The Learning Connection

The Learning Connection Report from our partner in health, Action for Healthy Kids, aligns perfectly with our model for the Balance My Day™ curriculum and we are thrilled to join them in demonstrating that well-nourished and active kids are better equipped for success!

The Learning Connection: What You Need to Know to Ensure Your Kids Are Healthy and Ready to Learn demonstrates that

• physical activity supports academic achievement,
• well-nourished kids learn better and
• that healthier practices in schools can increase school revenue.

The easy-to-read special report, released in 2013, is a roadmap for parents, educators, school administrators and school volunteers to create healthier school environments so the kids in their lives are better positioned to learn.

It’s a follow-up to Action for Healthy Kids’ landmark 2004 report The Learning Connection: The Value of Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity in Our Schools.

Read the full report:

Learn more about HKC’s Balance My Day™ nutrition curriculum.

Celebrate Your School Lunch Superheroes!

Celebrate School Lunch Superhero Day on Friday, May 3rd! The day aims to showcase the ways in which school nutrition professionals make a difference for every child who comes through the cafeteria. It also kicks off the School Nutrition Association’s week long School Nutrition Employee Week, May 6-10, 2013.

Here are a few creative, yet simple, ways to join in the celebration:

1. Find simple tips such as the following on SNA’s website: “Announce School Nutrition Employee Week (May 6-10, 2013) on the signs in front of the schools. Make sure that the week is featured on the schools’ calendars and in newsletters. Don’t forget to include the celebration on your menus for the week.”
2. Submit your School Lunch Superhero pictures to be featured on the School Meals That Rock Facebook Page. They have already begun showcasing some Superhero Employees and School Districts, and will continue throughout next week. Inspiring!
3. Hand out these free Certificates of Appreciation for School Nutrition Employee Week from LearningZoneXpress. Simply download and print!
4. Simply offer your school nutrition employees a sincere “Thank you!”

Healthy Kids Challenge Supports Let’s Move: How Cities and Towns Can Make Healthy Food Affordable and Accessible

This is the final challege for April: Make healthy food easier to access in your community. That’s a tall order, but not impossible. We know because we work with communities every day to meet this challenge of making the healhty choice, the easy choice. It takes time, commitment, a plan, and support, to say the least. But don’t take our word for it, read on to see why we fully support Let’s Move!…

“More than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income urban and rural neighborhoods that are more than a mile from a supermarket. These communities are known as “food deserts” since they lack access to affordable, nutritious food. Lack of access is one reason why many children are not eating recommended levels of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Food insecurity and hunger among children is widespread. A recent USDA report showed that in 2008, an estimated 49 million people, including 17 million children, lived in households that experienced hunger multiple times throughout the year. Let’s Move! to ensure that all families have access to healthy, affordable food in their communities.

In our effort to fight obesity in children and adolescents, it is important that we focus on increasing access to healthy and affordable foods. Here are some ways that cities and towns can play an important role in providing access to affordable and healthy food options through activities such as the following:

• Establish a Food Policy Council
• Increase enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Support the sale of local foods across the community by offering incentives and encouraging the establishment of farmers’ markets.
• Promote policies that support and protect community gardens.
• Pass food policies that require food and beverages purchased with government funds to meet certain nutrition standards.
• Require access to free and safe drinking water in public places.
• Ensure that residents can access healthy andd affordable food through public transportation—by realigning bus routes, providing free shuttles, or other means.”*

(*Let’s Move!, Make Healthy Food Affordable and Accessible page.)

So to help you along the path of creating a healthier community, here are some more resources:

Let’s Move Faith and Communities Toolkit

Let’s Move Cities, Towns, and Counties

Let’s Move Community Garden Checklist

Let’s Move Healthy Communities

Let’s Move Action Ideas

Let’s Move Faith and Communities Success Stories

For more information on how Healthy Kids Challenge helps communities make the healthy choice, the easy choice, click here.

