Bernie’s Club was officially launched in town last week, on January 11, as a health initiative designed and offered to all children going to school in Nutley by the Nutley Health Department and the Nutley Department of Public Affairs.
Nutley has a new club - but this one does not require a secret handshake!
Bernie's Club is the newest educational yet fun club offered to children in Nutley by the Department of Health under the direction (and invention) of Commissioner Steve Rogers.
Here, a few fun photos to show you - and if you want to learn more, contact the Nutley Health Department and the office of Commissioner Rogers.
In case you missed the previous article, here you go!
Picture a world without diabetes or obesity or high blood pressure. Now imagine our children urging us - their parents - to live a more healthy lifestyle. And imagine those same kids would beg you to spend an hour every month learning about health and how to live a more healthy life.
In Nutley, this dream is a reality.An interactive new program in Nutley is taking the younger set by storm. Bernie’s Club was officially launched in town last week, on January 11, as a health initiative designed and offered to all children going to school in Nutley by the Nutley Health Department and the Nutley Department of Public Affairs.
Bernie, in case you didn’t know, is a lovable, huggable and health-conscious dog. But instead of chasing bones, this mutt is focused on one thing: teaching children in grades 1 through 5 the basics of eating and living a healthy lifestyle.
Created as a club, with memberships and prizes, Bernie’s Club is set up as a fun go-to destination for kids.
Commissioner Steve Rogers, the director of the Health and Public Affairs department, the Veterans Bureau and the department of public affairs, said welcoming Bernie to town for school children is a win-win for all.
“Our new mascot Bernie will help us spread news to children about living healthy,” said Rogers. “Our Saturday morning club will be a lot of fun and educational for youngsters who are joining. There is no cost to join.”
Nutley township nurse Patty Cruz, RN agreed.
“The children will learn so much about how unique they are,” noted Cruz. “ This program covers everything from physical & emotional health, safety, bullying, media madness, the benefits of laugher, fear of doctor visits and so, so much more.”
As the children showed up to sign up and meet Bernie, the department of health and public affairs was transformed, with magical results.
Kids lined up to greet Bernie, often with a giant hug, and always with great excitement. Six-year old Jonathan was so happy to meet Bernie he literally jumped a few feet off the ground. Fellow club member Alexis was more calm, but said she was very excited to learn how to eat more healthy.
“I want to be healthy and be like Bernie,” she said.
The children signed up to join the club, and spent some time learning about germs at the “germinator station”, washing their hands for the right amount of time, helped along by singing, and also enjoying meeting Bernie.
Bernie gamely weighed himself, and was 175.2 pounds. Now, this cuddly dog will lose some weight and eat more healthy, hopefully earning some coveted prizes like his fellow club members.
But this program is not all fun and games, though the children are thrilled and uniquely invested in belonging to the “club”.
Every month, a different health topic, offered in an age appropriate and fun way, will be discussed with the children. Instead of just a class, this is a truly interactive approach to teaching children, and gets them involved.
One example is the popular and fun way children are taught about their own DNA and fingerprints. Every child will receive an image of a fingerprint, and then will be asked to design their own unique identity, using the fingerprint as the body.
And, everyone knows children love prizes. Bernies Club offers some rewards for sticking with the healthy program. As each child achieves individualized health goals, he or she can then collect “Biscuit” points, which lead to “Paw”prizes.
There are also challenge points, that encourage the kids to act on their education in health, so they can share their new attitude at home or school, and decrease empty calories while increasing healthy ones.
With a “Paw” Prize table on display, this encouragement is much better than any candy, and provides a real life carrot for children hungry to learn.
One very social prize is the “Barrel” prize, which allows kids to save up points earned and then have their own party.
“Nutley’s children are so precious,” added Cruz. “It is wonderful how many professionals throughout the town are participating in the program, and that’s just one of the many reasons Nutley is such a great place to live and grow.”
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports "Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years.The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period."
