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Website aims to boost fitness

A COLOURFUL new interactive and fun website geared at encouraging kids into exercise and healthy eating habits, has been launched in New Zealand.
Children from Holy Cross School in Miramar, Wellington, showed off their skills navigating both the new Mission On website (www.mission-on.co.nz), and in some of the fun physical activities, the website promotes, as part of the official launch.
"The Mission-On website is a fantastic way to keep kids and their families engaged, and motivated to set goals and make good choices towards healthy lifestyles," Prime Minister Helen Clark said at the launch.
"The website is aimed at five to twelve year olds. It looks bright, fun, and easy to navigate. At the same time it carries some very important messages for young kids, highlighting the importance of nutrition and fuelling our bodies with healthy food, as well as exciting ideas about ways to get active at home and outdoors.
"The launch is another facet of the government's continued commitment to provide the best possible educational opportunity for all our children and young people.
"That is why we introduced 20 Free Hours ECE for three and four year olds and the B4 school checks which by next year, will ensure all five year olds have been assessed to ensure there are no hearing, eyesight or other problems that might impact on their learning.
"These programmes, and the Mission On website, help to give our young children the best possible start through school, while our policy of having all young people in education, training, or some other form of structured learning until they are eighteen, ensures that they too get the best start to the next phase of their lives, whether it is in the workforce or continued education," Helen Clark said.
"A key feature of the website is that it allows children to set goals and record their progress by earning points that can be redeemed in a virtual rewards shop.
"This website is all about helping children make good choices, set goals and have a go. We are using modern technology that today's kids are very familiar with to help them live the great Kiwi lifestyle that past generations have enjoyed and thrived on.
"This is about getting an important message to young people, in a way that they'll actually take notice of it. This is a fun and entertaining way to show them how they can make positive choices in their lives," Helen Clark said.
Recreation Minister Clayton Cosgrove said the online environment is an excellent way to reach young people, as many are regular Internet users at home, at school or in their communities.
"Characters on the site encourage the audience to take what they learn on the site 'offline' to the real world. Children are not only inspired to complete 'offline' activities, they are also rewarded on the site if they do so."
The website includes a number of features to motivate children including the ability to personalise their own page and character, earn points and win prizes, receive virtual medals for mastering new skills and to post pictures and videos showing how they have put what they learnt online into practice in their day-to-day lives.
The website is one of a package of Mission-On initiatives launched in September 2006 which aims to improve the lifestyles of young New Zealanders through improved nutrition and increased physical activity.