Discovery Days program to help kids make healthier choices

     PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A fun and informational program designed to help County kids make better and healthier choices early on that will serve them throughout their lives was introduced last Wednesday by a coalition of area non-profit organizations.
Discovery Days is a seven-week series of hour-long sessions that will run on consecutive Saturday mornings at 10 this fall beginning Sept. 27. Open to children ages 4-8, the free program will include interactive learning opportunities that cover various topics such as incorporating physical activity in play, the importance of exercise, proper nutrition, good sleep habits, and good oral hygiene and bone health.
The Saturday sessions are coordinated and will be led by volunteers and staff representing the lead partner organizations that have come together to create the program including the Aroostook County Action Program, Healthy Aroostook, the Presque Isle Historical Society and TAMC.
“Obesity is a significant risk, not just in Aroostook County, but nationally among children and adults,” said Sylvia Getman, TAMC president and CEO. “For me, obesity is an outcome; it’s not an input.
“Obesity is an outcome for people who have a number of different challenges, and I think the best way to address those challenges is get people up and active at the earliest age, and show them how fun it can be,” she said. “Have people understand that this is really a lifestyle, not a punishment or a treatment. It’s really how we change our lives to live a longer, healthier and higher quality of life throughout the years.”
The concept for Discovery Days was first conceived by Kim Smith, treasurer/secretary of the Presque Isle Historical Society, who was researching how museums across the country have engaged communities in unique ways. One of the concepts she found involved youth and healthy communities.
“While reading a report on the role of museums and wellness, it occurred to me that there could be a relationship between the Historical Society’s Vera Estey House Museum and community organizations that focus on community health and well-being. As I researched this further, I found similar programs that could easily be replicated here in Presque Isle that involved fun activities for children paired with life lessons on physical activity, proper nutrition, sufficient hours of sleep, and more,” said Smith. “That led to the Discovery Days program involving the Historical Society, ACAP, Healthy Aroostook, and TAMC, as well as the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library, NMCC, the Maine Potato Board, PenAir and other partners.”
The historical society will kick off the series Saturday, Sept. 27, which happens to be International Day of Play, an annual event designed to encourage children and parents to turn off the television and play, especially outdoors. To accomplish that, the organization will host traditional 19th century children’s games on the front lawn of the Vera Estey House Museum located at 16 Third St. Kids will learn that, although there was no television, Internet or video games, children had the same basic interests and played the same type of games still played today.
“It’s really imperative as a historical society that we work with young people so that we can be a sustainable organization as we continue to age,” said Smith, “and also studies show us that engaging young people in local history increases the sense of community pride and that’s really very important.”
Sessions to follow will be prepared and led by TAMC professionals in various departments, ACAP, and Healthy Aroostook, a community coalition that is part of the Healthy Maine Partnership and dedicated to improving the health and well-being of Aroostook County citizens through collaborative community action, education and prevention.
Among the departments at TAMC involved in the coordination and planning of Discovery Days is Aroostook Pediatrics. Lori Eckerstorfer, physician’s assistant, spoke at the announcement about the hospital’s role in introducing the program and why activities such as this are important.
“One out of three children in the United States is overweight or obese. The risk for obesity can be higher in a rural community. In fact, the most recent statewide community health needs assessment showed Aroostook County with the highest percentage of high school students overweight of any county,” she said. “There are more and more children being diagnosed with typically adult onset illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes secondary to obesity. It is important to be aware of these risks and make healthier choices to prevent such diseases.
“Among the things that can help prevent childhood obesity are engaging the entire family, schools and communities in healthy eating habits and increasing exercise,” said Eckerstorfer. “Programs, such as Discovery Days, supported by community organizations help encourage youth and show them that their choices to make healthy decisions are important.”
In addition to the pediatric team at TAMC, other departments involved in planning and delivering programs include orthopedics, sleep medicine, TAMC dietitians, Aroostook Cancer Care, and the medical library. ACAP’s dental health program and Healthy Aroostook staff who specialize in nutrition and physical activity will also lead sessions and engage students in hand-on activities.
“As an agency that provides services to children and families, we cannot stress enough the importance of adopting healthy habits early on in life,” said Jamie Chandler, Community Transformation Grant coordinator for ACAP and member of the Healthy Aroostook team. “Evidence demonstrates that when youth are exposed to healthy environments and receive healthy messages early in their life, they are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors as adults.
“Through Discovery Days, we hope youth participants and their families will not only have a greater understanding of the many different aspects of healthy living, but they will also experience how fun it is to be healthy,” said Chandler, who will lead the second session of the series, entitled REDY, Set, Go Get Active Saturday, Oct. 4. The “classroom” for the youth on that day will be the passenger terminal at the Northern Maine Regional Airport. The children will learn about the importance of physical activity before experiencing it firsthand when they take a “run on the runway,” sponsored by PenAir. The lesson and run will be part of the larger TAKE FLIGHT event coordinated by the airport, Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce and TAMC.
Carol Bell, TAMC trustee, Presque Isle Historical Society past president, and ACAP/Healthy Aroostook director, provided an overview of the programming and introduced Discovery Days logo creator Craig Cormier and children representing the four partner organizations who unveiled the new design.
“When we talk about exercise a lot of times, especially with adults, it’s more of a chore,” said Bell. “If we can find things that are fun and that kids love to do, they don’t know that they’re doing this and they’re getting the exercise that they need. I’m very excited to see this program develop.”
Although Discovery Days is geared for children ages 4-8, siblings are welcome to join in. Parents are also invited to sit in on the sessions.
Pre-registration is highly encouraged to ensure adequate supplies and snacks for all participants at each session. For more information or to pre-register a child, log onto www.tamc.org or call 768-4044.