Keeping Home Schooled Kids Active
COHEN: Welcome back to HOUSE CALL. It's time to look at how we're doing in our quest for a fit nation. This week, Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at an often overlooked segment of students. They don't have PE class or any regularly scheduled class for that matter. We're talking about home schoolers.</s>SANDRA BREADEN, MOTHER: What do you all want for lunch? Tuna?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Peanut butter and jelly.</s>SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You'd never know it by looking at them, but 14-year-old twins Courtney and Chelsea have never gone to a gym class.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How long have you been on that page?</s>GUPTA: That's because they're home schooled. But just because they do their school work on the living room couch doesn't mean they get to be couch potatoes.</s>S. BREADEN: OK, you got everything you need?</s>GUPTA: Their mom makes sure of that.</s>S. BREADEN: When they were younger, you could say go outside and play. But when they get to be preteens and teens, that doesn't work anymore. You almost have to have a program to have them involved in, especially with peers.</s>GUPTA: While most states have academic standards for home schooled children, most do not have fitness requirements. But there is a growing interest in helping kids to stay fit. There are many fitness options for home schoolers. Kids exercise class at the local gym. Home school PE curriculums online. And in Sandra's case, there's Crown Athletics. She and fellow home school parents started Crown Athletics in Cobb County, Georgia to give home schooled students a chance to play organized sports. Cheerleading is Courtney's passion.</s>COURTNEY BREADEN: I never thought I would cheer lead because I'm home schooled, you know. But I really like it a lot. And it's just fun to get out there and cheer for your team.</s>COHEN: And if practice isn't enough exercise, she also has to sign this honesty policy, showing her coaches she's working out at home.</s>COURTNEY BREADEN: If you don't do it, there's consequences like you have to run the track.</s>GUPTA: Chelsea plays volleyball.</s>CHELSEA BREADEN: It's a lot of fun just getting out there and hitting it as hard as you can.</s>GUPTA: Joy Page, who teaches a supplemental personal fitness program for home school students, says fitness programs are essentially for home school kids.</s>JOY PAIGE, HOMESCHOOL TEACHER: I try to keep them understanding that it's all linked together, that it's a big picture of taking care of yourself so that you enjoy life more.</s>GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.</s>COHEN: Thanks, Sanjay. And some of those teams are running year round. We're taking a quick break, then talking more about travel necessities. Stay tuned.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From vaccination to sleeping pills, what you really need if you're heading overseas this summer, coming up on HOUSE CALL.