Once upon a time, that refrain, or something like it, could be heard up and down the avenues as neighborhood youngsters played hide and seek and other games of childhood.
With all that activity, an extremely obese child was a rarity. Skip ahead a few generations, however, and that is no longer the case.
Statistics gathered by the American Obesity Association show that the increase in overweight children has been dramatic, with the figures tripling in the past two decades. Some authorities say 1 out of 5 American children can now be considered obese.
The reasons for the problem are all around us. The American Council on Exercise estimates that by the time kids reach high school, 63 percent of them are no longer physically active. They sit all day at school, then come home to sit in front of the television or the computer. Add an excessive amount of snacking on high-calorie foods sold in school vending machines, and it's easy to see how our lifestyles have changed.
"A constellation of facts is involved in the incidence of rising child obesity," said Dr. Robinson Welch, a psychologist in Washington UniversityÕs Department of Psychiatry and clinic director for the Weight Management and Eating Disorder Program at WU. "High-calorie foods and a decrease in physical activity are at the heart of the problem. We must start with the families and help them to make better food choices. Parents must make time to get out with their kids for more physical activity."
So, if parents are the best teachers, it's time to get involved in your children's health. Don't tell them to get up and get moving. Set an example and make it a family affair. If you don't want to invest in bicycles, treadmills or trampolines, there are plenty of ways to exercise with a nominal amount of spending - hiking, swimming, skating, skipping rope, shooting baskets, dancing, walking through the mall, visiting the zoo Ñ the list is endless.
The American Council on Exercise says to also remember that this is not a competition. Refrain from criticism or embarrassment;
instead, praise your youngsters generously just for trying. Make it a fun time, not something they will come to dread.
There's no time like the present to shut down the computers, hide the video games, lock up the snack foods and get down to business. If the children of the late '70s and early '80s were thinner and healthier because of the childhood games they played, it only makes sense to return to those days of yesteryear and indulge in rope jumping, hopscotch and the rest.
Oh, and parents, you might get more than a healthy kid by playing these games. They burn calories, tone muscles and provide fun for the whole family.

Calories are based on a 150-pound person. Information for this article was adapted from The Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, 2003 edition, American Dietetic Association; Family Fun Magazine Web site: www.familyfun.go.com (click on Activities and Crafts, then on Game Finder); www.nutristrategy.com; Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, June 2003 issue; American Council on Exercise Web site: www.acefitness.org; www.streetplay.com; www.parentcenter.com; www.ultimatehandbook.com; www.ideafinder.com and www.jumpropeinstitute.com.

Reporter Cleora Hughes
St. Louis Post-Dispatch