Healthy Kids Challenge Resources for Active Schools
March 28, 2013
Healthy Kids Challenge® supports Let’s Move! Active Schools, and is offering resources and training to help schools provide an active environment for everyone.
Together, healthy eating and physical activity create balance. Healthy Kids Challenge is committed to helping leaders find ways to support kids and families in finding they C.A.N. (connect activity and nutrition), including:
- A partnership with SPARK evidence based PE programs.
- A Move and Learn activity in every nutrition curriculum lesson.
- Active Play is one of the Healthy6 habits.
- Integrating physical activity into every workshop and event. Kids and adults learn better with movement.
We support Let’s Move! Active Schools, “a comprehensive program that empowers school champions – P.E. teachers, classroom teachers, principals, administrators, and parents – to create active environments that enable all students to get moving and reach their full potential.”
Check out our Balance My Day™ Nutrition Curriculum grades K-8:
- Comprehensive classroom lessons integrate math, science and language arts with the CDC HECAT (Health Education Analysis Tool) outcomes.
- Every lesson has a Move and Learn activity to enhance learning and add more minutes of physical activity to the day.
And our Healthy Kids Challenge Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Trainings:
From school-based nutrition education curriculum and food service training to environmental and policy changes that make healthy eating and physical activity the easy choice, workshops are tailored for your audience and school or community. Let us design a training that meets your needs: half day-full day-breakout sessions!
Here’s an example of a recent HKC-SPARK Nutrition Education Training:
Training for staff in the West Orange, New Jersey school district was centered around:
- how to integrate brain breaks for better focus and concentration,
- healthy eating messages sprinkled throughout the school hallways, cafeteria, and classrooms, and
- nutrition education woven into PE and core curriculum K-12.
Hats off to Thomas A. Edison Middle School and the entire school district in West Orange, who truly understand the strategy of using good nutrition and physical activity to create a culture of health in the schools that can do nothing short of fueling student success.
“Teaching our students to maintain a healthy balance with eating and exercise is our top priority. The SPARK program is helping provide the tools and training to achieve this goal,” shared Corinn Giaquinto, Health and Physical Education instructor, Thomas Edison Middle School, West Orange, New Jersey.
We use the most current evidence-based recommendations of Centers for Disease Control and other leading organizations. Use this link for information about HKC strategies and outcomes. Have an active day!
How to Win A 2013 PEP Grant
February 28, 2013
Use SPARK and Healthy Kids Challenge® to win a PEP Grant! Since Healthy Kids Challenge is SPARK’s exclusive Nutrition Services partner, we can help your program meet all the requirements for physical education, physical activity, AND nutrition education. To date, more than 200 PEP grants have been awarded to organizations that chose to implement SPARK curriculum and training!
So, how are you going to connect physical activity with nutrition education in your PEP Grant application?
Use SPARK and Healthy Kids Challenge!
Here are the essentials to help you win a 2013 PEP Grant:
- 2013 PEP Grant Information -SPARK’s comprehensive resource guide and other links and even a video are located here.
- SPARK-Healthy Kids Challenge Sample Text for Grant Writers.
- Healthy Kids Challenge Grant Help
- Carol M. White Physical Education Program – THE link to the application and full details.
- PEP Grant Winners Speak About SPARK Phys Ed Program – YouTube
Questions? Contact me at vickie@healthykidschallenge.com or 1-888-256-6287.
What does the $45K Healthy School Makeover Grand Prize include?
November 8, 2012
It might surprise you! This is one unprecedented contest with a truly comprehensive prize package. One lucky school that serves any grades, K-12, will win a comprehensive Healthy School Makeover worth up to $45K! Here’s what the winning school’s Grand Prize package includes:
• SPARK: SPARK Curriculum and Training package, valued at more than $10,000
• Sportime: Equipment package aligned with SPARK program, valued at up to $9,000
• Healthy Kids Challenge: Healthy Kids Challenge “Balance My Day” nutrition curriculum package and training, valued at $2,400
• AAHPERD/NASPE: Customized Lets Move in School training package valued at $4,500
• Skillastics: Two Let’s Move in School Skillastics packages and training, valued at more than $2,000
• Healthy Lifestyle Choices: HLC Curriculum and Training package, valued at $5,500
• GenMove: Equipment, programming and training package valued at $3,300
• The First Tee: The First Tee National School Program curriculum, training and equipment, valued at more than$3,200
• Polar: Polar Active classroom pack, valued at $3,300
• ANNIKA Foundation: Annika Sorenstam to present grand prize to winner
Over 190 schools around the country have submitted videos to try and win a healthy school makeover. Now it’s time for you to help choose the best!
We encourage you to vote once per day through November 14, 2012. By casting a vote you’re demonstrating your support for schools and communities as they try to combat childhood obesity and help youth lead healthier lives.
