Recreation and Leisure Activities: A Key to a Healthy Transition

Recreation and leisure activities have always been important to a healthy lifestyle for anyone.  I know during my childhood there were activities after school such as Spanish Club in elementary, and Tennis in High School, even Band in Middle School.  In addition, during the summer I always had some sort of summer camp for sports, religion, even outdoor adventure camps.  This may sound familiar to a lot of readers, that is because being active is a key to both social and physical health!  Not only do activities like this help socialize outside of class (VERY important), but also help keep your body in the best shape it can be.  But what happens after school and you do not have free (because of parents or schools paying) access to these activities?  Or even notice of events occurring?  Research, connections, and knowledge begin to play a part in keeping up with this part of you life.

During the transition out of school, or even a different school requires a lot of work for all.  You must locate events, sign up for activities, meet people in the same organization, just simply make new connections.  This can be even more challenging when you are not an outgoing person, or have disabilities you must consider in addition.  These disabilities may or may not prevent participation in specific activities, but never-the-less may present an obstacle in pursuing these activities.  Because of these challenges and rewards for participating to an individuals quality of life I have included a few resources in locating these recreation and leisure activities when you leave school.

Resources

http://thechp.syr.edu/recreation.html

-  This is a great information package about helping individuals with disabilities find recreation and leisure activities they can both be included into and enjoy!  They include finding activities that fit each specific individual, locating community resources to get involved, and then further follow up with support for the them as they embark upon their new activity!  

http://www.napcse.org/transitionservices/recreation.php

-  I love this website!  Not only do they provide information on recreation and leisure, and facts to back up the importance but also MULTIPLE different major topics in the field specifically designed to be geared towards parents of individuals with disabilities.  They even offer a forum for discussion, facts, library, resources, news, and legal issues!  Purchase a membership and bookmark, you won't regret it!

http://www.naset.org/recreationleisure2.0.html

-  This website, very similar to the one above, is geared towards teachers in the field of Special Education.  This is the National Association of Special Education Teachers helping them be exceptional educators in every way by providing resources and information about multiple issues.