Thank you, Pottstown Middle!

Happy Tuesday! We hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.

Today, Ask, Listen, Learn was back on the road at Pottstown Middle School in Pottstown, PA. Congressman Jim Gerlach spoke to the crowd of 550 students in grades 6^th- 8^th in their awesome auditorium.

Thank you to all the teachers and administrators for making this event possible and to all the student volunteers running so fast on our Xavix game! Have a great end of the school year!

Thank you, North Junior High!

It's been a crazy week for the Ask, Listen, Learn team! We had 5 events at middle schools with elected officials and enthusiastic students ready to learn.

Thank you to North Junior High for being up bright and early to play our Xavix game and answer questions at your assembly! We know everyone is busy taking final tests and signing yearbooks, but we're happy you could hear our message as you end the school year.

Have a great summer making good choices and living a healthy lifestyle!

A busy day on the road with Ask, Listen, Learn

Today was another busy day for the Ask, Listen, Learn team! We were in Medford, NY with Congressman Tim Bishop at Oregon Middle School at 1:30pm. An hour later (one time zone over) in Centralia, IL, we were with Congressman John Shimkus at Centralia Junior High.

Both events were packed with 6^th and 7^th graders playing our Xavix game and answering trivia questions about eating right, working out, and the effects of alcohol on growing bodies and minds. We hope these schools will continue to have fun playing the game in their physical education classes and after school.

Always remember to say “YES” to a healthy lifestyle, and “NO” to underage drinking!

Thank you, Challenger K8!

Yesterday, our second event of the day was with the 6^th graders at Challenger K8 in Spring Hill, FL. Congressman Rich Nugent spoke to the kids about living a healthy lifestyle, and everyone had a great time answering questions and winning bags and sunglasses.

Thank you to Principal Stoops and all the teachers and administrators for hosting this assembly at the end of your school year. Good luck with your final tests, and remember to always say 'YES' to a healthy lifestyle!

Thank you, Central Mountain Middle School!

With just a few weeks to go before the end of the school year, the Ask, Listen, Learn team is kicking things into high gear!  We started today at Central Mountain Middle School in Mill Hall, PA, with ALL first-timer Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson.  The 300 8^th graders gave Rep. Thompson a warm welcome with their energy and enthusiasm, and our student volunteers did a great job showing off our Xavix game!

Thanks again to Principal Mark Rowedder for inviting us, and to all of the students and teachers for making us feel right at home.  As summer approaches, don't forget to say YES to a healthy lifestyle and NO to underage drinking!

Thank you, Spring Branch Middle!

Today we were in Houston, Texas with Superstar Steven Lopez at Spring Branch Middle School. 750 6^th and 7^th graders packed into the auditorium to listen to Steven talk about the discipline takes for him to make good choices and live a healthy lifestyle as he trains with his family each and every day.

Our student volunteers did a great job playing our Xavix game and winning bags and sunglasses after Steven showed off some kicks. Steven said he remembered how much peer pressure there was in middle school, but he focused on his tae kwon do and dreams of making it to the Olympics. He said his mom always told him, “It's not an easy path to be the BEST!”

Thank you to Dr. Williams and all the teachers and students for hosting us today. Always remember to say YES to a healthy lifestyle, and NO to underage drinking!

Remmi Smith: Role models live healthy lifestyles

Saying “no” to underage drinking is part of leading a healthy lifestyle. I know this seems pretty simple but the happiest people are people who live a healthy lifestyle.

A healthy lifestyle to me is fueling my body with healthy foods, exercise, and a lot of happy moments.

I feel pretty lucky that I love food-really love food-and I love the foods that are good for you. I love food so much I want to be in the kitchen all of the time experimenting with different recipes and ingredients. I also enjoy fun food facts so I also read a lot about food and food history. Did you know the ancient Greeks awarded celery to the winners of sports events? Lollipops were invented by George Smith in 1908 and he named them after a racehorse called Lolly Pop? Eating is something you have to do……so why not have some fun with it!  I want to encourage kids to get in the kitchen and have some fun. Learning how to cook will also improve your nutrition.

 The Ask.Listen.Learn program encourages healthy lifestyles and has gotten a lot of top athletes to be role models for the program. These athlete role models have and are living a healthy lifestyle or they wouldn't be the success they are. As a young person, finding a role model who has achieved what you want to achieve is a great way to focus on your dream. All kids have dreams and there is no reason to wait on anything to achieve your dream. Role models are successful people who started with a dream. And, the people that I consider role models are happy people who have and are living a healthy lifestyle.

I want to encourage kids to dream big and make good decisions. Life is full of choices and underage drinking is not a good choice.

A rave review of the Ask, Listen, Learn game

The role technology plays in education is constantly evolving as educators and school administrators understand that the key to reaching students is to make learning engaging.  The Ask, Listen ,Learn (ALL) interactive game created by The Century Council blends keeping students physically active while learning valuable information about underage drinking, healthy eating and the importance of physical activity.  Physical activity brings oxygen to the brain and increases students' focus and attention...

Listen to Your Mother, May 6th

Via Listen To Your Mother

As a Listen to Your Mother DC sponsor, The Century Council has offered to introduce our community to their Ask, Listen, Learn program with a giveaway. We will select two winners, and each will receive a complimentary ticket to our show!

Here is how to enter:

First, ASK your kids what they know about alcohol and then LISTEN to what they have to say. Then tell us what you LEARNED on Twitter or Facebook. Some kids will respond with the expected answers, that they know underage drinking is against the law and not allowed. But others may have surprising (and possibly shocking) responses.

We will track Twitter entries referencing @asklistenlearn, so tweets should be formatted something like this: @asklistenlearn My son says alcohol is for adults only. http://tinyurl.com/6vzgfxg

Facebook post entries will be tracked with a tag to the Ask, Listen, Learn Facebook page. Make sure to “like” the Ask, Listen, Learn page and then tag it in your post. For example: I asked my son what he knows about alcohol and he said it's “for adults only.” To learn more about Ask, Listen, Learn and how to win a free ticket to the DC Listen to Your Mother show, visit http://tinyurl.com/6vzgfxg.

You can enter this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook or BOTH. You will get an entry for each. You have between now midnight May 3rd to enter. We will announce the winners and e-mail show tickets on May 4th. If you are a winner, but have already purchased a ticket, your money will be refunded.

Confused about the giveaway rules? Not sure how to “tag” something in Facebook? Any other questions? Just e-mail us at listentoyourmotherdc@gmail.com!

Thank you, West Rocks Middle!

This morning, Congressman Jim Himes (@jahimes) joined the Ask, Listen, Learn team in Norwalk, CT at West Rocks Middle School to talk to the entire 8^th grade about saying YES to a healthy lifestyle and NO to underage drinking. Our student volunteers did a great job demonstrating the interactive game!

Thank you to Principal Dr. Lynne Moore and 8^th grade team leaders Mr. Brian Ruther and Mr. Frank Cirino for having us.  And to all the students: keep working toward that 60 minutes of activity a day!

Donna Moore Celebrates National Sports & PE Week

Teaching students how to integrate physical activity and nutrition in their daily lives is the focus of my Physical Education curriculum. Over the course of a 30 year career, I have seen many changes in the youth I have been fortunate to teach. Students, by the result of their environment, have become more sedentary, resulting in a national epidemic of childhood obesity. I believe as a Physical Educator, it is my responsibility to lead by example and positively influence children to make vital decisions in their lives which will have lifelong implications on their futures...