Here’s an idea for a school or an afterschool program to do.  I have read about some organizations creating plays about healthy eating and daily exercise to help kids learn about nutrition in a fun, engaging way.

But how about if the schools let the kids come up with a list of healthy activities and created short skits about it.  Then they could perform their skits for the younger students and have lots of fun doing it.  Little children often look up to the older children.  And kids are so great at creatively coming up with ways to communicate messages to each other so that it really has meaning to them.

Maybe some of the skits could perform for PTA night.  Talk about giving the parents a little FUN way to learn about nutrition!

If you have other ideas on ways to teach kids about nutrition, please share it with us.

We often don’t think about where food comes from.  We just go to the grocery store and buy what we need.  I asked my niece, she’s eight, where food comes from and she said, “the store”.  Well, of course she said the store!  She is not growing up on a farm so why would she think it came from anywhere else?

There is a whole movement underway to help kids reconnect with  where food really comes from.  The path food travels from “farm to fork”.  This is another great way to have kids connect with healthy foods, helping them not only understand where food really comes from but seeing fresh food growing right before their eyes.  Meeting with local farmers to learn all about how food is grown.

It gives a whole new dimension to fruits and vegetables and also make them very interesting to learn about.

I have been reading about how schools are connecting with local farms to bring healthy foods fresh, organic to the child’s lunch program and even introducing programs that teach children about fresh fruits and vegetables and even growing them.

There is a wonderful organization called farmtoschool.org that is committed to connecting schools with local growers.  The organization has a great deal of information, program support and lists of grants that schools can apply for.

The National Farm to School Network sprouted from this desire to support community-based food systems, strengthen family farms, and improve student health by reducing childhood obesity.

Here is a link to a utube video about a farm to food program in Maynard, Massachusetts public school.  Pass this information on to your child’s school.

It is your turn to bring in the snacks for the your child’s sport team. You want to be the fun mom and bring treats that the kids will love. But that doesn’t mean it has to be high sugar drinks and sweet treats for the little athletes to love it.

Talk with the other parents. Chances are they are looking for better options as well. Healthy moms and dads have got to band together.

Here are some tasty and healthy snacks.

• fruit: frozen kebobs are a tasty treat
• frozen fruit juice bars made from real fruit
• popcorn, non buttered served in individual happy face bags (you remember, paper bag with the face drawn on it!)
• beef jerky
• low fat muffins
• granola bars (look for the ones higher in fiber)
• nuts
• trail mix with unsweetened fruits (no candy)
• pretzels
• corn nuts

As for drinks. Water is the best drink you can give those little athletes. Keep em active and healthy with treats that pack the punch in nutrition!

With the holiday season approaching that usually means lots of social events for the kids, in school and out of school. How do we keep all those goodies featured at these party more on the nutritious side? Do we just throw our hands in the air?

I think sometimes we focus more on the foods that we think kids expect to make the party “fun”. But kids are going to the party not to “eat the high sugary, high fatty foods” that might be featured at these parties. Instead, kids are going to hang out with their friends in a fun social situation. It is really we parents who have created the association of party and “junk food”.

But kids can enjoy a fun party with all their friends and the festivities and still have nutritious snacks. It just requires a little creativity. Okay, here are some ideas:

• You can make healthy sandwiches and use a cookie cutter to make fun shapes for the party. Cookie cutter shapes provide endless options on make healthy sandwiches a fun addition to the party.

• How about creating fun faces and images with healthy foods. This again provides endless options.

• Use veggies and fruits for color and they can be cut into any shape.

Kids have a great imagination and this would be a fun family activity. Decide with our children what “theme” you are going to bring to the party. Then, together, use your imaginations and think of the different foods that you could use to make that image. You may be surprised at the different ideas kids come up with!

For more options, Family Fun Magazine has easy, low cost ideas.

By the way, you can do this for a family meal. You don’t have to wait for parties!

October 8th is the national Walk to School Day.  The goal is to promote family fitness by encouraging safe walking and/or riding a bicycle to school year round.

Here is a CDC fact:  Only 15% of students walk to school.  40 years ago 42% walked to school.

We have to improve our family health through more exercise and healthy eating.   This is a good way to start incorporating more activity in your child’s habits.  Another good benefit is some gas savings and of course it is environment friendly!

You can register your school’s event or sign up to a resource person for your state.  Register for 2008, http://www.walktoschool-usa.org/

The organization Healthy Kids Challenge is promoting a  national celebration of dance as a healthy activity for the entire family.  Dance for Health™ is an event designed to raise healthy lifestyle awareness and get kids and adults moving through dance.

It is a national fundraising event where proceeds  will be used to support Healthy Kids Challenge initiatives in your community. 65% of the funds raised stay with your school or youth program to further healthy eating and physical activity efforts.

Just set your Dance for Health™ event anytime between October 3rd and October 25th, 2008. Here are all the details  for how to host a Dance for Health ™ event in your area.

I love to dance and think this is a great idea and a way to raise some funds that you can benefit directly from.

How one school is teaching children about nutrition and keeping it fun

Here is a great little article about a fun, healthy idea for schools. This school ended the school year by having a “Nutrition Adventures Day”. They played games such as a potato sack trivia relay, fruit and veggie ring toss and a food pyramid relay where they had to grab food items and race to put them in their correct section.

Other activities included making fruit sundaes.

The idea is great because it makes learning about nutrition fun. One of the teachers, Pam Porter, said that students love going to the Nutrition Adventures Day every year. The more nutrition education they got, the more of an impact it was having on the foods like liked to eat.

I love hearing about schools and communities finding creative ways to make nutrition fun.

Maybe this is something you can suggest to your school?

One community joined together to create a really fun healthy day for the children through the age of five.

Here’s a great idea. A community “Picnic day,” a health faire for children through the age of five.

According to this article, here in Napa, CA, the community came together and gave children the opportunity to learn about nutrition, exercise and healthy living through interactive, fun play. They brought the Hands-On Health Mobile Van with is packed with games and exhibits that teach young children about being healthy.

The van drives up and down California all year long. There were other stations of activity like a reading and writing booth and play areas and face painting. These kind of events, begin to imprint the word “fun” and “healthy” in the same sentence.

That is what we need to do. Help kids associate fun with nutrition, fun with exercise, fun with health. We need to do what the high sugar, high fats foods do so well, market the fun.

I know these kind of events take planning but perhaps a suggestion to the local public health organization is the start. Send your public health organization the link to the article. You could be the founder of this type of event in your community!!