Overview: We present this lesson on the same day the FDA has approved a fat substitute for cooking. Now millions of people across the country will increase their fried and junk food intake, only realizing later that all those extra fat-free calories will still get converted to extra pounds. So get your kids into shape by having them walk, and chart how far they've gone.
Teacher Preparation: Locate city or state maps from a travel or tourist bureau.
Procedure Ideas:

• Students can walk or jog at school, maybe on a specific day each week.
• City maps allow them to accurately chart how far they've gone. Each student picks a starting point on the map, then draws in each day the distance they've gone toward a destination.
• More ambitious students can use state or even country maps.
• Have parents help out by walking with their child. Having one parent along can double the distance; both parents can triple the distance.
• Students can pick their own imaginary starting and ending points, or the entire class can start from the same place and try for the same destination.
• Your class could walk as a group across the country, adding the total distance traveled by your students to the map.

Options/Variations: Become space travelers; each mile walked equals one light year. Study history by letting each mile equal one year, one century or one thousand years.

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