3 Tips for Our Family Health Challenge

The Challenge: Make it easier for your family to choose healthy foods – at home, eating out, wherever! Building on the ideas from this week’s WOWS newsletter, here are some simple ways to make it happen:

1. Keep grab ‘n go breakfast ideas in reach, like string cheese, whole grain crackers and an apple.
2. Try a new fruit or veggie, like jicama or starfruit, as a family.
3. Flavor ice cold water with lemon, lime, or orange slices to give it a zing when choosing it as a mealtime beverage instead of sugary drinks.

Also, I want to point out that Let’s Move Healthy Families is a great resource, aligned with our principles, providing ideas like:

• Mix vegetables into dishes, like adding peas to rice, or cucumbers to a sandwich
• Choose lean cuts of meat like skinless chicken or extra lean ground beef for hamburgers or pasta sauces
• Have kids drink water at snack time
• Kids are smaller than adults and should eat smaller portions

There are so many ways you can meet this family challenge, but you must first CHOOSE to take action. Today’s a great day to start!

Challenge Special: Snack Attack Activity and Two Printables

Honoring our special April Healthy Foods Challenges, we have 3 freebies to help you meet those challenges this month. Enjoy!

My favorite fruit is red…juicy, summer strawberries!

Snack Attack Activity

1. Ask kids to name benefits of snacks containing less fat and less added sugar.

• Help us feel good and feel good about ourselves
• A healthier body weight
• A healthier heart
• Gives more nutrients to do our best in school

2. Discuss why we make the choices we do. Is it because the snacks:

• Taste good?
• Are easy to fix?
• Satisfy hunger or give energy?
• Are what their parents or someone else buys or fixes?
• Are the coolest ones to eat?

For the entire April monthly activity instructions, click here. This activity is also found on pages 93-94 of the Balance My Day Nutrition Curriculum-Grades 6-8. One of my favorites!

TWO Snack Attack Printables!

Grab ‘n Go Snack Ideas

When on the go, bring along energizing snacks! Whether traveling, camping, or transporting kids to activities, the following ideas are sure to help you satisfy those hunger attacks in a hectic day.

Healthy School Celebration Snack Ideas

Make the next happy celebration a healthy one too! These snack ideas and activities can be as popular as the traditional high fat and sugar party foods!

Healthy Kids Challenge + SPARK + PEP Grant: Long term success

From the Big Apple of New York City to sunny California, Healthy Kids Challenge® (HKC) is a shining star in helping PEP grantees create a healthier school environment that lasts far beyond the three year grant award! HKC, a nonprofit with a staff of registered dietitians, is the exclusive nutrition education partner for SPARK, one of the best physical education programs in the world – a true solution to our problem of inactive and poorly nourished kids.

Since nutrition education was added to the PEP grant requirements in 2010, just 3 years ago, Healthy Kids Challenge has assisted over 50 PEP winners. Whether your school is looking to integrate nutrition education into core curriculum and comply with common core/state standards…or challenge your PE teachers with the task of adding nutrition to their PE/health curriculum, our success with guiding schools speaks for itself.

HKC provides training, resources, and technical assistance for:

• classroom and PE teachers
• after school staff
• school wellness councils and
• community partners.

Customized staff training, comprehensive nutrition education curriculum for grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8 that meets all HECAT (Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool) standards set by CDC, and distance assistance and coaching can all be part of a successful PEP grant award!

Learn more at healthykidschallenge.com or call 1-888-259-6287.

Helpful links:

Healthy Kids Challenge PEP Grant Help

Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Application Info

SPARK 2013 PEP Grant Information

HECAT report for Healthy Kids Challenge

Balance My Day™ Nutrition Curriculum contents and sample pages

Healthy Kids Challenge + SPARK + PEP Grant: Long term success

From the Big Apple of New York City to sunny California, Healthy Kids Challenge® (HKC) is a shining star in helping PEP grantees create a healthier school environment that lasts far beyond the three year grant award! HKC, a nonprofit with a staff of registered dietitians, is the exclusive nutrition education partner for SPARK, one of the best physical education programs in the world – a true solution to our problem of inactive and poorly nourished kids.

