Summer camps start next week and we can't wait! Our summer camp leader, Melanie, has been working very hard to come up with some really great activities and games to keep the kids occupied every day each week. We do offer half day options, just contact me for details!

On June 21, 2011, the Manitoba government launched a new interactive online health assessment tool exclusively for Manitobans.  Health e-Plan is designed to support Manitobans to live well and make healthier choices.   Please see the attached factsheet entitled, Health e-Plan Get connected to your health.

After completing a comprehensive online questionnaire, users will receive a personalized profile that identifies where lifestyle changes could help to reduce health risks. The assessment also helps users determine their readiness to change, set goals for improving health and provides guidance for making changes to support better health.  A unique feature of Health e-Plan is My Wellness Connections, a customized set of links that direct users to resources in their region based on the results of the assessment. 

Visit www.manitoba.ca/healtheplan  to access Health e-Plan. 

As a recreational professional, you have been identified as someone that would benefit from this assessment tool.  By blending provincial, regional and local resources, we can create supports to increase physical activity in our communities. 

We encourage you to spread the word about Health e-Plan through your network, and to help you do so we have developed the attached factsheet.

For more information, to request hard copies of the factsheet, or to provide feedback about Health e-Plan, please contact healthe-plan@gov.mb.ca.

Hope you all get a chance to get out and enjoy the nice weather while it's here!

It's the May long weekend this weekend, YES!!! I can't wait for 3 whole days off work, to get out quadding and play in the rain. I'd prefer no rain, but if that's what it's going to do, so be it! I'm from BC so I'm used to the rain anyway, haha.

I wonder what this weekend will bring?
- A certain announcement about a certain hockey team? (Darn, that's not til Tuesday.. or wait.. when? what?)
- The sharks being knocked out by Sunday? ;-)
- NO rain, so everyone can camp and garden and do other lovely outdoor stuff in MB sunshine?
Well, whatever it brings I hope that you get a chance to enjoy it. Have a wonderful weekend!

Community Recreation Plan Survey. June. YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED.

Trust me :)

One of the things that I do each month is go and visit the preschool kids and play some "Being Active is Fun" games with them. I love it! Kids that age are so much fun! This week when I visited, we talked about playing in mud, jumping in mud puddles and how fun it is to be outside at this time of year. What's more fun when you're a kid than doing that? MY version of having fun in mud puddles is getting my quad out. I wasn't able to get out last weekend and I can't wait to get out this weekend! (and every other weekend after that! haha). From mud in the Spring, to trails and sand pits and water holes in the summer - it's my little escape. What do you really start to look forward to at this time of year?

The past few weeks have been a little wild and a lot of fun. I took a quick trip back to BC to visit family the other weekend. It was the weekend where Manitoba had beautiful sunny warm weather (Feb 11-14) and BC had cold rainy weather. Having been raised in BC though, a little bit of rain didn't stop me from getting out and doing things. I braved the Capilano Suspension bridge (I'm not a huge fan of heights, and not proud to admit that I openly gave the evil eye to the people having fun jumping up and down and rocking that thing while I was trying to cross it.) I hiked up mountains, and reaquainted myself with Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver. I walked about 30,000 steps one day through Ikea and I spent lots of time marveling over the outrageous amount of energy that my neices and nephew have, and played about a zillion games of hide and go seek and "what time is it Mr Wolf?" with one of my little nieces. (Seriously Rachel, please teach her some new games for the next time I'm out there!)
I arrived back in MB in time to go to the open gym night on Tuesday, and then it was off to the Rec Connections conference for Wed, Thurs and Fri. One of the keynote speakers at the conference this year was John Furlong, the former CEO for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. The man is simply amazing to listen to. His passion for recreation, his way of speaking and his wonderful personality were like one big captivating package. I now have his book and am looking forward to some free time (hahah..ha) to read it.
Have a great weekend everyone! Hope to see you on Saturday at Hespeler Park for the snowshoeing and cross country skiing!

The first of two open gym nights was last night. The plan was to get some families out having fun and just playing around with impromptu and unstructured indoor soccer and basketball games. I had absolutely no idea how many people to expect there - I figured maybe a couple of families would show up. Well, there were over 30 people who showed up - mostly kids! It was a lot of fun and a little chaotic. At one point we had dodgeball, basketball, a circle game and more going on at the same time. At another time we had one big huge soccer game going on. Parents who stayed joined in and I wonder... did they slept better than their kids last night? ;-)
The next one is next Tuesday from 7:30-9pm. Parents very welcome and encouraged to come!

A good friend of mine, the Rec Director in Powerview / Pine Falls, ran a cooking around the world course last year with good success and good feedback. I thought it was such a great idea and once I started working here in Niverville, I mentioned it to Susan Watson (www.alittlenutrition.com). I have to admit that I was a little surprised by HOW excited Susan got about the idea, and how quickly she agreed to run the program. After attending the first class - the Taste of Thailand one in January, I know why she did. BECAUSE SHE'S FANTASTIC AT IT. Demonstrating cooking is one thing, teaching people how to cook is one thing, but what Susan did was demonstrate, teach, give out tips and advice, encourage, motivate and then feed us all really yummy food on top of it in a completely relaxed and fun atmosphere.
I can't wait until the February one - Great Tastes of Italy.
Take a look at this menu:
-Antipasti
-Insalata Caprese: Mozzarella and Tomato Salad
-Foccacia Alle Cipolle: Focaccia with Onions
First Course: Fresh pasta with Arrabbiatta Sauce
Second Course: Chicken Saltimbacca
Dessert: Biscotti
I may have trouble pronouncing some of those, but I'm sure not going to have trouble learning how to make them, thanks to Susan! This class is full (which says a lot about how much people loved the first one!) but if you're interested in taking it I can put you on a waiting list. If you are already registered for it, make sure you pay so that you keep your spot!

Last week, for the very first time in my life, I tried curling. I will be the first one to admit that I hate the thought of embarrassing myself or others, so I was a little nervous about trying it, especially knowing that there were going to be quite a few people there. I arrived a little early, and Joel and Heather gave me a quick lesson on something that I had the preconceived notion was going to be a little boring. IT WASN'T! This curling thing wasn't boring at all, it was actually really REALLY fun! The people curling that night were awesome and relaxed and just there to enjoy themselves. I'm told that it's like that every night of curling in Niverville! One of the great things is that you really don't need any special equipment or anything if you want to try it. I just wore my snowboarding jacket and pants, clean running shoes and a warm pair of mitts. (I prefer to be more warm than cold! haha, you could easily get away with warm pants, a jacket and mitts. Just make sure that you remember clean shoes!) There are some extra brooms there and you don't even have to bring your own rock ;-)
If you would like to try curling, we have some special days just for you coming up in February. On Sunday February 6th there is a free curling clinic. On Monday February 21st there's free drop in curling followed by a Family Funspiel on Sunday the 27th. Check out the February Fitness month schedule by clicking HERE. Cool! I bet you enjoy it just as much as I did!