September s Healthy Habits Campaign Message is: Respect your body by eating a variety of healthy foods every day! Good nutrition is important for kids and adults alike. We should all try to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as plenty of whole grains, a few servings lean meats or other lean proteins, and low-fat dairy products every day. To help you promote September s healthy habit, this packet contains: Nutrition Activities and Resources Time needed: Page Number: Energizer: Fruit and Veggie Relay Race 10-15 Min. 2 Academic Connections: Healthy Choices Word Search 10-15 Min. 3 Worksheet: Nutrition and Healthy Living Word Search 4 Cooperative Activity: Healthy Food Messages poster project 20 Min. 5 Family Connections: Fruit and Vegetable Goals 10-20 Min. 6 Worksheet: My Fruit and Veggie Goals 7 Resource: My Pyramid (Available in Spanish at http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/kidstips-espanol.pdf) 8 Teacher Resource: Nutrition Basics 9 ***Because this is our first month of the Healthy Habits Campaign pilot, we ve also included a letter to go home to your students parents/guardians about the overall program. If you are interested in having a Public Health Educator from the Chatham County Public Health Department complement your instruction by presenting to your class about nutrition, please take a look at the offerings for your grade level at www.chathamnc.org/schoolhealth, or contact Ellie Morris, the School Health Liaison for the Chatham County Public Health Department at elizabeth.morris@chathamnc.org or 919-545-8514. Sources for the enclosed lessons and links for further information and materials can also be found at the website above. The key points to focus on this month are: It s important to eat a variety of foods, from all of the different food groups so that we get all the goodness that all the different foods have to offer (ie, calcium from dairy products, vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies, etc.) Limiting the amount of sugar we eat keeps our teeth healthy our mood happy and our whole body feeling good! The energy we need to play and learn comes from the food we eat. To be healthy we must balance how much energy we put into our bodies and how much energy we use up. If we eat more energy than we need, or don t play enough to use that energy up, there s energy left over that can make us gain weight. Thank you for your help promoting the health of Chatham County s students!
Energizer Standard Course of Study Objectives Fruit and Veggie Relay Race 4 th Grade: 4.04 - Demonstrate the ability to plan healthy meals and snacks that emphasize the principles of My Pyramid. 4.10 - Analyze the relationship between physical activity and nutrition and the cardiovascular system. 5 th Grade: 4.01 - Demonstrate the ability to select healthful food and beverage choices from the food groups of My Pyramid. 10-15 minutes Time needed Organization/equipment Organization: Divide students into 2 or 3 groups. Equipment: Provide a marker and a piece of large paper (taped to a wall) for each group to write on. Rules/directions Teacher introduction Variations The goal is for each group to list as many fruits and veggies as they can on their butcher paper This is set up like a regular relay race. The marker is the baton. Each group needs to line up a certain distance from their butcher paper (which they are facing). The first person will run up to the paper and write down a fruit or a veggie, return to the line, pass the marker to their next teammate, and that person will run up and write a fruit or a veggie. The students will keep doing this until you tell them to stop. Tell students that they will be doing a relay race similar to what they have probably done in gym class, but a little different because they have to come up with lists of healthy foods. Describe that this is a great activity because they are learning about healthy foods AND getting some physical activity. Describe that this race is to see how long of a list they can make of different fruits and vegetables and in doing so, to remind the group of their many options for healthy eating. Tie in the character trait of the month (respect). For example, one way to respect ourselves is to eat nutritious foods, like fruits and vegetables, every day. Explain the above rules for the relay race. Define a time period that the students will be doing the race (2 minutes; until all team members have gone 3 times), etc. Do the relay race At the end, ask students how this might apply to their lives and why it s important to know about healthy foods. If desired, incorporate one of the variations below. Have students get to the butcher paper in different ways (skipping, hopping, crab-walking, walking like a penguin, etc.) At the end, go down each group s list and ask one student from each team to tell the group which their favorite fruit or veggie is for snacking. Race to create lists for different categories: healthy breakfast foods, healthy lunch foods, healthy snacks, etc. CCS Healthy Habits Campaign - 2
