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Wednesday, March 27, 2013
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, a mountain of responsibility has put pressure on you. Although you cannot shy away from what has to be done, you can put a smile on your face when tackling your tasks. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, something special will take place in the next few days and you will be on hand to experience all of it. Magical moments are to be made with a romantic partner. Matt Reid | St. Joseph News- Press
Community members near Olive Street in St. Joseph gather to play touch football.
Out of hibernation Warmer weather means outdoor playtime
By BROOKE VANCLEAVE St. Joseph News-Press
The snow has melted, the birds are chirping and the sun is peeking out from behind the clouds, but you and the kids are still curled up on the couch watching Netflix. How do you convince the family to get up, get moving and enjoy the fresh air? When winter slowly transitions into spring, the first signs of warmer weather are usually a welcome relief to most people, especially younger children. “I think kids are ready to get outside and do something,” says Gerald Small, founder and executive director of Greater Life Sports and Education, a nonprofit partnership with the St. Joseph School District and St. Joseph Parks, Recreation and Civics Facilities Department. Janet Moody, physical education teacher at Coleman Elementary School and K-6 P.E. coordinator for the school district, agrees. “I think they’ve been cooped up for three or four months. When they’ve been outside, they get more exercise and they are just happier,” she says. Ms. Moody says young children need at least 60 minutes of outdoor playtime and exercise each day, especially when the weather is nice. What’s even better is when par-
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ents are actively involved in playtime. “It’s a great time for the parent-child relationship. I think the parent has to set the example for the kids to want to exercise,” she says. In the Greater Life Sports leagues, Mr. Small says parents are asked to stay and participate in team practices and games, whether it be through coaching or just throwing a ball around for a few minutes. This lets parents have just as much fun as their children instead of dropping them off for an hour and picking them back up after practice. He says even parents with busy jobs get out on the field in their suits and ties and enjoy every minute of it. “The thing with parents is, there’s a little window when kids will really play with their parents, and that window closes after a certain time, so that’s the opportunity. Parents need to seize that moment, because if they don’t, it’ll go away,” Mr. Small says. There are numerous opportunities for children to join school community sports leagues in the spring and summer. Mr. Small says Greater Life Sports has open individual enrollment yearlong, and the sport changes with the seasons. Right now it is lacrosse season, and T-ball will start later in the summer. Greater Life Sports also offers basketball, flag football, soccer and gymnastics.
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“We’re the league that you can come to and learn how to play a sport and have fun. We don’t keep standings, we don’t have referees. We’re really focused on the kid, especially at a young age, having a great time,” he says. Teaching sports skills in a noncompetitive atmosphere is important to Mr. Small’s organization because it encourages children who have never played sports before to try something new, even if they’ve been told before that they aren’t good enough. “(The kids are) learning skills that they’re going to use for a lifetime, but when you eliminate it early no wonder people hibernate and say, ‘Well I’m not gonna play because I wasn’t good enough here, I didn’t get chosen,’” he says. If your child isn’t interested in organized sports, Ms. Moody says other fun outdoor activities in the warmer months include walking, hiking, riding bikes, jumping rope or shooting hoops together in the driveway. Although the first few weeks of spring encourage a lot of outdoor activity, some people tend to retreat back inside if the weather starts getting too hot. Other kids who are reluctant to play sports or exercise might not ever want to leave the comforts of TV, computers and air condition-
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ing. Both Ms. Moody and Mr. Small think parents need to be the example of living a healthy lifestyle no matter the season. In the health and wellness classes he teaches at Missouri Western State University, Mr. Small tries to instill this mindset in his students. “For college students, you need to start a healthy lifestyle now
because when you have children someday your children are gonna watch what you do more than they’re gonna listen to what you say. If you’re healthy now, you don’t have to tell your kid to go out and exercise — they’ll do it because you do it,” he says. Brooke VanCleave can be reached at brooke.vancleave@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SJNPVanCleave.
CROSSWORD
GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, you may want to think before you speak when a friend asks for advice. The truth might hurt, so it could be wise to keep quiet for the time being. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, a stroke of inspiration leads you on a creative journey. Things will calm down toward the end of the week when you have to focus on more tangible things. LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, someone you know wants to step things up to another level, but you may not be ready to take that kind of plunge. Talk over your feelings in a kind way. VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, family has been on your mind lately, and you may feel it’s best to spend the majority of your free time at home rather than out. Make good use of your time. LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, a chance encounter has you rethinking what you want to accomplish in the next few weeks. You are second-guessing all of your plans because of this surprise. SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 A decision you made could have long-term effects, Scorpio. You’ll probably find that you have to do some damage control this week to get things back on track.
CLUES ACROSS 1. Confederate soldier 4. __ Lilly, drug company 7. Negative 10. Teacher 12. Informal term for money 14. Environmental Protection Agency 15. County in Transylvania, Romania 17. 1896 Ethiopian independence battle 18. 50010 IA 19. It grows every year 22. ___ and feathered 23. Founder of positivism 24. Variant of lower 25. Russian weight = 36 lbs. 26. Megavolot (abbr.) 27. 40th state 28. Flower jar 30. Satisfy fully 32. Weatherman Roker 33. Atomic #18 34. Somali supermodel 36. Skank 39. “No more”(Spanish) 41. Gets up from 43. E.M. Forster novel 46. Motown singer Diana 47. Scottish hillside 48. Give qualities or abilities to 50. No (Scottish) 51. “Laughter of the marsh”rail 52. City in Thuringia, Germany 53. Not divisible by two 54. Head bob 55. Tooth caregiver
CLUES DOWN 1. Revolutions per minute 2. Break out 3. Relating to the North wind 4. African antelope 5. 44254 OH 6. Hawkeye state 7. Roundworm 8. Unfolded 9. 19th C political cartoonist Thomas 11. Denotes iron 13. Powder mineral 16. Blood fluids 18. Nearly 20. The courage to carry on 21. Soda 28. Skedaddled 29. Poplar trees (Spanish) 30. Triangular spinal bones 31. Opposite of leave 34. Encroachment or intrusion 35. Another word for mother 37. Employing 38. Transferred property 40. Point that is one point S of SW 41. In front 42. Bladed weapon 43. River in Florence 44. Ferromagnetic element 45. Poi is made from it 49. No longer is
SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, all indications point to a monumental change in your life. Wait to see what occurs and put big decisions or vacations on hold. CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, it can be tempting to toss away your responsibilities and simply have fun. But then you will be so backed up it could take quite a while to dig out from under your to-do list. AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, just when you need a bit of sunshine, a satisfying piece of good news arrives. Your spouse or partner plays a significant role in this positive development. PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, a tangled web is forming around you, but with quick wit you will manage to steer clear of the melee. FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS MARCH 24 Jim Parsons, Actor (40) MARCH 25 Aretha Franklin, Singer (71) MARCH 26 Amy Smart, Actress (37) MARCH 27 Pauley Perrette, Actress (44) MARCH 28 Lady Gaga, Singer (27) MARCH 29 John Popper, Singer (46) MARCH 30 Robbie Coltrane, Actor (63)