单选题
Over the past 30 years, the childhood obesity rate
in the United States has doubled for children and tripled for adolescents. Since
95 percent of young people are enrolled in schools, many experts believe
innovative school programs can go a long way to helping fight childhood
obesity. Calvary Preschool in Pittsford, Vermont, is even
teaching the children how to enjoy playing outside. The idea of having to teach
kids how to play outside leaves Anita Caldwell, a teacher there,
{{U}}dumbfounded{{/U}}. "You just kind of take for granted that kids want to go
outside and play but then you recognize, when you talk to them, that they
don't," says Caldwell. "They spend their day with a large screen TV and some
snacks." Fellow teacher, Laura Peterson, agrees. "When I was
growing up--'shoo!'-- out the door in the morning and you'd play outside until
the streetlights came on at night." But it's different today, she says. With
many parents working, it's often easier for them to have their kids play inside
with a video game or watch TV Peterson says an early childhood
education class got her thinking about ways to incorporate more activity into
their school day. She began to research playground equipment and found many
experts recommending the benefits of "back to nature" unstructured play. Kids
today are more used to structured play, where they have to follow rules, listen
to a coach, or play on specific equipment. So, she says, their first big
challenge was getting the kids to freely explore the things along the
trail. "When we started to go off the trail into the woods, the
kids had no idea what to do. I said, 'Wow, look at all these trees, let's play!'
And they kind of looked at me, 'What are you talking about?' So we had to show
them how to walk on trees and how to swing off them onto other branches and see
the little holes underneath that you can play in." At a time
when many schools have cut back on their physical education programs, Calvary's
weekly hike day is unique. One day a week outside probably isn't enough,
Peterson says. But as she watches her students run through the woods, she
smiles, and says it's a good start.
单选题
What is the opinion of many experts on childhood obesity?
A. Schools are largely to blame for the problem.
B. Schools can actually do little about the problem.
C. Schools can play a big role in addressing the problem.
D. Schools are supposed to offer solutions to the problem.