A School of Voices

Weigh in on the backpack issue

There is concern about the average backpack load carried by school kids. Reseachers from the University of California in San Diego's School of Medicine think that too much backpack weight puts too much pressure on a child's shoulders. This can cause pain and an uneven backpack load could contribute to low back pain.

The article, A Weighty Issue, goes on to report that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports about 7,500 emergency room visits each year that are caused by injuries related to backpacks or book bags. That's a lot of injuries!

The researchers hope their  study will improve the way future backpacks are designed.

Here are some tips the article suggests to prevent a backpack-related injury:

• Your backpack should never weigh more than anywhere from 15 to 20 percent of your total body weight.
• Pack the heaviest items closest to your back.
• Use both shoulder straps to balance the backpack’s weight between your shoulders.
• Adjust the shoulder and waist straps so that the backpack fits close to your body and the weight is evenly distributed along your back.
• Stop often at school lockers and remove items you don't need, if possible.
• Use both knees when you bend down.
• Learn back-strengthening exercises to build up the muscles used to carry a backpack.
• Consider using a backpack that has wheels.
• Suggest that teachers consider the weight of the homework they assign, not just the amount.

So, I hope you are following these tips! Can you think of any others to add or do you have any other solutions? Weigh in on the backpack issue!

Are you getting enough sleep?

Research conducted at Brown Medical School concluded that students who got eight hours of sleep or less a night were more forgetful, had the most trouble learning new lessons, and had the most problems paying attention.

The above chart shows the recommended amount of sleep per day by age group. Compare that with your actual sleep habits.

Read all of the article "Kids Doing Poorly in Schools?" to learn some important facts about sleep and how it affects your learning. Even staying up an hour or two past bedtime makes it harder for kids to learn.  So how about you? How much sleep do you get each night?  Some school districts have adjusted their school starting time and believe that the change has had a positive impact on student learning. They found students were more alert, better focused on what they were doing, and fewer students fell asleep during class. So how about it?  Do you believe starting school later would improve student performance?  Think of the pros and cons. Do you have any other creative ideas for helping students realize the importance of a good nights  sleep?

Eating Right Can Be a Blast

The Washington Post has an article, Eating Right Can Be a Blast. The government is hoping to promote better eating habits with an online game and a food pyramid. The goal is to get kids to "eat right, exercise and have fun." says Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns.

• Orange stands for food made from grains, such a bread, crackers, pasta and rice.
• Red is for fruit.
• Green stands for vegetables.
• Blue is for milk and dairy products, including yogurt and cheese.
• Purple designates protein, including beans, nuts, lean meat, seafood, eggs, and chicken or turkey without the skin.
• Yellow is the color of olive oil, margarine, butter and other types of fat.

The stairway is on the side of the pyramid to remind kids to be more active and get at least an hour of physical activity every day.

Blast Off is the online game that can be played at school or home. It lets kids see what foods they need to eat and how much daily exerice they need to stay healthy.

So, if you get healthy foods and exercise your rocket builds up fuel. With enough fuel, you can blast off to Planet Power.

If you get a chance try out the game and tell us what you think. If you know any tips to share about eating healthy or exercising, share those. Do you think getting healthy should be one of the top priorities of our nation? List your suggestions for how we could achieve that goal.