Teachers

• What is fit4fun?
• How does it work?
• Why choose fit4fun?
• What information is provided?
• Prizes for participating in fit4fun
• Fundraising tips
• Resources
• fit4fun activities

What is fit4fun?

fit4fun is a motivational kickstart program designed by the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation to encourage Queensland students to:

• eat healthy food
• get active
• have fun and
• raise money for sick kids at the same time.

fit4fun involves children setting themselves healthy eating and physical activity goals and then asking family and friends to sponsor them to achieve these goals, just like a walk-a-thon or read-a-thon.

fit4fun is a great way to motivate children to eat healthy food and participate in physical activity. Not only will the kids feel valued while they help sick kids, they will have the opportunity to win heaps of great prizes! By participating, your school or class will also have the chance to win some fantastic prizes.

fit4fun is easy to do, FREE to join and flexible. It will work in conjunction with existing health and nutrition programs. It is also supported and promoted by key organisations committed to children's health and wellbeing, such as Queensland Health, Education Queensland and Fitness Queensland.

fit4fun is also a great way to raise funds for the Children's Nutrition Research Centre at the Royal Children's Hospital.

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How does it work?

fit4fun is in May for ONE WEEK OF YOUR CHOICE. It works in a 4 step process -

Step 1

Register your school, class or group for fit4fun. Registrations for fit4fun 2009 will open in October.

Step 2

Pick a week in May to be your fit4fun week. You will receive your fit4fun kits which will include everything you need to facilitate fit4fun in your classroom.

Step 3

Supervise your students' setting and completion of goals and motivate them to raise funds to help sick kids by seeking sponsorship funds from friends and family. You can encourage your students to achieve their daily goals by reminding them of all the sick kids they'll be helping!

Step 4

Collect and bank funds raised to receive the student incentive prizes. Of course the best prize will be knowing that together, you and your students have helped to work wonders for sick kids.

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Why choose fit4fun?

fit4fun encourages Queensland school children to embrace a healthy lifestyle from a young age.

• fit4fun will complement your existing health education program or provide the necessary resources to get started.
  
• fit4fun is easy. We know teachers are busy and we have made it simple to participate by designing professional and comprehensive resource packs both for teachers and students.
• Students will love fit4fun. Each child will receive a fit4fun wristband (just like the kids wear in hospital) and a certificate, just for participating. Plus, they have the chance to win great incentive prizes.
• Students will learn about helping other kids while reinforcing their own healthy lifestyle habits.

A testimonial from teachers at Victory College, Gympie...

All the teachers at Victory College, Gympie are excited about taking part in fit4fun. We are trying to promote healthy lifestyles here at Victory College and have recently converted our college canteen to a healthy canteen. We are always on the lookout for interesting ways to motivate healthy eating and physical activity. fit4fun seems to do this as well as raising money for a great cause.

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What information is provided?

You will receive a fit4fun teacher's kit containing:

• fit4fun Education Guide for teachers
• Instructional DVD
• Classroom poster
• Useful information from our fit4fun partners
• Return forms to make collecting funds easy.

You will also receive a fit4fun kid's pack for every participating child containing:

The Big Deal Contract, letter to parents, useful information from our fit4fun partners and a fit4fun AAC Wristband to wear during your fit4fun week.

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Prizes for participating in fit4fun

By participating in fit4fun both schools and participants have the chance to win loads of fantastic prizes. Prizes are awarded in two categories.

Schools

• Highest Fundraising School (per head of students)- to receive the fit4fun perpetual trophy.
  
• Lucky Draw School.

Individuals

• Highest Individual Fundraiser - to receive the fit4fun perpetual trophy.
• Highly Commended Fundraisers.
• Incentive prizes - The higher the amount of money raised, the more valuable the prizes are!

2008 fit4fun prizes

Please note: In the event prize items run out, a substitute prize of the same or higher value will be awarded.

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Fundraising tips

fit4fun puts the fun into fundraising! Fundraising tips for your class or group include:

• Asking as many people to sponsor them as possible, such as parents and guardians, aunts and uncles, grandparents, neighbours, older siblings, cousins, and local business people.
• Doorknocking in their neighbourhood (with adult supervision).
• Your school can help raise awareness by including information in the newsletter, sending a media release to the local paper, using the school's outdoor "billboard" and placing posters in the school reception.
• Gold coin free dress day.
• Build a coin line.
• Have a "Healthy eating stall" at the tuckshop.
• Guessing competition - How many almonds or corn kernels in a jar?

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Resources

fit4fun and physical activity

Are you looking for ways to incorporate physical activity into your classroom? The Department of Education, Training and the Arts gives a guide to daily physical activity in schools.

http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/healthy/physical-activity-guide.html

Nutrition Education Programs & healthy food ideas

• Active-Ate is a program designed to promote healthy eating and physical activity in primary schools in Queensland.
  
• Fresh For Kids. Need some Fresh Ideas for teaching Health & Nutrition?
• Looking for healthy recipes for your classroom? www.seedless.com.au
  

Need more information? For a comprehensive review of nutrition education resources currently being marketed to Queensland Schools visit the SNAC site.

fit4fun Press Release Tips and Guidelines

Download this page to help you write your own fit4fun press release, and get some tips and story ideas to capture the attention of local journalists to make your story stand out from the rest!

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fit4fun activities

fit4fun Word Games

What Healthy Food Am I?
Play as you would ‘Who Am I?' For example:
Q: "I am round and crunchy and grow on a tree - what am I?"
A: An apple

Food Alphabet Game

Children sit in a circle and elect someone to start the game. The first person says a food starting with the letter "A". Move clockwise around the circle with each child repeating the last word three times while they come up with a food starting with the next letter. For example "Apple, apple, apple - bread", the next child says "bread, bread, bread - cheese", the next child says "cheese, cheese, cheese - dried apricots" and so on. Everyone can clap as you move around the circle. If a child can't think of a word, brainstorm ideas from others in the group.

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