Health

Big Sky State Games encourages kids to 'Get Fit'

Posted: Feb 1, 2013 7:21 PM by MTN News

BILLINGS- A group of young Montanans kicked off a competition across the state on Friday, just a few days ahead of the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers taking the field for Super Bowl XVII.

Big Sky Fit Kids, now in its ninth year, is a free activity and nutrition program, geared toward teaching kids the importance of finding fun ways to stay physically active and eating healthy.

Participants consist of school classes, clubs and various other organizations and are divided up in to teams of 10 to 30 children age 18 and under.

The competition portion of the three month program runs from March 1 to April 1, when each team records physical activity (12 minutes of rigorous activity equals one mile) and fruit and vegetable consumption.

The folks with the Big Sky State Games, which funds the program, says it's a great way to keep kids active during the winter months in Montana.

"It's a little bit on the shoulders of an adult team captain to keep it fun, and we provide the information to kind of motivate them and keep them going," said BSSG executive director Karen Sanford Gall. "But we have puzzles and things that they can incorporate into daily activity, and into their school work."