Since nutrition education was added to the PEP grant requirements in 2010, just 3 years ago, Healthy Kids Challenge has assisted over 50 PEP winners. Whether your school is looking to integrate nutrition education into core curriculum and comply with common core/state standards…or challenge your PE teachers with the task of adding nutrition to their PE/health curriculum, our success with guiding schools speaks for itself.

HKC provides training, resources, and technical assistance for:

• classroom and PE teachers
• after school staff
• school wellness councils and
• community partners.

Customized staff training, comprehensive nutrition education curriculum for grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8 that meets all HECAT (Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool) standards set by CDC, and distance assistance and coaching can all be part of a successful PEP grant award!

Learn more at healthykidschallenge.com or call 1-888-259-6287.

Helpful links:

Healthy Kids Challenge PEP Grant Help

Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Application Info

SPARK 2013 PEP Grant Information

HECAT report for Healthy Kids Challenge

Balance My Day™ Nutrition Curriculum contents and sample pages

Role Modeling Tips for Teaching Kids How to Eat Right

One of the best strategies to teach kids healthy habits is to be a healthy role model yourself. After all, actions speak louder than words, especially when it comes to kids!

So, here are some role modeling tips, based on our Healthy6 key messages that will get you and your kids on the path toward healthy habits for life. And the theme for National Nutrition Month this year is also, Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day; a convenient tie-in to these tips today!

1. Fruits and Veggies Every Day. Eat YOUR Veggies! …and your fruits. When kids see you eating them, they’ll be more likely to try them, and like them too.
2. Make Smart Serving Size Choices. Serve yourself appropriate portion sizes, and don’t overeat. Also, talk to kids about your own feelings of hunger and fullness to help them learn portion control, too.
3. Do Your Own Drink Think. Make ice cold water or skim milk your drink of choice at every meal, and your kids will come to expect it as the norm, not the exception.
4. Attack Everyone’s Snacks. Build healthy snacks into your own routine, and sit down and eat them with kids whenever possible.
5. Active Play, Balance Everyone’s Day! Get out there and move around with the kids, whether it’s an organized sport, or just free play. Find your own fitness routine and let the kids see you making it a priority every day.
6. Build Breakfast into Your Day. When kids see you enjoying breakfast every day, they are more likely to join in and start their day that way too.

What are you doing to Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day throughout the month of March?

Get Kids Eating More Fruits and Vegetables: Action Idea and Download

If kids aren’t getting at least half their plate of fruits and veggies, what can be done to meet the challenge? The first step is to THINK ABOUT IT. Nothing changes until someone gets used to thinking about how to eat more fruits and veggies.

English: veggies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Action Idea: Fruit and Veggie Challenge Solutions*

Directions:

1. Gather students and discuss the following solutions to eating more fruits & veggies. Allow kids to brainstorm ideas that will work for them.
   • Make fruits & veggies more available. To see more solutions, and specific actions to take, go to our Monthly Action Idea page and click on March Action Idea.
2. Activity Idea: How many colors can you get into a salsa?
   • Either write the following recipe ingredients on a board and discuss them or try out the recipe!
   • Identify the fruit and veggie colors represented in the salsa.
   • Send the recipe home and encourage kids and their families to try it.

Cranberry Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:
4 oz. 100% cranberry juice
1-1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh sliced cranberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup diced avocado
1/2 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers
2 garlic cloves
optional: black pepper
Baked chips for dipping

Directions:

1. Place juice into a saucepan. Boil about 5 minutes. Let cool.
2. Dice or slice the fruits & veggies, then place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Crush the garlic cloves, measure 1 tsp. and place in the mixing bowl. Add a dash of pepper, if desired.
4. Pour the syrup over the mixing bowl contents and stir thoroughly.
5. Serve with baked chips.

