-eye and foot-eye coordination. Kids aren’t just born with this. Swinging from bars, climbing ropes and learning how to roll and tumble on floor mats­—all of these exercises teach kids how to make their body do what their brain is telling them.

NinjaCity can offer kids and young adults a multitude of benefits and provide a fun and healthy activity for them to enjoy with friends. Winter is a great time to get the kids off their phones and out of the house by registering them in a NinjaCity class at TheNinjaCity.com.

What once was only thought of as a TV show is now one of the fastest growing sports with hundreds of gyms across the country specializing in Ninja Warrior Training. You can train for fun

or you can train to compete. The option is yours. Over the past 10 years, several new leagues have formed at both at the state and national level. United Ninja Athletic Association (UNAA), National Ninja League (NNL) and UNX.now are some the national leagues that our students have the option to compete in. In addition, in 2018 over 10 gyms across the state of Texas united to form the Texas Ninja League (TNL). If you are looking to compete, there is at least one competition a month in the local area.

NinjaCity is one of the very first Ninja Warrior gyms to go through a Professional Ninja Warrior certification program and we are proud to announce they are now SPOTTED certified. SPOTTED stands for Safe Progressive Obstacle Training Techniques and Education program. They have worked with some the leading experts in the Ninja Warrior sport and put together a training program that will now include a progressive scorecard “Ninja Leveling Achievement system” to add to their class program beginning in January.

Coming in early 2020: Holiday break with extra open gym hours; anniversary celebration in January; hosting competitions in both the UNAA (Jan) and the Texas Ninja League (Feb).

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