Christina Cherif of Oakland Based Urban Gardens (OBUGS), a nonprofit that provides garden-based education programs at four Oakland schools, conducts weekly gardening lessons for first-graders. And when the students see her coming, they cry, "Yeah, the garden lady!"

Dropping seeds into little hands, asking questions about roots and stems, and marveling at the wide eyes and wonder she sees on the faces of her pupils, Cherif is just one person representing the growing trend of incorporating instructional gardening into the school curriculum.

For children in urban environments, especially in low-income areas where access to fresh produce is limited or non-existent, kids don't know much about the origin of food. Bringing gardens to them opens up a whole new world.

"A lot of the kids we work with don't know where food comes from," said Michelle Lieberman, executive director of OBUGS. "A benefit of school gardens is that they see the life cycle."

Interested in helping young minds grow through gardening? Check out kidsgardening.com to get started.

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When I write about the merits of nutrition and fitness for the prevention of cancer, I typically have adults in mind. I guess since I'm a grown-up, I write for other grown-ups who might be swayed into eating better and exercising more. I do write about kids now and then but more from an overall health perspective and not so much a cancer prevention angle. This is exactly what I need to do, though. Getting kids to practice cancer prevention now is perfect. Their slates are clean -- well, the damage is minimal, anyway -- and they have so much time to do the right thing. The non-profit organization Road to Life operates on this very premise.

The Road to Life mission is to eradicate preventable cancer and diseases of excess by educating children about the smoking, fitness, and nutrition decisions they can make to lead healthier lives. Free health programs, available for download, consist of a classroom curriculum, an after-school program, a family program, and a Health Care Careers Program. You can also access the Road to Life blog and catch up on the latest news regarding cancer prevention. Some recent hot headlines are: Doctors Urged to Prescribe Exercise and The Skinny on Fat: Good Fats vs. Bad Fats.

It's a noble endeavor, pairing kids and cancer prevention. Don't you think?

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There is still room for improvement in U.S. schools in terms of overall student health, but great strides have been made by many districts in recent years in terms of removing junk food from schools and promoting more physical exercise among students.

A new report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) -- called the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006 -- was released last week and noted the list of improvements from schools across the country.

It's taken a long time, but perhaps the obesity epidemic has finally caused health officials to look hard at the massive marketing and variety of unhealthy habits pushed onto school-aged children. Banning vending machines and requiring some type of physical exercise is a great start, and one I hope will last. Next up: parental responsibility outside of school initiatives. Let's just see what happens there.

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Being a health advocate and the sister of an autistic person, I can't help but promote the benefits of physical activity for autistic children (and adults.) I believe that one of the most under-utilized yet effective treatments for autistic individuals is exercise. Obviously, exercise is important for everyone, but especially for those with autism. Several research studies have shown that vigorous or strenuous exercise (a 20-minute or longer aerobic workout, 3 to 4 days a week) is often associated with decreases in stereotypic (self-stimulatory) behaviors, hyperactivity, aggression, self-injury, and destructiveness.

Exercise is important for both their physical and mental health. The human body is truly a remarkable machine, able to cleanse itself of heavy metals, toxins, and more and sustained exercise enhances all of these abilities. Not to mention, heightened physical activity means getting more oxygen to the cells that need it most, the ones in the brain -- no wonder I like working out so much! Exercise can reduce stress and anxiety as well as improve sleep, reaction time, and memory. Exercise is also beneficial to many autistic individuals because most lead relatively inactive lifestyles causing them to gain weight or to even become obese. On top of that, a physical exercise program may also improve a student's attention in the classroom, especially since stereotypic behaviors interfere with teaching.

Exercise is inexpensive, safe, and healthful so it only makes sense to try a program out to reduce behavior problems in the classroom and at home. But why stop there? Don't be afraid to try recreational sports. This may be an enjoyable leisure activity for individuals with autism and, in some cases, it may even help prevent problem behavior such as aggression. Recreational sports may also afford opportunities for socialization, particularly if peers who have been taught to serve as tutors or models are available during the activity.

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I've worried about my weight for as long as I can remember. While I was definitely a bit chubby in my early teens, I was always a pretty fit kid before that but even so, I always worried about being too fat. In fact, I've heard a lot of reports that state many girls and boys are concerned their weight and so start to diet at younger and younger ages. These days, most of the attention in the media is about obese children rather than those suffering from anorexia or bulimia.

While there is plenty of attention given to overweight kids, how many programs are there for those with other eating disorders? I tried to look for more information on google, and when I put in the keywords "anorexia rates children united states" most of the headlines I got back were still about obesity. Apparently things are the same in other countries as well, Australia being one example. According to this article, of the programs that do exist in that country for anorexia and bulimia, almost all focus on treating those over the age of 16, when in reality these eating disorders start at much younger ages.

The good news is that they are beginning to address the problem there to try to make people aware that young kids can suffer from eating disorders other than obesity. So, does anyone know of anything similar going on in North America?

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