FIT Camp makes health, wellness, and exercise fun

KOKOMO, Ind. - When Clark Shaffer comes home exhausted from a busy day of making homemade bubble wands, dribbling a basketball, stretching, trying new snacks, playing Foursquare, and making new friends, he just thinks he's had a great day at camp.

He has no idea he's brought home valuable lessons about health, wellness, and the importance of physical activity.

Clark, who will be a second grader at Kokomo's Maple Crest Elementary, is among nearly 40 children attending Indiana University Kokomo's FIT Camp, five days of games, exercise, and healthy living led by School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions (SNAHP) faculty and students from a variety of majors.

"I thought it would be super fun, and it is," he said, adding that making slime and playing on the slip and slide were his favorite activities.

Samantha Fouts, clinical assistant professor of nursing, led the camp with Naomi Jones, clinical assistant professor of nursing, as part of an effort to combat childhood obesity. Researchers at the IU Fairbanks School of Public Health reported that childhood obesity spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking in 2021. Data trends tracked through 2023 showed the surge had not significantly reduced, with 1 in 5 children aged 2 to 19 affected.

"We know childhood obesity is an epidemic," Fouts said. "Our hope is this week, as the children learn how to manage nutrition, how to exercise, how to incorporate stress management activities and rest into their daily lives, that will have an impact in our community."

Each day included lessons on topics including whole grains, proteins and oils, fruits and vegetables, and stress and rest, along with physical activity with the Cougar track and field, golf, soccer, and women's basketball teams. They also enjoyed craft time making picture frames, slime, stress balls, and bubble wands for giant bubbles, as well as daily healthy snack time.

"We hope they take away strategies on how to be active," Fouts said. "The recommendation is that kids spend about 60 minutes a day in physical activity. We hope they incorporate that into their summer lives, but also while they are in school as well. We hope they share this with their parents and encourage them to do the same."

IU Kokomo students prepared to be camp counselors with a three-day summer class taught by Jones and Fouts. They learned about nutrition, classroom management, camp management, and child development, with guidance from Sarrah Grubb, associate professor of education, who gave them skills to keep the campers engaged in learning, while also having fun.

Seth Leon, a finance major from Lafayette, said his academic success coach, Mike Gault, encouraged him to participate.

"He said it was a good opportunity to get involved on campus," he said. "I've enjoyed getting to know the kids, and also my peers. I just finished my first year. Making friends in college isn't that hard, but it's definitely easier when we're all working together to achieve a goal of teaching the kids a few things. It's a good experience."

Nursing major Emma Williams, Kokomo, enjoyed the opportunity to work with children while completing some requirements for her degree.

"I'm learning how to interact with young children, and how to relate to them," she said. "It gives me the experience of learning to attend to people and understand their individual needs."

She and the other counselors also learned how to teach lessons in nutrition, which Amari VanCamp, 10, found interesting - especially learning the difference between whole and refined grains. Her favorite part was playing soccer with the women's soccer team.

"It was really fun," the homeschooled fifth grader said.

More than 6,700 children have attended FIT Camp since it was founded in 1997 as an educational program for those with asthma or diabetes. It later expanded to include healthy living and completely shifted focus to health and wellness in 2017. More than 300 nursing students have served as camp counselors.

Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.