We Can! Healthy Berrien Official Website

Family Programs

Parents, other family members, and caregivers play an important role in the health of children. We Can!™ helps families be more successful in adapting healthy choices and making changes at home.

Your kids don't need a gymnasium to get some exercise on a cold winter's day. This version of volleyball can be played indoors without risk to lamp or limb.

What You Need: Yarn or string, and a 10-inch inflated balloon

Instructions

To play, first tie a piece of yarn or string across a 10-foot playing area, about 1 foot above the floor. Divide the players into 2 teams and have them set up crab style (face up, leaning on their hands and feet) in their stocking feet on each side of the string.
Use a coin toss to determine which team will serve first, then have 1 player on that team launch the balloon into the air for a teammate to kick over the string to their opponents.
The teams kick the balloon back and forth, taking all the hits they need to send the balloon to the other side. If one team lets the balloon touch the floor, the other team earns 1 point and restarts the game by serving the balloon from their side. The first team to reach 15 points wins.

We Can! At Home

For help getting started at home, check out the following:

Learn It where you can learn more about the problem of overweight and the important issue of "energy balance."
Live It to see ideas and tips that can help parents and families have fun and take action to maintain a healthy weight.
Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbook is a great resource, full of fun and practical information and tips on how to get your family in gear. This handy reference provides reminders and ideas for maintaining a healthy weight!
We Can! Parent Tips: Healthy Families, Healthy Weight is a NEW resource for parents that was developed with physicians and health professionals.
For more We Can! resources and materials on obesity and overweight from NIH and other government agencies, please visit We Can! Resources.

Energy balance means that you and your family need to balance ENERGY IN with ENERGY OUT. The calories we eat and drink (ENERGY IN) provide fuel for our bodies to use for every day activities and physical activities (ENERGY OUT). The goal is to stay in energy balance.

Whether the goal for you and your family is to maintain a healthy weight, or to lose weight, it is important to keep energy balance in mind.

Health experts recommend that you think of ways to rev up the ENERGY OUT in two important ways: things you can do together as a family that are fun and physically active, and things each of you can do in your everyday routines to increase your level of physical activity.

Class Schedule

We Can! Be Healthy is a free six-week program that brings local families together with experts on healthy eating and staying active. At each 90-minute session, kids spend an hour preparing and sharing a snack together as they learn about nutrition. During the last half-hour of class, children get moving with fun activities.

Families can choose from one of the following We Can! Be Healthy sessions:

· Tuesdays, January 26 through March 2, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., at Sylvester Elementary School, 1 Sylvester Avenue, Berrien Springs

· Thursdays, January 28 through March 4, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., at the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA, 3665 Hollywood Road , St. Joseph

· Sundays, January 31 through March 78, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m., at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA, 905 N Front St, Niles .

We Can! Be Healthy is limited to children ages 8 to 13. One parent is required to attend class each week. For more information or to register, call (269) 556-7171.

Success Stories

Jodi Davis of Coloma lost more than 160 pounds! Congratulations on your success!
For more information click here.

Curriculum

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