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The fit girls program
Mission: To promote healthy bodies, healthy minds, and healthy hearts through running, reading, and caring.
Values:
1. Outdoor access for all.
2. Holistic health and wellness education and mentoring.
3. Respect and kindness for ourselves, each other, and the environment.
4. Increasing fruit and vegetable intake while encouraging connection to gardening and farming.
5. Giving back to our outdoor spaces and serving the natural world surrounding our schools.
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Vision: Girls feel empowered to be themselves, make healthful choices for their bodies in relationship with nature, and connect the message of taking care of themselves, each other, and the earth.
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​What does this look like?
Fit Girls is a 6 week after school program in the fall and spring. All 4th and 5th grade girls in Franklin County are invited to participate. We meet as a group once a week at Academy Hill School and Cascade Brook, two local elementary schools. We embrace the message "fruits and vegetables on half the plate" and start each practice with a healthy snack (e.g. carrots and hummus, bell pepper and cheese sticks, vegetable wraps).
Over the course of the 6 week the group trains for a 5K outside along fields and through the woods. We celebrate all bodies, speeds, and efforts. A positive attitude and willingness to participate is the only requirement. Every person has the opportunity for growth. We work together to grow in our own strength, fruit and vegetable intake, and support for one another and the world we live in. A quality book is also given to each participant and its various wholesome messages are integrated into each session.
Running and walking are easy, inexpensive forms of exercise that strengthen a variety of muscles and the cardiovascular system. Running and walking also promote better physical and mental health. We start trying to run for 20 minutes and build as our season continues. We may do drills, relays, tag-games, strides, and other fitness exercises (jumping jacks, burpees, star jumps, squat jumps) to help build our leg strength and cardiovascular stamina. We work towards our goal of completing a 5K at the end of each season.
​Reading helps us to learn, reflect, and exposes us to new ideas. A wonderful book can inspire, motivate and comfort. During each session, we will discuss an aspect of the book. Throughout the program, the girls participate in activities surrounding our book choice. By introducing girls to meaningful books with positive messages and engaging stories, Fit Girls of Wilton Maine helps girls gain a deeper appreciation for themselves and their communities.
Caring. This is multifactorial. We care about our food choices, encouraging fruits, vegetables, and plants grown from the garden. We care about how our nourishment and movement affect our overall health and wellbeing. We care about ourselves, each other, and the world around us. We make supportive posters for race day, design and spread kindness rocks, and complete a seasonal community service project. As funding allows, in the fall we we plant flower bulbs such as daffodils, crocuses, and tulips. We are inspired by Miss Rumphius, the book by Barbara Cooney, to make the world a more beautiful place. In the spring we will plant perennials and spread pollinator friendly wild-flower seeds. We also perform outdoor service work tending to gardens, trails, and paths as needed by our schools.