Topic: Physical Fitness and Exercise
Physical fitness is no modern fad. The ancient Greeks were such believers of developing “a sound mind in a sound body” that they invented the marathon, the decathlon and the Olympics. Weightlifting was practiced by the Romans, and the practice of yoga was developed centuries ago in India. Learn more about physical fitness using the direct links on the Times Launch Point Web site: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/
Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.
Level 1
Benny Goodsport: Find out about some fun ways to exercise as you join Benny and friends in activities like kickball, a nature walk and a fishing expedition. Read about other children’s sports adventures and send in your own sports stories.
https://www.bennygoodsport.com/
What Time Is It?: Time to Exercise! Hot summer weather means it’s important to drink lots of water while you’re exercising. Get suggestions on what sports activities you can do on your own, with a friend, with a group or even when the weather is lousy.
https://kidshealth.org/kid/food/what_time.html
Games Kids Play: Your class is playing Steal the Bacon, but everyone knows a different set of rules. Whose rules do you play by? This site is an official rule book for more than 50 popular kid games!
https://www.corpcomm.net/~gnieboer/gamehome.htm
Level 2
Fitness Fundamentals: Five key components of physical fitness are aerobic endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition. Learn effective exercise techniques, try some quizzes and assess your physical fitness.
https://sunsentinel.webpoint.com/fitness/fundhome.htm
Girl Power: Tired of hearing only about male athletes? Read about female star athletes who talk about their achievements and encourage girls to follow their dreams.
https://www.health.org/gpower/girlarea/sports/index.htm
The Locker Room: Sports for Kids. Where did soccer begin? What exactly does “power play” mean? Learn skills for 12 sports, some drills to improve your play, and important warm-up exercises.
https://members.aol.com/msdaizy/sports/locker.html
Level 3
Are You Fit?: Use an online questionnaire to help you determine your fitness level and find out what steps you can take to improve your overall physical and mental health. Learn how to set fitness goals.
https://library.advanced.org/12153/fit.html
P.E. Central Sport Web Sites: Whether it’s badminton or basketball, Frisbee or fencing, explore useful resources that can help you improve your play in a variety of sports. https://www.chre.vt.edu/~/pe.central/Sportsites.html
Fitness Library: Listening to your favorite upbeat music while exercising can make it easier to work out more intensely. Find out other useful tips, from exercise motivation and strength training workouts to target heart rates and ways to boost your activity level.
https://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/libindex.htm
Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This week’s column was designed by Lisa Brooks, Robyne Maffia, Jenna Stretars, Stan Woo-Sam, and Anna Manring.
Explorer’s Quest:
Fact or Myth: If you drink water while exercising, will you get cramps?
Clue: See Fitness Fundamentals at https://fyiowa.webpoint.com/fitness/fundhome.htm
Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now covers more than 50 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.
Answer to last week’s Quest: 80 degrees