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Northe Invites Families To Walk To School In November Families in the Morwell electorate are invited to sign up for this year‟s Walk to School campaign, when primary school kids across the state will walk to and from school every day during November. By Russell Northe - 8th November 2013 - Back to News This annual event is led by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) and aims to get more Victorian families active.
Member for Morwell, Russell Northe said VicHealth‟s Walk to School raises awareness of the need for children to make walking part of their daily routine to improve fitness, friendships, the environment and their confidence.
"Daily physical exercise is an integral part of an active and healthy childhood," Mr Northe said.
"Of course, in the country, not all kids can realistically walk to school but it may be possible for parents to drop kids near school if it is safe to do so, or walk with them.
"Squeezing in some exercise first thing means starting the day with physical activity and fresh air and encourages positive habits for the long term."
A free Walk to School app is now available to help families keep track of how far, and how often, kids have walked. The app is available from the App Store (search for „Walk to School‟).
VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter said the children who take part will build healthy habits and relationships for life.
"The majority of children in Victoria do not walk to school every day and with childhood obesity on the rise, we need to turn this trend around. Parents tell us that time constraints, concern about traffic, road safety, stranger danger and their child‟s road sense all get in the way of kids walking to and from school," Ms Rechter said.
"The good news is that once parents make the decision to walk with their children, they tend to realise that these fears are unwarranted and walking can be a wonderful activity.
"Last year around 11,500 primary school children walked more than 240,000 kilometres, that‟s six times around the circumference of the Earth. This year we hope it will be even bigger."
Children who register to take part in VicHealth‟s Walk to School have the opportunity to win fantastic prizes and this year, corporate sponsor Cotton On Kids has come on board to offer discounts at their Victorian stores.
The highest participating school in each of Victoria‟s nine education regions will receive sporting equipment valued at $1000. Students can get involved in weekly competitions during November via the Walk to School website (www.walktoschool.vic.gov.au), with prizes awarded each week.
Registering for Walk to School is free and open to primary school students, parents and teachers in Victoria. Or for more information, visit the Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/WalkToSchool
To learn more visit: www.walktoschool.vic.gov.au Media contact: Russell Northe 5133 9088
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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