FOR YOU. STAR kids should limit screen time to 2 hours or less a day. Take Action!

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1 NEWS FOR YOU STAR kids should limit screen time to 2 hours or less a day. Pay attention to how much time each day your child spends using screen media (other than for homework). Use stickers to track on a calendar the days that your child limits screen time to 2 hours or less. Think about cutting back on your own screen time. This will encourage your child to do the same. You are his/her role model! With your child, make a list of fun things to do instead of watching TV or doing other screen activities. What is screen time? Screen time is time spent watching TV, DVDs, videos and movies, or playing games on a TV, computer, or handheld device. It does not include time doing homework on a computer. Watch less and play more! Kids need at least 1 hour of physical activity every day. Take Action! Inside this Issue: Importance of limiting screen time 2 Helping your child limit screen time 3 Center on Media and Child Health 3 Make your own beanbag balls 4

2 Why is limiting screen time so important? Kids need time for physical activity, sleep, schoolwork, family, and friends. Screen time should be enjoyed, but limited in use. Parents need to know what their kids are watching, and what games they are playing. Seeing smoking, drinking, and violence in the media can be harmful to kids at this age. Many ads are for junk food and fast food and make it harder for us to think about making healthy food choices. Use DVDs or TiVo to avoid ads and cut down on program time. In general, kids who spend less time using screen media... See less violence Do better in school Eat healthier foods Weigh less Read more Sleep better

3 How can I help my child limit screen time? Keep mealtimes screen-free (TVs and computers turned off). Use the time to focus on each other and enjoy your food. No surfing. Have your child plan out his/her 2 hours or less of screen time each day. When the show or the game time is over, the TV or computer is turned off. Watching TV and using computers is easy to do when you can t think what else to do, so make a list of other things to do and have it ready for when your child seems bored or has already spent 2 hours on screen time. Keep TVs and computers out of bedrooms. Kids who have them in their bedrooms tend to watch much more TV and have more sleep problems. Make an activity jar of things to do instead of watching TV or doing other screen activities. With your child, make a list of fun things to do with the TV and computer off. Cut each one out, fold it in half, and put them all in a jar. Let your child decorate the jar. When it s done, pull a piece of paper out to start the fun! Some ideas to get you started might be coloring, reading, doing puzzles, playing catch, making a collage, turning on music and dancing, or learning to juggle! Have questions or concerns about children and media use? Check out: The Center on Media and Child Health is a great website to help you understand the effects (both good and bad) of media on children. The site is run by Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician at Children s Hospital and former Hollywood filmmaker. Read parent questions and answers about media and kids health, and ask your own questions!

4 What you need: 9 balloons (11 inch) to make 3 balls Funnel (can make one out of paper) 2 1/4 cups dried lentils or other small beans Scissors 1. Blow up one balloon halfway, hold it closed for 30 seconds, then let the air out. 2. Put the funnel tip in the balloon and slowly pour in 3/4 cup of lentils. Push them in as you go. The balloon should be firm but squeezable. 3. Cut off the balloon s thick end piece. Then cut the long end off a second balloon. 4. Slowly stretch the second balloon over the filled balloon, tucking in the long end as you go. 5. Cut the long end off the third balloon, stretch the opening, and ease it over the other two. 6. Repeat this process to make a set of three balls. Moving? Please let us know your new address and phone number. Call toll-free , or STAR@hphc.org Department of Population Medicine Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute 133 Brookline Avenue, 6th Floor Boston, MA Return Service Requested Make Your Own Beanbag Balls

5 CROSSWORD PUZZLE Across 1. A physical activity where you kick a ball. 2. Get at least 10 hours of per night. 6. Get 1 hour of moderate to vigorous per day. 8. A healthy drink. 10. Keep TV and other to less than 2 hours per day! Down 1. Drink 0 per day. 3. A fun place to swing, climb, slide, jump, and play. 4. The name of the study you are in. 5. A physical activity that you do in the water. 6. Get outside and! 7. An unhealthy sugary drink. 9. You lay your head on a at night.

6 NEWS FOR YOU STAR kids should aim to sleep hours a night. Why is sleep so important? The amount and quality of children s sleep affects their moods, behavior, and ability to learn. Not getting enough sleep has also been linked to a higher risk of obesity. Take Action! Stick to regular sleep and wake times for your child even on the weekend. Make sleep a priority! Make the room where your child sleeps a calm, dark, cozy space without noise or TV. Have a quiet bedtime routine and keep all screen media off during this time. Avoid having TV or computers in the room where your child sleeps. Us e a nightlight or music if your child needs light or sound to get to sleep.

