When I was a kid, the day ended with my dad whistling for my brother and me to come home. We could go anywhere in the neighborhood if we were in earshot of his whistle. If we went inside a friend’s house, we called home as soon as we did to let Mom know where we were. There was always a jumprope spinning, bikes to be ridden, or a kickball game to join. We were always moving

I told my boys once that I never remember sitting in front of a TV during daylight hours. Travis was shocked we had TV back then. Of course there were only 3 channels and the test pattern showed up at midnight right after the national anthem, but we had TV. It just wasn’t the focal point of life.

Things are really different for this generation of grade schoolers. Where we had to get our kids to slow down, now parents are trying to figure out how to get them to move. Childhood obesity is rising at an alarming rate. The amount of food consumed and the number of calories burned is no where near in balance.

I realized how serious the problem is when I saw a public service announcement the other day featuring a boy about 10-years-old who simply said, “Don’t Super Size Me” and folded his arms as he looked sternly into the camera.

I recently received information from Emily Patterson about a fun contest promoting family health and wellness, The Family Dance Off. I’ve included the contest information below. Get your video rolling and bust out some of your best dance moves with your kids or grandkids. There are some really great prizes to be won and you will be helping the Children’s Miracle Network too. Enjoy!

Get Up and Dance with Primrose Child Care!

Dance can be a fun, easy way to introduce physical activity into your family's daily routine. As a provider of educational child care, Primrose Schools has recognized and is actively fighting against the childhood obesity epidemic.

The Family Dance-off supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals, which collectively treat 17 million children annually for every illness and injury imaginable.

Families are encouraged to record and submit a 30 second video of their family dancing having fun and at the same time promoting fitness.

Participating in the Family Dance-off is easy:

1. Record a 30-second video of your family's best dance moves. Don't be afraid to let loose and be silly!

2. Visit The Family Dance-off site and upload your best take by March 19.

3. Share your video with your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

4. View and vote daily (you can place five votes per day) for your favorite family dance video!

Now for the prizes:

Not only does your family win, but the whole community wins, with $65,000 in donations to local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals:

· Grand Prize: $5,000 and Primrose will make a $30,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

· 2nd Prize: $3,000 and Primrose will make a $20,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

· 3rd Prize: $1,500 and Primrose will make a $15,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

· All 14 Finalists will also receive a FLIP camcorder

Visit the competition site for more details on how to take part in the fight against childhood obesity, participate in the competition, and view past competitors!

Submitted by Emily Patterson on behalf of Primrose Preschools