Health Resources

Free Curriculum Modules from the National Institutes of Health

Looking Good, Feeling Good: From the Inside Out
for grades 7-8 explores bone, muscle, and skin. Through seven lessons, students learn how the musculoskeletal and skin systems work, how cells contribute to each system, how the structure of bone relates to its function, how body systems interact, and how behaviors (such as exercise) and environmental factors (such as sunlight) influence body systems. Students develop lifestyle recommendations for maintaining healthy body systems.

Other free curriculum materials in health-related science for elementary, middle school, and high school levels are also available from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Science Education.

Eat Smart, Play HardTM Web Site for Educators

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched Eat Smart, Play Hard, a new web site for educators, with materials to help encourage young people to eat healthier and increase their physical activity.

Teaching Kids about Pandemic Flu

Get Ready for Flu is a new web site from the American Public Health Association that features a kid-friendly, easy-to-understand guide to pandemic flu and preparedness. It includes games and tips for what kids can do to stay healthy.

Physical Activity Grants for Youth

Nike, Inc. supports programs that increase and promote physical activity, get youth involved in the teamwork of sports; and have a real, positive, measurable impact. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status in communities where Nike has a significant employee or business presence. There is a rolling deadline. Contact Nike, Inc. directly for complete program information and application guidelines at www.nike.com/nikebiz/nikebiz.jhtml?page=26&item=guidelines.

Carol M. White Physical Education Program

PE funding is available from the U.S. Department of Education through the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant competition. PEP grants support the initiation, expansion, and improvement of physical education programs (which may include after-school programs) in order to make progress toward meeting state physical education standards for kindergarten through 12th grade students by providing equipment and support to enable students to participate actively in physical education activities, and by providing funds for staff and teacher training and education. The 2008 competition closed on March 28.

Champions for Healthy Kids

Champions for Healthy Kids is a grant program established by the General Mills Foundation, in partnership with the American Dietetic Association Foundation and the President's Council on Physical Fitness. Each year, the General Mills Foundation awards 50 grants of $10,000 each to community-based groups that develop creative ways to help youth adopt a balanced diet and a physically active lifestyle. In 2008, the deadline for grant applications was January 15, with winners announced in May. The 2009 competition will be posted in the fall of 2008.

Grants for Nutrition-Related Gardens

The National Gardening Association sponsors two grant programs to encourage schools to use gardens as a way to increase nutrition knowledge and healthy eating. To be eligible for either program, a school or organization must plan to garden in 2009 with at least fifteen children between ages three and eighteen.

The Youth Garden Grants, in cooperation with Home Depot, will award $1,000 Home Depot gift cards and educational materials to five schools, $500 gift cards and educational materials to 70 schools, and $250 gift cards and educational materials to 50 schools. The awards go to schools and community groups that have an educational focus to their gardens, including nutrition awareness and environmental education. The deadline for applications is November 1, 2008.

The Healthy Sprouts Awards, sponsored by Gardener's Supply Company, will award five $500 gift certificates for Gardener's Supply and fifteen $200 gift certificates. The awards support school and youth garden programs that teach about nutrition and hunger in the United States. The deadline for applications is October 15, 2008.

Guides to School Health Grants

Looking for a grant to support your school health project? An initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides links to private sector funding opportunities on its Leadership for Healthy Communities web site, along with a number of resources about school-based efforts to combat obesity.