**HEALTHY KIDS COMMUNITY CHALLENGE MEDIA RELEASE**

The Timmins-Misiway Healthy Kids Community Challenge has launched their Power Off and Play Summer Calendar for July! The calendar, which can be found on their Facebook page, is full of activities that are free for children 0-13 years old and their families.

“With school holidays here, there can be a tendency for kids to spend more time on their devices throughout the day,” said Madison Mizzau, project manager for the Timmins-Misiway Healthy Kids Community Challenge. “We wanted to create more opportunities for children and families to put down their screens and get active throughout the summer, without the barrier of cost.”

Throughout the summer, children and families will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of different activities for free, including tennis, swimming, mini putting, outdoor yoga, Pound classes, and line dancing. In July, Science Timmins is hosting open houses and STEM Challenges every Wednesday evening, the Timmins Museum is holding Kids Saturdays every week, and Discover Fitness is offering DF Kids classes every Saturday. The HKCC will also be back at the Urban Park Market every Thursday with a Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt for kids!

The initiative is part of the fourth theme of the Healthy Kids Community Challenge, Power Off and Play! This theme encourages kids and families to build a balanced day, replacing screen time with other activities, such as physical play, social interaction, and fun and educational activities.

“Not all screen time is unhealthy – we know that screens can offer an important way to learn and communicate. It’s the recreational and sedentary screen time, the time spent sitting or lying down, playing video games for example, that we’re encouraging families to minimize,” adds Mizzau. “It’s all about powering off devices and playing more.”

For more information about the Healthy Kids Community Challenge or to get involved, follow us on Facebook or visit www.misiway.ca. Together we can create a healthier environment for children to live, eat and play!

About the Timmins-Misiway Healthy Kids Community Challenge
Timmins is among 45 communities across Ontario selected to take part in the Healthy Kids Community Challenge which promotes healthy eating, physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices for children. Over the course of The Challenge, community partners from different sectors (e.g. public health, education, recreation, local businesses) will work together to implement activities to promote healthy behaviours for children.

For the full calendar of summer events, go here.