These days, kids can find balance and strength by picking up an iPhone or iPad.
At least that's the hope of Twin Cities yoga guru Jessica Rosenberg, creator of the Adventures of Super Stretch, an app that teaches kids and their families the benefits of yoga. Colorful, animated characters such as Ando the Down Dog and Moksha the Mouse, along with real kids, lead users through 12 yoga poses while explaining the benefits of breathing and calm behavior.
"What I ultimately want to achieve with this app is to give kids, their parents and caregivers an easy way to make namaste part of their day," said Rosenberg, who runs a fitness and yoga program geared toward children and families (www.adventuresofsuperstretch.com).
In Ann Griffin's early childhood education class in St. Paul, her 5- to 7-year-old pupils love using the application to bend, stretch and breathe their way to a calmer place so they can focus better in class.
"It immediately gets them up and moving as they imitate both the live-action kids and the engaging animated characters," said Griffin, also a literacy professor at Hamline University. "Playful movement interspersed throughout the day is so important to young children's brain development -- Super Stretch leads kids on a yoga adventure that they can do independently or with their parents."
The Adventures of Super Stretch application was created by Rosenberg, along with the Minneapolis offices of Puny Entertainment. It's available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices for $1.99.
