Lafayette Journal & Courier

Your best present this season: Your time

December 12, 2007

Some of the best gifts parents can give their children during winter break aren't wrapped up under the tree.

"The best present parents can give is their time," said Carole DeHaven, a continuing lecturer in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Purdue.

"When adults give themselves as part of the gift it also encourages that child to participate in the activity," she added. "If you give a child in-line skates or a sled, be sure to schedule a specific time you can skate, sled or walk with the child."

Not only will children's health benefit, but cherished family memories can be made through a trip to the ice rink, a museum or even just the park down the street.

The winter break from school offers the perfect opportunity, as parents and children alike will be on the lookout for ways to stay occupied -- and have some fun.

Nancy Bloom, owner of All Fired Up, a paint-your-own pottery shop at Wabash Landing, said her shop usually gets busy during the school break because it offers fun for all ages.

"We have enough pieces so everybody is going to find something they like," Bloom said. "And even if they want to make one large piece together, it creates a family activity."

Physical therapist David Cobb is organizing another outlet for children during the break. Cobb, a co-owner of Lafayette Rehabilitation Services, will offer the "3-D FUNctional Fitness Camp" at Faith Community Center on Dec. 29.

Cobb is counting on getting more than 200 children to attend the camp and hopes to hold similar ones on a quarterly basis.

"We'll use exercise strategies for three-and-a-half hours and the kids won't even realize they're exercising," he said.

The three-dimensional exercises Cobb will teach show children, "you can do a jumping jack in a 1,000 different ways" by doing the movements in varying directions and styles.

In his job, Cobb teaches recovering athletes and other patients how important it is to move the body's muscles in different directions to keep them healthy and avoid injury. For the children he'll be working with at the camp, Cobb said the unique movements are important because they're a blast to do.

Cobb hopes the children at the camp go home excited to show their family members what they've learned.

"We're seeing obesity and the diabetes surge running rampant and that's just a shame," he said. "(These exercises) are fun and nobody does it wrong."