Mr. Hank's Corner 10/2/17

Wednesday October 4th is is Walk and Bike to School Day.

If your children or students are thinking of riding their bikes to school or skateboarding, remind them the importance of wearing a helmet. Volunteers will be handing out certificates to participants. http://www.walkbiketoschool.org/

It is the start of a new month and this is a good time to start developing some new habits or a change in your lifestyle. Remember it takes 21 days to create a habit and 90 days to create a lifestyle. Life is full of stresses and things that can bog us down if you allow them however, life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass but learning how to dance in the rain.

Here is a quick 5 day challenge to keep you feeling healthy, pumped up and strong during the week. This is fun to do with your family, co-workers or team or just on your own. Monday start off with a bit of stretching and 10 jumping jacks to get the blood flowing, Tuesday 5 push ups (either traditional or against a wall or a countertop), Wednesday 10-20 minute team or family walk, Thursday 20 sit ups and Friday grab yourself an extra 30 minutes of time outside to wind down the week. Maybe do some gardening on the weekend, take a walk at the beach or ride a beach cruiser down at the beach, walk your dog if you have one. Starting your day with a good stretch by reaching for the ceiling is a great way to get the body limbered up and what is a great way to get your digestive system working properly is start your day with 12-20 ounces of room temperature water. Your body is already cooled down when sleeping during the night, so getting that body going with some room temperature water may have been exactly what the doctor ordered. Finally, try not to get tempted to see what was happening on social media first thing or check emails right away. We have become so accustomed to checking our smartphones and devices and this has even become the norm for kids with devices.

Harvest of the Month for October:

Pumpkin (Cucurbitaceae Family) Pumpkins are a type of squash and related to the vine family. Pumpkins are fun for carving into Jack-o-lanterns, but also delicious for making nutritious soups, stews, add to a risotto or for a dessert like pumpkin pie! Pumpkins, are rich in Vitamin A and C. Vitamin A is important for healthy and strong eyesight. Can you think of other orange foods that grow from the earth?

Here is a great book to read to your child during this month. How Many Seeds in Pumpkin? By Margaret Mcnamara This book makes a wonderful read-aloud companion to any math or science curriculum, and it’s a fun way to reinforce counting skills at home.

Other exciting things happening in the month of October:

October is Farm to School Month http://www.farmtoschool.org/our-work/farm-to-school-month

Take time to visit a farmers market. Saturday at the courthouse is San Diego’s longest running farmers market. Also, locally Luke Girling in Oceanside runs Cyclops Farms. Farm stand open Saturday mornings.

http://www.cyclopsfarms.com/#cyclops-farms

For the requested pumpkin soup recipe go to: https://www.bellamentecharter.org/recipes The recipe will be up by Tuesday of this week.

#Health #BellaGardenProject