Download: Fruits and Veggies – Variety Adds Appeal

It’s important to eat more fruits and veggies. It’s so easy to fall into the rut of choosing the same ones and growing tired of them. Add some interest and appeal to your produce choices by trying the following ideas.

• Toss a Salad. Either fruit or veggie salads can provide a variety of tastes, colors, healthy fiber and antioxidants.
• Click on the link to find all the tips on the download link.

*This lesson is found on page 69 of the Balance My Day™ nutrition curriculum, Grades 6-8. For more like this, check out HKC resources in our Online Store; be sure to check out the Table of Contents and sample pages.

Applying for a 2013 PEP Grant? These lessons and tips are perfect for helping you meet the nutrition education needs for increasing kids’ fruit and vegetable intake. See our PEP Grant Help page for more info.

Excellence in School Breakfast

Getting ready to celebrate National School Breakfast Week 2013, and came across a few excellent real-world examples of school breakfast practices and policies. They give true meaning to “Be a Star with School Breakfast”.

• “Food service director Mike Koch received a grant from the New England Dairy & Food Council to implement a universal classroom breakfast program during the 2006-07 school year. Breakfast participation increased from 42 to 72 percent. The program was so successful the district continued it after the grant ended. Northend Elementary School, New Britain, CT: ” School Breakfast: Key to Academic Excellence.
• “Can we eat now?” asked Jackson Middle School [Orlando, FL] sixth-grader Alexandria Johnson, sitting at a desk in the back row of Theresa Perreault’s classroom. “Because I’m hungry.” After getting a ‘yes,’ Alexandria pulled open the metallic wrapper holding a warm turkey sausage biscuit and bit off nearly half of the breakfast sandwich. In the few weeks since her school has begun offering breakfast in the classroom, Alexandria said she’s been eating every day and seeing a difference.’ Local Stories – Breakfast in the Classroom Program
• From a Letter to the Governor of Maryland: “As you know, MMFA is a national model for increasing access to the federal School Breakfast Program, with proven links to improved academic performance, health and behavior.1 It allows schools with at least 40 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals to provide universal, in-classroom breakfast. In MMFA schools, the average participation in school breakfast is close to 70 percent, which is significantly higher than school breakfast participation in non-MMFA schools.2 Increasing participation in school breakfast is also a priority for the Governor’s Partnership to End Childhood Hunger.

As Interim Superintendent Sadusky testified at MSDE’s budget hearing in February 2012, “School breakfast is one key to our academic excellence in Maryland and will continue to play a role in our #1 national ranking.”5 We believe that MMFA is a critical support system that contributes to long term success by ensuring students start the school day ready to learn. In a recent survey, a majority of Maryland teachers saw children who were regularly coming to school hungry, with 65% of teachers reporting that school breakfast was extremely important to academic achievement, and 71% reporting they had a positive experience with an in-classroom breakfast program.6 As such, the MMFA program is an incorporation of the best practices in education – providing healthy meals in the classroom to children who are often experiencing hunger.” Maryland Meals For Achievement Joint Letter to Governor

• “The key strategies that school districts across the nation should adopt to expand breakfast participation among low-income students include:
  • Implementing universal breakfast programs (i.e. breakfast at no charge) with effective district-wide promotion;
  • Making breakfast a part of the school day through breakfast in the classroom and “grab and go” programs;
  • Establishing administrative support and leadership in implementing programs; and
  • Developing strong partnerships with anti-hunger organizations and state agencies.” School Breakfast in America’s Big Cities – FRAC Report

Be sure to visit our Healthy6 Breakfast page for Breakfast GO Power tips and resources all year long!

And parents, remember, you can be a Star with school-morning breakfast at home too…Breakfast GO Power Ideas for Children!