Before we know it, the alarms will be set, and the rat race will begin…again. While there is time, why not start gathering ideas for how you and your children will fit in exercise? As I surf the net I find that many parents are concerned about how to keep their kids healthy and fit. Carol Goodrow, editor of www.kidsrunning .com and author/illustrator of Kids Running and Happy Feet, Healthy Food has a great site to help parents with this problem. Check out www.kidsrunning.com for unique and fun ideas on how to integrate academics and fitness. Listed are a few of the suggested activities:

• Use activities as incentives and save the video time for designing and playing activity-based fitness games. Make your own that involve reading and writing and get outside to play.
• Run to Read and Write. Line your shelves with children's running books. Read, then run. Run, then write. Write, then play. Keep a log of your Run to Read and Write activities.
• Make a family run. Create invitations, running bib numbers, and homemade medals. Make them unique and fun.
• Do an Academic Relay. Cut math worksheets into 1/8s. Clip the mini-worksheets to clipboards. Use them as the turn-around points. Kids run to clipboard, write their name on paper, then do the problems. They run back with finished work. Then the next runner runs.
• Whether it's a small classroom club, a recess club, an after-school club, or a marathon-affiliated kids running club, all schoolchildren should at one time be part of one of these kids healthy organizations.
• Take the time to check out the site www.kidsrunning.com, and come away with many, many terrific ideas on how to keep your child fit and healthy.

Here's to a healthy start in 2008!