Healthy Choices Healthy Kids -

Healthy Choices Healthy Kids

Healthy Choices Healthy Kids

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Since the 1960s, the percentage of overweight children and adolescents (ages 6-19) has quadrupled. With too little physical activity and too much junk food in their lives, children are heading for serious chronic health problems in adulthood. Those who care about youngsters want to do all they can to help them develop good health habits as early as possible.

We can help you encourage children to develop the right attitude toward eating right and exercising regularly. Positive Promotions offers many educational nutrition and fitness products and fun incentives. We also bring you entertaining ways to promote your new or existing programs, as well as ideas for rewarding and motivating your school nutrition staff members who help you realize your goals.


	Show Time
	National School Breakfast Week is an occasion dedicated to children’s nutrition. Use it to excite children about eating wisely. Put on a puppet show in your school auditorium in which the puppet characters discover what makes up a healthy breakfast and that these things are available at school. Have the puppets “sit down” and enjoy school breakfast. Reinforce the lessons by giving out “Rise & Shine With School Breakfast” Educational Activities Books and Bookmarks .


	Make It A Breakfast Affair
	Invite parents to share breakfast with their children at your school on one morning during National School Breakfast Week. Decorate the cafeteria with “Celebrate National School Breakfast Week” Balloons, and have cafeteria personnel give out “School Breakfast” Stickers to all attending. Have your school nurse or a nutrition expert present a talk about what parents can serve at home as well as why school meals are smart choices. Then give children “It’s Cool to Eat Breakfast at Home or School” Value Packs. For parents, distribute the helpful “Parents’ Guide to Healthy Breakfasts and Lunches” Pocket Pals.


	Thank School Nutrition Services
	Make each day of National School Breakfast Week memorable for your school nutrition service staff as well as for students. Have something special for them each day. Monday, it can be a School Nutrition Services T-shirt, Tuesday, a “Good Health Is Always On Our Menu” Deluxe Apron, Wednesday, a “Good Health Is Always On Our Menu” Water Bottle, and Thursday, a “Cooking With Care, Serving With Pride” Spinning Heart Key Tag. On Friday, end the week by giving each of them a “You’re Appreciated Each Day” Photo Frame of Appreciation . Your gifts are sure to be talked about for months to come.


	Pyramid Play
	The food pyramid plan from the United States Department of Agriculture provides the basis for healthy eating and is accessible on the web at www.mypyramid.gov. Help children understand the plan by providing each classroom with “Eat Smart: The New Food Pyramid And You” Educational Activities Books and an “Eat Smart” Poster. Teachers can check how much students have learned by creating quizzes from book material. Then reward everyone who shows they’ve paid attention by giving them an “Eating Smart Is Cool” Silicone Wristband with Tips Card.


	Calorie Education
	Help youngsters get a good education in fast food with a hands on demonstration that uses math skills. Start by cutting out pictures of healthy food items (an assortment from all the food groups) and label each item with the amount of calories it contains. Hang up the photos. Then ask the youngsters to pick out items from our Fast Food Nutrition Guides and write down their calorie amounts. Next, challenge the students to put together healthy meals–using the labeled pictures–that have a similar amount of total calories. Send them home with “Parents’ Guide To Healthier Fast Food For Kids” Pocket Pals so their parents can also be educated.


	Walking Wellness
	Exercise is essential for good health and walking is one of the best forms of exercise around! Organize a walking program in which students do laps around the gym during recesses. Give them “Walking Is Cool!” Pedometers and Walking Fitness Guides at the start of the program. Then have them write down a number of laps to complete as their goal. At the end of the program, award “Walking Is Cool!” Acrylic Backpack Tag Key Rings to those who have reached their goals. This is an activity you could do for adults on your staff as well!


	Make Fitness Fun
	Parents may want to make family fitness a priority but not know how to get started. You can help by organizing a Family Fitness & Fun Night at your school. Let youngsters exercise with aerobics instructors while their parents receive lessons from physical trainers about both adult and child physical fitness. Throughout the evening, raffle off “Fitness Is Fun” High Flyer Discs and Jump Rope With Card. At the end of the fun night, distribute “10 Fun Ways To Get Your Child Active At Home” Glancers to each family.


	Wise Use Of Time
	Experts say children should spend at least 60 minutes a day being active. Unfortunately, TV viewing often replaces physical activity. Ask your students to keep a log of their daily exercise time and their TV watching time. After a week, discuss the results, then promote healthier lifestyles with “Fitness Is Fun” Activity Packs. Have students keep the log for several more weeks. Award a “Fueled By Fitness” Dog Tag to every student who decreases TV time by a set amount.


	Healthy Progression
	Because fitness is so important, don’t wait for Field Day to encourage it at your school. Instead, spread fun activity events throughout the year. During the first week of school, then every nine weeks after that, lead students in physical activities. Each time, measure their skills in such activities as distance running and long jumps. Have students try to beat their own scores. Give “Fitness Is Fun” Temporary Tattoos and “Fitness Is Fun” Silicone Bracelets & Card to winners of events as well as to those who show improvement.