Minnesota explorer Dan Buettner recently returned from his first of four expeditions to the world's longevity hotspots—or "Blue Zones"—in search of the secrets to longevity. What's next? Minnesota Public Radio's Sound Learning has partnered with Bluezones.com to help Minnesota's kids adopt healthier lifestyles.

Could Minnesota be the world's next Blue Zone?

Experts have shown that for the first time in living history, our children will live shorter lives than we do. The culprit: childhood obesity. Children are more inactive and eat fewer healthier foods than in decades past. Consider this: 16% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese—and overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. That is why Sound Learning has dedicated this month's feature to the Blue Zones Challenge, a program that teams students, parents, and teachers in an effort to alter four key behaviors that impact childhood obesity. Our goal is to make Minnesota the first state to reverse this trend.

The stories in this month's Sound Learning will help you generate discussion on the causes and effects of childhood obesity, as well as the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. The Blue Zones Challenge materials and activities will empower your students to take charge of their own health—and support them as they take the leap from what they know to what they choose. At the end of each week, they can visit www.bluezones.com to track their data and see how they compare to other students participating in the Blue Zones Challenge.