Getting Started: Step-by-Step

1. Register for the challenge

2. Download an activity log

3. Download materials

4. Teach students about the challenge

  • Discuss which activities increase your heart rate and are vigorous.
  • Challenge and set goals with your students. For good health, children and youth should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.
  • Laminate and hang a poster-sized log to use as a model and visual, which also serves as a great display to log your activity for students to see.
  • Tell students and families about Healthy Futures events and how daily, physical activity will help prepare their bodies for participating.
  • Send letters to parents to announce the Healthy Futures Challenge and school goals for participation. Feel free to adapt the letter to meet your individual needs.
  • Ask parents to sign and return the letter with a commitment to participate and help their children get in the habit of daily physical activity.
  • The parent letter can be sent prior to the start of the challenge.

5. Communicate with parents

  • Send letters to parents to announce the Healthy Futures Challenge and school goals for participation. Feel free to adapt the letter to meet your individual needs.
  • Ask parents to sign and return the letter with a commitment to participate and help their children get in the habit of daily physical activity.
  • The parent letter can be sent prior to the start of the challenge.

6. Accept and record completed logs

  • Record student names and number of qualifying logs through the Healthy Futures online app. Important! Qualifying logs document a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity, 15 days a month. You do not need to send the logs to Healthy Futures, but please store completed logs on site until the end of the year.

7. Award Incentives

  • Once you have entered the information about completed logs on the Healthy Futures database, Healthy Futures will send you incentives for students. Students will receive incentive # 1 for log # 1; incentive # 2 for log # 2; and incentive # 3 for log # 3.
  • Please note a change to school grants for the Fall 2015 Challenge: There will be a drawing among all schools that achieve at least 20% participation in the Healthy Futures Challenge. A total of 25 schools statewide that fit this criterion will be eligible to receive $200 grants. Schools can use this money to purchase educational materials or equipment that support student physical activity. Schools in each tier will be recognized with a banner for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. Tiers are based on the population of the school: Tier 1 is 401 or more, Tier 2 is 201-400, Tier 3 is 41-200 and Tier 4 is 40 or less.

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