Welcome to the Ever Active Schools Blog!
We are pleased to present healthy school community stories surrounding thought leadership, health champions and innovative ideas, all supporting healthy school communities through a Comprehensive School Health lens.
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TOP 10 TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF SHAPING THE FUTURE 2023
Written by Mason Ulvestad, Ever Active Schools Shaping the Future is here! It’s that time of year again when we pack up our gear and head to the mountains for the three days of busyness that we call Shaping the Future. It’s fun, it’s eventful, and most of all, it’s an amazing experience. To make…
Read MoreTOP 5 PODCLASS EPISODES
Written by Rebecca Marjoram, Ever Active Schools Have you been searching for the perfect podcast episodes to listen to? Are you looking to find some new, innovative ways to make your classroom a healthier place? Look no further! Podclass producer and EAS media specialist Rebecca has compiled a list of her top five Podclass episodes,…
Read MoreDONATE TO EVER ACTIVE SCHOOLS WITH SKIPTHEDEPOT
Ever Active Schools is excited to be partnering with SkipTheDepot to make it easy for you to a) recycle all your beverage containers, and b) invest in healthy futures for all children. It really is as easy as 1, 2, 3: Download the Skip The Depot app Schedule a pickup Direct your donations to Ever…
Read MoreHOW TO HOST A TOURNAMENT
Written by Nathan White and Melissa Tierney, Ever Active Schools In our Everybody Plays project work, funded by Jumpstart, Ever Active Schools has been working with schools and communities to host leagues of play, which includes tournaments! This handy guide is intended to help you plan and host a tournament. It is important to note…
Read MoreHOW DO I TEACH CANADA’S FOOD GUIDE?
Submitted by the team of Registered Dietitians at Teach Nutrition How to teach Canada’s Food Guide (CFG) is a question that our team of Registered Dietitians at Teach Nutrition hears… A LOT. CFG is part of the curriculum for all grade levels, so it requires different approaches for different ages and stages. Determining how, why,…
Read MoreHOSTING A HISTORIC ATHLETIC EVENT
In October 2022, Ever Active Schools had the opportunity to co-host the Alberta School Athletics Association (ASAA) Cross Country Running Provincial Championships with maskêkosihk, or Enoch Cree Nation. This was only the second time in ASAA history that a First Nation community was selected to host. “It was so special because the Cultural Grounds [where…
Read MoreSTRESSED OUT? TAKE A BREAK, NATURALLY
Written by Susanne Heaton, Motivated by Nature Stress is a part of our everyday lives. Some stress is good: eustress is what we experience when we are excited or anticipating a good outcome. The other two types of stress are acute and chronic. Acute stress is a short-lived stressor. Once the danger has passed, the…
Read MoreAN EVER-SO ACTIVE SUMMER
Written by Katelyn Seiferman and Ruva Sharara In the summer of 2022, Ever Active Schools (EAS) was fortunate enough to hire two summer students through the Canada Summer Jobs program – Katelyn Seiferman joined us in Edmonton and Ruva Sharara in Calgary. We asked them to share their experiences working with EAS and how it…
Read MoreHOW TO HOST A YOUTH FUN RUN OR WALK EVENT
Written by Hayley Degaust, Ever Active Schools The AMA Youth Run Club is a free, fun and flexible opportunity for schools and students to get active! Run, walk or roll your way to a healthier school community at any grade level. Hosting a fun run or walk event is a great way to either kick…
Read MoreTHE ALBERTA TEACHERS’ GUIDE TO BACK TO SCHOOL 2022/2023
Keep calm and school on! Back-to-school is a busy time of year for parents, students and educators alike. While parents and students are out shopping for school supplies and the latest styles, educators are busy creating lesson plans and a healthy learning environment. Since 2001, Ever Active Schools has been supporting educators to feel confident…
Read MoreEMPOWERED, INSPIRED AND CELEBRATED: STILL I RISE
The idea for ‘Still I Rise’ initially came to be in December 2020, when an insightful EAS team member working primarily in the Treaty 8 region recognized the need for Indigenous youth to receive messages of hope, perseverance and resilience in a time of uncertainty. From there the concept of a free virtual student event…
Read MoreREADY TO RUN… OR FUNDRAISE!
Ever Active Schools hosted the comfiest gala of the year in May! Guests wore their best attire and their favourite running shoes to make the inaugural Running Shoe Gala a hit… and perhaps a new fashion trend? The Running Shoe Gala is a fundraising event in support of Ever Active Schools and healthy futures for…
Read MoreSHAPING THE FUTURE IN THE NEXT NORMAL
Written by Kayli McClelland, Creative Media Specialist, Ever Active Schools Well that was a ride! After months of planning, a postponement and a venue change, we are proud to say that Shaping the Future 2022 was a roaring success! “It feels so good to be back together in this learning and celebratory environment! Thank you…
Read MoreTHINK OUTSIDE THE (CLASSROOM) BOX
Written by Tracey Coutts, Ever Active Schools Welcome sweet Spring, “when the world is mudluscious…(and) puddle-wonderful” (In Just-, E.E. Cummings) and beckons us outdoors to partake in its miracles. Yes, teachers, we know that many of you have been slipping on those rubber boots and taking your classes outdoors to Explore Your 2.4s and your…
Read MorePLANT-BASED PROTEINS AND REDUCING FOOD WASTE
PLANT-BASED PROTEINS AND REDUCING FOOD WASTE: TWO INGREDIENTS FOR A HEALTHIER TOMORROW Written by Dietetic Interns Amie Lipsey and Kayla Evans. Amie and Kayla are completing their Dietetic Internship program through the University of Alberta and working with public health Dietitians at Alberta Health Services. March 2022 is Nutrition Month, hosted by Dietitians of…
Read MoreLAND-BASED LEARNING: CONSIDERING THE FUNDAMENTALS
Written by Andrea Barnes. Originally published in GEOEC Connections Journal, October 2021. As an Environmental Educator with Alberta Parks and a classroom teacher, one of the silver linings of this past 1.5 years has to be the dramatic uptake and motivation for teaching outdoors. As we move into another year, hopefully, this energy and passion…
Read MoreDANCE LESSON PLAN 4 OF 4 FOR DIV 1/2 (GRADES K-6)
Dance is not only a physical education curricular requirement in Alberta schools, it’s also a fun and expressive way to move your body! This is the final post in a series of four Div 1/2 (grades K-6) dance lesson plans to help you teach movement. These lesson plans build from week-to-week, so if you haven’t…
Read MoreDANCE LESSON PLAN 3 OF 4 FOR DIV 1/2 (GRADES K-6)
Dance is not only a physical education curricular requirement in Alberta schools, it’s also a fun and expressive way to move your body! This is the third in a series of four Div 1/2 (grades K-6) dance lesson plans to help you teach movement. These lesson plans build from week-to-week, so if you haven’t seen…
Read MoreDANCE LESSON PLAN 2 OF 4 FOR DIV 1/2 (GRADES K-6)
Dance is not only a physical education curricular requirement in Alberta schools, it’s also a fun and expressive way to move your body! This is the second in a series of four Div 1/2 (grades K-6) dance lesson plans to help you teach movement. These lesson plans build from week-to-week, so if you haven’t seen…
Read MoreDANCE LESSON PLAN 1 OF 4 FOR DIV 1/2 (GRADES K-6)
Dance is not only a physical education curricular requirement in Alberta schools, it’s also a fun and expressive way to move your body! For the next four weeks, we’ll be posting a new Div 1/2 (grades K-6) dance lesson plan to help you teach movement. These lesson plans build on one another from week-to-week. You…
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