Academic connections Standard Course of Study Objectives Time needed Organization/equipment Rules/directions Teacher introduction Variations Nutrition and Healthy Choices Word Search 5 th grade: 4.01 - Demonstrate the ability to select healthful food and beverage choices from the food groups of My Pyramid. 10-15 minutes Organization: This can be an individual or a pairs activity Equipment: Everyone needs a copy of the Nutrition and Healthy Choices Word Search (on page 3) and a pen/pencil This is just like other word searches. Words to find are listed below the grid, and are jumbled up with everything else in the grid. Students will circle words as they find them. Then, students will answer the questions at the bottom of the page. Explain the directions above When students are done, either bring in the idea of respect and how that plays into making healthy food choices OR have the small groups (either pairs or groups of 4) choose a few of the foods in the word search and research and write healthy recipes utilizing those foods Have students work individually and then pair up to share their answers and see if they both got found all the same words and/or help each other in finding the rest. Have students work in pairs and then get together with another pair to check answers, etc. CCS Healthy Habits Campaign - 3
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Cooperative Activity Standard Course of Study Objectives Time needed Organization/equipment Rules/directions Teacher introduction Variations Healthy Food Messages Poster 3 rd grade: 4.01 - Compare and contrast the health effects of nutritious and nonnutritious beverages. 4 th grade: 4.08 - Provide examples of how the media and advertisers use persuasive techniques to influence food-purchasing decisions. 5 th grade: 4.04 - Analyze how media images of food choices and eating behaviors may be unhealthy. 20 minutes (MINIMUM) Organization: Divide the group into small groups of 3 or 4 students each Equipment: Each group will need a piece of poster paper, a variety of markers. If you like, you can also show them some examples of positive/healthy food messages This is a creative project that will allow students to work together cooperatively to create a poster that promotes healthy eating. They will needs to decide on a type of healthy food that they are promoting, and a slogan, and then create a poster that promotes their healthy food. Encourage the participation of all group members. Tell the students they are going to get a chance to do some positive advertising that promotes healthy eating. Explain what a slogan is and give some examples. Milk: it does a body good, Snap, crackle, pop (Rice Krispies), I m lovin it (McDonalds). Tell students that there are a lot of advertisements for junk food around, so we re going to advertise healthy foods and try to convince people to eat those foods, instead. Ask the group for an example of a healthy food or beverage they might want to promote. Say they come up with bananas. Ask them what they would want people to know about bananas; ask for ideas for a catchy slogan that would make people want to eat bananas. Tell them that s exactly what they are going to do in their small groups: come up with a product or type of food or drink to promote and a slogan that people will remember, with a poster to go along with it. Change the size of the groups. Turn this into a dramatic arts activity by having the team perform their slogan or commercial. Arrange with the cafeteria and/or principal for the students to do positive advertising for particular cafeteria foods and hang the posters in the cafeteria. Focus only on beverages. CCS Healthy Habits Campaign - 5
Family Connections Standard Course of Study Objectives Planning a Healthy Snack 3 rd grade: 4.04 - Demonstrate the ability to select a nutritious breakfast and describe the importance of eating breakfast daily. 4 th grade: 4.04 - Demonstrate the ability to plan healthy meals and snacks that emphasize the principles of My Pyramid. 5 th grade: 4.01 - Demonstrate the ability to select healthful food and beverage choices from the food groups of My Pyramid. Time needed 10-20 minutes Organization/equipment Equipment: My Fruit and Veggie Goals handout (on page 7) My Pyramid (on page 8) Rules/directions Students complete the My Fruit and Veggie Goals handout alone for 5-8 minutes. After individuals have completed the worksheet or done as much as they can, they join with someone else to form a pair. They look at each other s healthy snacks and if one student isn t familiar with it, they talk about it. Teacher introduction Discuss how important it is to learn how to make healthy snacks. Tell students that right now they are going to do an exercise where they get to practice planning a healthy snack. Then they will get to talk about their healthy snack with a partner and see what each partner came up with. Students work on their worksheets. Tell students that they will get to take this sheet home to their families to share what kind of healthy snacks they thought of that so that they can try making them at home. Send the MyPyramid handout home with this worksheet and encourage families to hang the MyPyramid on fridge so that the students can get practice selecting a variety of healthy foods from the pyramid. Variations On a day when your lunch is full of fruits and veggies, show the students your lunch as you introduce this activity. Find out what fruit/vegetable will be served in the cafeteria that day and remind the students that the fruits and vegetables served for lunch are good for them and encourage them to eat those things today to practice eating more fruits and veggies. Don t use the handout have students plan a healthy snack or a meal with a small group using MyPyramid and other resources, and present to the class. Make collages of healthy meals using magazine and newspaper and coupon cutouts of fruits and veggies; laminate them and send them home with the kids for hanging on refrigerators. CCS Healthy Habits Campaign - 6