7 Tips for Good Sleep Avoid letting your child have caffeine (coffee, tea, soda). Do at least an hour of physical activity every day. Turn off the TV and computer 2 hours before bedtime. Have your child s bed be only for sleeping; Not for watching TV, talking on the phone, or using other screen media like laptops or ipads. Avoid large meals before bed. Make your child s room quiet, dark, cool, and comfortable. Keep all screen media (TV s, computers, handheld devices, etc.) out of the room where your child sleeps. What if there s already a TV or computer in my child s room? Removing screen media from your child s room is not a punishment. It s a decision you can make to keep your child healthy. If you don t remove it now, it will be much harder to monitor what your child watches and does when he or she is older. If your child needs sound to fall asleep, play music or try reading to your child to help him or her wind down at the end of the day. Consider doing something nice for your child like getting some new books or going on an active outing to mark the change. Fewer behavioral problems The Importance of Sleep Kids who sleep more tend to have... A healthy immune system Decreased chance of obesity And do better in school

8 Signs of Not Enough Sleep Bedtime Relaxation Tips Excessive daytime sleepiness Disturbed sleep Sleep walking Sleep talking Trouble waking up Bedwetting Snoring Hard time paying attention From: Polar Bears Past Bedtime (ages 5 and up) by Mary Pope Osborne Goodnight, Little Critter (ages 6 and up) by Mercer Mayer What to do when you dread your bed (ages 6 and up) by Dawn Huebner and Bonnie Matthews Bowser the Hound (ages 8 and up) by Thornton W. Burgess All about Sleep from A to Zzzz (ages 9 and up) by Elaine Scott Take a bath. Use lavender soap or bubbles for a calming smell. Play quiet, soft music while getting ready for bed. Read a book to your child or have them read a book to you. Make your child s bed a cozy place they like to be. Bedtime and Sleep Books for Kids Zzz...The most interesting book you ll ever read about sleep (ages 9 and up) by Trudee Romanek

9 Moving? Please let us know your new address and phone number. Call toll-free , or Department of Population Medicine Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute 133 Brookline Avenue, 6th Floor Boston, MA Return Service Requested Quick and Easy No-Sew Pillow Materials Two squares of 26 inch X 26 inch fleece fabric Scissors 1 bag of pillow stuffing Directions 1. Put the 2 pieces of fleece together with the nicer sides facing out. 2. Cut a 5 inch square out of each corner. 3. Make 5 one-inch long cuts all the way around both pieces of fleece, 1 inch apart 4. Tie each top and bottom fringe together on three sides of the pillow (leaving the 4th side open to stuff with pillow stuffing). 1. Stuff the pillow with pillow stuffing until it feels full enough. 2. Tie the strips of the last side together. 3. Enjoy sleeping on your new pillow! From:

10 Sleep Word Scramble Unscramble each of the clue words. Then copy the letters in the numbered green boxes to discover the hidden phrase! BDEIMET SEPLE EASRMD DERA AAMRL LKCOC BDE BENKTAL PIWOLL ONUTC SPEHE G H

11 NEWS FOR YOU STAR kids should drink water. Aim for 0 sugary drinks a day. What is a sugary drink? Soda, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, flavored milks, and fruit juices usually have lots of sugar and sometimes caffeine. Even 100% fruit juice has a lot of sugar! Take Action! Pay attention to how many sugary drinks your child has in a day or in a week. The fewer the better, so think of ways to start cutting back. Make water and plain (unflavored) lowfat milk the drink choices for meals and snacks. Limit your own sugary drinks. This will help your child make healthier choices as well. Find out what drinks are available to your child at school and talk with your child about the drink choices s/he makes during the school day. Regularly drinking sugary drinks may cause cavities and excess weight gain.

12 Tips for Cutting Back on Sugary Drinks Stock up on healthy drinks. Having healthy drinks like water and lowfat milk in the refrigerator will help your child make healthy choices. Add fruit slices to a pitcher of water to make it colorful, fun, and fruity! Make it easy. Send a water bottle with your child to school or camp. Let him/her pick out a bottle they like, so they will want to carry it and use it. Be consistent. Remember your child s health goals when you are away from home. For example, when you are at a restaurant, order water or lowfat milk. How much sugar is in that drink? 7x 7 x 7 x 6 x 10 x 4.5 x = 1 Teaspoon *per 8 oz serving 0 x 4.5 x 4.5 x

13 Be a Sugar Detective! At the store, look for drinks that have 0 grams of sugar. Read the ingredients. Here are some that can tell you a drink has sugar in it: High-fructose Corn syrup Fructose Fruit Juice Concentrates Honey Sugar Syrup Corn Syrup Sucrose Dextrose

14 Fresh Fruit Cooler Serves 1 Moving? Please let us know your new address and phone number. Call toll-free , or STAR@hphc.org Department of Population Medicine Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute 133 Brookline Avenue, 6th Floor Boston, MA Return Service Requested Delicious and Nutritious Drinks Ingredients: 1/2 cup ice 3/4 cups sugar free sparkling water 1/3 cups berries or melon (frozen is fine) Put ice, sparkling water, and fruit in a blender. Blend until slushy. Watermelon Water Serves 6 Ingredients: 4 cups of seedless watermelon chunks 6 cups of water 2 fresh limes Put the watermelon into a blender and add the water. Blend until smooth. Pour into pitcher. Cut limes in half and squeeze into pitcher. Serve over ice.

15 Word Equations Say the combination of pictures and/or letters out loud to help you figure out the mystery activity words. + = + ER = S + + ING = + = 10 + IS = + = BI + = TH + + A + =