Celebration Games

Make every day a cause for celebration with Celebration Games! This book provides a calendar year's worth of fun games and activities—all designed to get 5- to 12-year-olds excited about physical activity. Included are 68 physical fitness activities, skills, games, and rhythm and dance activities, each based on a specific holiday or seasonal theme.

Whether it's Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo, or Kwanzaa, every occasion offers a new opportunity to build a child's knowledge of health and wellness. Innovative yet easy to implement, the activities use common equipment and supplies and may be adapted easily to various grade or skill levels. In addition to teaching kids important health concepts, you'll also uncover opportunities to tie in lessons on history and diversity. Ideas for family events are also included to get everyone involved.

For more than 25 years, author Barb Wnek has strived to foster healthy attitudes in children. Now, she brings you the same creative ideas that won her acclaim as one of Dole's Creative 5 A Day Teachers of the Year. Based on decades of testing in summer camps and public schools, Celebration Games makes teaching fun for both you and your kids by turning every activity into a special event.

Barb Wnek has been a physical educator for more than 25 years, teaching 3- to 14-year-old students in both public and private school settings. She currently teaches K-6 physical education and health in the Ferguson-Florissant School District in Florissant, Missouri. For nearly two decades, Wnek has also taught physical education to gifted children at the Gifted Resource Council Summer Camps in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 2003, Wnek's teaching approach earned her recognition as one of Dole's nationwide Creative 5 A Day Teacher of the Year awards. She was also selected to be an Olympic torchbearer for the 2004 Summer Olympics because of her accomplishments in motivating students to get active through fun and innovative educational experiences.

Wnek is a member of American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and the Missouri Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MOAHPERD). She holds a master's degree along with 30 additional credit hours in physical education and health. In her spare time, Wnek has run more than 35 marathons and has danced on St. Louis Country, a country-western and swing dance show, for the past eight years. She resides in Brentwood, Missouri.