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Nutrition Basics What are Calories? A calorie is a measurement. Calories are the amount of energy released when the body breaks down food. The more calories a food has, the more energy it can provide the body. When a person eats more calories than he/she needs, the body stores the extra calories as fat. Eating carbohydrates, proteins, and fats provides calories. Calories in the diet: How many calories a person needs to take in each day depends on factors such as gender, age, and activity level. See the USDA s www.mypyramid.gov for more details. What Are Proteins? Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance, and repair of body tissue such as the skin, the internal organs, and muscle. They are also the major components of our immune system and hormones. Proteins are made up of amino acids. While the human body can produce many of the amino acids we need, eight essential amino acids can only be obtained from what we eat. Proteins in the diet: Proteins contain 4 calories per gram and should account for approximately 20-30% of daily calories. Proteins are represented by the purple band of the USDA s food pyramid. Dairy products, represented by the blue band, also provide protein. Tips: Choose lean sources of protein whenever possible, such as low-fat dairy, beans & legumes, fish, and poultry. What are Carbohydrates? Carbohydrates provide fuel for the body in the form of glucose, a sugar that is the primary source of energy for the body's cells. Carbohydrate sources include many foods that are nutrient-rich such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, as well as less healthy foods such as candy, cookies, and soft drinks. Carbohydrates in the diet: Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram (made up of sugar, starch & fiber) and should account for 45-65% of daily calories. People should try to consume 25-35 grams of fiber per day. Carbohydrates are mostly represented by the grains (orange), vegetables (green) and fruits (red) bands of in the USDA s food pyramid. Tips: To increase fiber intake, choose more whole grains, beans, and fruits and vegetables. What is Fat? Fat is made up of fatty acids or lipids. Depending on their chemical structure, these fatty acids are called monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, or trans fats. Trans fats and saturated fats are the least healthy fats to eat. Fat in the diet: Fats contains 9 calories per gram and should account for 20-35% of daily calories. Saturated fat should be limited to less than 10% of daily calories. Consumption of trans fats should be as low as possible. Fats are represented in the oils (yellow) band of the food pyramid but significant quantities can also be found in proteins and dairy products. Tips: To limit trans fats, check the ingredient list limit hydrogenated oil. To limit fats overall, try to avoid fried foods and prepare and eat more meals at home. Content from WebMD, http://women.webmd.com/guide/nutrition-101-how-to-eat-healthy and Zach Deaton, Chatham County Public Health Department Nutritionist. CCS Healthy Habits Campaign - 9
August 16 th, 2010 Dear Parent/Guardian, This year, your student s school will be piloting the Chatham County Schools Healthy Habits Campaign. This program has been developed through a partnership between the Chatham County Schools and the Chatham County Public Health Department to help build a culture, in every school, that promotes healthy living. Every month has been assigned a healthy habit focus, and your school will be sent resources on how to promote that healthy habit throughout the school day. Each healthy habit has been chosen to align with North Carolina s health education standards and with the Chatham County Schools Character Education program s monthly character traits. The healthy habits messages for each month are as follows: September: Respect your body by eating a variety of healthy foods every day! October: Take responsibility for a drug free life! November: Be kind to your heart- exercise every day! December: Be kind to your friends- wash your hands! January: Healthy relationships are honest relationships. February: Control decay! Brush your teeth every day! March: Understand how tasty the rainbow can be-eat a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables! April: Use perseverance to reach your physical activity goals! May: Be the healthiest you can be! Be on the look-out for events and resources that can help you promote each healthy habit with your own family. With your support and support from their peers and adult role models at school, our students will grow up choosing healthy habits. We thank you for your help promoting the health of Chatham County s youth. If you have any questions or comments, please don t hesitate to contact us. George Greger-Holt Ellie Morris Director of Student Services School Health Liaison Chatham County Schools Chatham County Public Health Department 919-542-6400 ex. 23269 919-545-8514 geogreg@chatham.k12.nc.us elizabeth.morris@chathamnc.org CCS Healthy Habits Campaign - 10