My Heart Rocks® Find a Location Find a Doctor Heart & Vascular Advanced Heart Failure Management Center Arrhythmia Center Diagnostic Testing Treatments/Procedures Cardiology Heart Attack Care Minimally Invasive Procedures Cardio-Oncology Cardiac Rehab Clinical Research Diagnostic Services Heart Surgery Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute Building Patient Success Stories Prevention & Wellness AHA Training Center CardioVascular Mobile Health Unit Hands-only CPR Healing Hearts Women's Support Group Health Disparities and Cardiovascular Disease Heart Healthy Lifestyle Tips My Heart Rocks Take Time For Your Heart Women and Heart Disease Tobacco Cessation Freedom from Smoking Nicotine Medication Nicotine Replacement Tobacco Cessation Therapy Success Stories Tobacco Cessation Resources Youth E-cigarette and Vaping Epidemic Structural Heart & Valve Center Aortic Valve Replacement Mitral Valve Surgery Your Hospital Stay Care After Heart Surgery Intensive Care for Heart Conditions Nurses with Heart Care Expertise Partners in Heart Care Transitional Care Units Heart-health Fairs for Kids Heart disease is the nation’s No. 1 killer, but there are a number of lifestyle changes that can help reduce your risk. At the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth, we believe healthy habits can — and should — begin in childhood. Kentucky’s childhood obesity rate is more than 35% above the national average, and we want to change that. As part of our “25 by ‘25” commitment, we’re bringing heart-healthy education to third-grade students with our My Heart Rocks program. The program is designed to help children learn and adopt heart-healthy habits that can last a lifetime. How My Heart Rocks Works Heart health educators from the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth visit elementary schools in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati to hold a 90-minute interactive heart-health fair for kids. Educators use games, hands-on activities and question-and-answer sessions to teach kids about heart health. Students break into groups and visit four learning stations that focus on how to protect against heart disease and lead an active, healthy lifestyle. Learning stations include: Nonsmokers rock on longer – How smoking affects health and how much smokers spend on their habit. Heart rocking anatomy – How the cardiovascular system works and how strokes and heart attacks occur. My heart rocks to exercise – Why regular exercise is important and how much you need to maintain cardiovascular health. Rocking with food to stay healthy – What the basic food groups are and how to eat a well-balanced, heart-healthy diet. At each station, kids participate in activities that emphasize healthy behaviors and make learning fun. For example, educators have students do jumping jacks and then breathe through a tiny straw so kids feel what it’s like for someone with lung disease. And, students have an opportunity to see and feel the difference between a healthy pig’s lung and a lung that’s affected by smoking. This helps teach kids not to smoke. And, children share what they’ve learned with their families. Their enthusiasm can help encourage parents to make heart-healthy changes. Bring My Heart Rocks® to Your School My Heart Rocks is available to elementary schools at no charge. Call (859) 212-5436 or email us to learn how to bring the program to your school. Testimonials “One of the best outside resources I have ever brought into school — amazing!” ~ Scott Code, PE teacher at Grants Lick Elementary “This program was excellent! The students loved going to all the stations and they were engaged throughout the entire program. We hope to see the program back at North Pointe again.” ~ Nick Reed, PE teacher at North Pointe Elementary