For several months, students at Rock Creek and Glacier Park elementary schools checked their heart rates, monitored their eating habits and tracked their exercise time regularly.  They wrote down how many times they jumped rope, what they ate for dinner, and how fast their heart beats when resting and running. 

And on June 4, students from both schools shared their health-related knowledge with their families and friends at Family Health Night at Glacier Park. 

The gathering dined on a free heart-healthy dinner and enjoyed cooking demonstrations, dance demonstrations, free heath screenings and giveaways, orgnizers said. 

Kids Take Heart is an eight-week health and fitness curriculum targeting anatomy, fitness, nutrition and goal-setting. Developed by the local non-profit organization, Hope Heart Institute, the program’s goal is to help children ages 8 to 12 to make lifestyle choices that promote wellness and lessen the burden of heart disease. 

“Studies show that if we can teach kids how to eat right and the great benefits of exercise, they will develop life-long habits that keep them healthy,” said Wendy Ward, who teaches physical education at Rock Creek.  “But not only that, it’s been really fun.”