News-Record.com

Visiting the Greensboro Children's Museum has always been something Vanessa Neubauer, 4, has enjoyed. Now, her weekly summer trek to the museum has an added benefit. Vanessa is a participant in the museum's Wee Little Kids on the Ball program, one of several Workout Wednesday programs the museum is offering this summer to teach children they can exercise and have fun at the same time.

"Vanessa loves the museum, and she's really enjoying this class," said her mom, Dora Neubauer. "It's fun and great exercise, but it's also really good for learning to follow instructions."

Hope Hucks' 2-year-old daughter, Emily, participated in the class for the first time recently and was all smiles as she bounced and danced, pigtails flying, while instructor Mary Margaret Hart led the class.

"It's great for her to learn to stretch, and I love the fitness and music together," Hucks said. "I also like that it's teaching her coordination and how to work in a group."

Each child uses a size-appropriate ball in bright colors to bounce on to favorite songs such as "The Wheels on the Bus."

"We get their heart rates up, but their bottoms don't leave the ball," said Hart, the museum's education floor manager.

Kids on the Ball, a class for older kids, also is offered.

"With the older kids, we go for more of a sports theme and we use more rock 'n' roll music," Hart said.

The program is a continuation of a successful Kids on the Ball class the museum started in January. Classes meet every Wednesday through mid-August and include: Wee Little Kids on the Ball at 10 a.m. for 3- and 4-year-olds; Kids on the Ball at 10:30 a.m. for children 6 to 10; and special dance programs and Twisty Tales Story Times at 3:30 p.m. Twisty Tales includes yoga or dance moves and a story.

"We have a mini-dance party and get heart rates up," Hart said.

Parents can sign their children up for the classes in advance or the day of the class. Hart tries to limit the size of each class to eight to 10 children. The classes are free with regular museum admission or museum membership.

"The museum started these classes because wellness is a cornerstone of the museum and it's an initiative of the whole Association of Children's Museums," Hart said. "We needed to address the physical element of that."

Abeer Maayeh, whose daughter Duna Kassis, 31/2, attended a recent class, is impressed by the program.

"I think this is a good age-appropriate start for learning the importance of exercise," she said.

Hart said the museum plans to offer the classes again in the fall, though she is not sure of the format.

"We believe these workout programs are important because wellness is something that affects everyone, and childhood obesity is a problem in our culture," Hart said. "We hope kids see exercise can be fun and it opens them up to a variety of activities that parents can even do with them."

Contact Jennifer Atkins Brown at 574-5582 or jennifer.brown@news-record.com.