There are so many amazing, inspirational videos to choose from… which one is your favorite?
Click Here to view the videos and vote for your favorite.
PB and T (Peanut Butter and Tuna) Recipe
May 3, 2012
This specialty PB&T(Peanut Butter and Tuna) recipe won Justin Brownell a “Chef for a Day” at his junior high school in Wappingers Falls, NY, by entering the “Stirring Up Health™” recipe contest. Justin enjoys getting into the kitchen to try healthy foods and new tastes. “After eating at a Thai restaurant and liking a seafood dish with peanut sauce, I tried to create something similar to fix at home,” he explained. Justin realizes he feels better and is able to perform better at school and during afterschool sports when he’s eating healthy foods.
PB&T
Serves: 3
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. natural creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
½ Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
½ tsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp. ginger
½ tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. sweet red chili sauce
2 Tbsp. low fat mayonnaise
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 (5 oz.) can tuna, packed in water (*Can substitute canned chicken for a PB&C)
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. scallions, sliced
2 Tbsp. walnuts, chopped
¾ c. red cabbage, thinly sliced
6 baby carrots, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 small whole wheat sandwich wrappers
Steps:
- Microwave the peanut butter for 30 seconds in a medium-size microwavable mixing bowl.
- Whisk the heated peanut butter and add the next 9 listed ingredients, mixing well.
- Drain the canned tuna and add to the mixing bowl, along with the cilantro, scallions and walnuts. Toss the ingredients.
- Spread 1/3 of the tuna mixture in the middle of each sandwich wrapper.
- Top each wrapper with 1/3 each of the red cabbage, carrots, and red bell pepper.
- Roll the wrappers up by folding in the long sides first, then rolling from bottom to top, as tight as possible.
- Cut in half on the diagonal.
- Serve with 1% or skim milk and fresh fruit to include all 5 MyPlate food groups in this meal.
For more award-winning recipes from the 2012 Stirring Up Health™ Recipe Contest, click here.
And the winner of the Get Your Plate in Shape Challenge is Liz Samball. Liz won a Healthy Kids Challenge T-shirt and a set of Explore MyPlate wristbands for her pictures and story about how she helps kids get their plates in shape. Congrats, Liz! Check out her pictures and success story!
And speaking of winning…everyone wins with when a garden grows! Don’t you agree? This month just happens to be National Garden Month, too. I have a wonderful case of spring fever right now, so I have to share with you my latest web resources for gardening…gardening with kids of course!
IMGP0854 - vege garden (Photo credit: RaeAllen)
Kids Gardening
Kids Gardening is a wonderful resource from the National Gardening Association, with a plethora of info., including their sections devoted to school gardening and family gardening. I have so much more to share about gardens in the next couple of weeks, so to close this week I simply challenge you to take one simple action to get your garden started!
5 Tips for Active Play on a Rainy Day
October 10, 2011
Active Play can be a part of every day…and it’s just that, play – something that is fun and enjoyable. Rainy days encourage me to be creative and think of ways to get moving while we are stuck inside. It certainly doesn’t take fancy equipment or a gym membership to be active. I thought about ordinary items around my house (and yours) that can get you jumping, running, and moving around! Here are 5 tips for active play on a rainy day:
- Scarves – make a game out of tossing it up and trying to catch it. Try twirling around before catching it.
- Balloons – blow them up and start batting them around. How high can you toss it? Can you toss it up, do a jumping jack and catch it before it hits the ground? Play a game of toss with a partner. Pretend each balloon is a tasty fruit or veggie in that color and name as you toss!
- Paper Plates – use as a Frisbee or scatter a few on the ground and pretend to be a frog leaping from one to the other.
- Paper – crunch up a piece of paper into a ball shape and practice shooting hoops into a small bucket or trash can.
- Music -put some tunes on and join in with your kids! You will get to spend quality time and have fun with them (hopefully, it will burn their endless amount of energy) as well as get your heart pumping.
Here’s to Active Play every day – even rainy days – in October!
3 Best Activities for Healthy Kids During October
October 3, 2011
It’s only the 3rd of October and it’s shaping up to be a very busy month! If you still need some last minute activities for healthy kids this month, we’ve got something here for you:
1. WALK to School. http://www.walktoschool.org/
Join kids and families around the globe to walk and bicycle to school in October! Remember that Wednesday, October 5, 2011 is Walk to School Day!
2. ENJOY Family Meals. http://nutrition.wsu.edu/ebet/brochures.html
Focus on family meals with the Eat Better, Eat Together promotion throughout this month. Washington State University Extension offers free brochures and a toolkit to get you started.
3. EAT Apples! http://www.usapple.org/PDF/NAM/NAM-TastingMenu_V3.pdf
This is meant to be a tasting menu for an “Apple Pairing Party” but don’t you think also work for kids’ snacks? Either way, celebrate Apple month by trying a new way to eat apples!
