Classroom

From birthday to holiday parties throughout the school year, children, teachers and families have numerous reasons to celebrate. Celebrations are a great way for children to feel part of the school community, where the learning environment is made festive and where everyone can come together to enjoy a break from the routine. Parties often center around food, such as cupcakes, cookies, candy, chips and sugary beverages. While these foods, in moderation, can be part of a healthy, well-balanced diet, these unhealthy choices have almost become daily norms in the classroom, rather than exceptions.

Tips to Take Action

Break the cycle and incorporate a suggestion from Action for Healthy Kids’ to host healthy and active parties in your school:

• Is your school new to healthy celebrations? Use these 10 Tips for Making the Switch to Healthy Celebrations as your guide.
• For birthdays, pick one day each month and celebrate all that month’s birthdays on that day, as opposed to having multiple birthday celebrations.
• Focus on FUN rather than FOOD.
• Schedule parties after lunch rather than in the morning to ensure students eat a full, nutritious lunch. Make these parties “snack parties” instead of full meals.
• Remember to be mindful of food allergies, particularly when introducing new foods.
• Work with your parents to create a list of food allergies for all student to be distributed at the beginning of the year to specify what food to bring in for celebrations.
• Engage students by asking for their opinion on types of healthy foods or physical activity games they would prefer for their celebration.
• Make it a learning experience and celebrate students’ cultural heritage with traditional crafts, games and stories.
• Incorporate special guests into the celebrations. For example, invite parents to come in and read a book or visit the principal’s office for a special surprise such as a pencil or sticker.
• Swap out the traditional party foods for healthier options that reinforce messages children are learning about healthy eating in health class and in the school cafeteria. Some healthier options to eat better include trail mixes, fruit kabobs and flavored water. Class party ideas to move more could be going for a walk or hike, having extra time during art or music class, or playing a class game of kickball.
• Add movement whenever possible! Incorporate a brain break energizer or song and movement before starting your celebration.
  • Have students bring in their favorite music and have a “dance party.”
• Create a plan to navigate challenges with parents who prefer to bring in cupcakes. The inclusion of healthy celebrations in the classroom has several benefits including:
  • Healthy kids learn better
  • Provides consistent positive nutrition messages
  • Promotes a healthy school environment
  • Creates excitement about nutrition
• Remember to be a role model for your students by talking about the fruits and vegetables and other healthy items you like to eat. Ask them what fruit(s) or vegetable(s) they tried in the cafeteria. The most adventurous tasters can join you for a special lunch with the teacher!
• It is very important to ensure that students with disabilities are full participants in class celebrations. These are opportunities for creating cohesion and social support for students.

Original Source: http://bit.ly/HealthyActiveParties

Due to challenges with school scheduling, it’s not uncommon for students to eat an early or late school lunch. This can result in kids being hungry during or after the school day, and needing snacks to keep their busy bodies and minds going. In addition to nourishing bodies, snacks provide an opportunity to practice healthy eating habits.

Tips to Take Action

• Create a classroom chart that tracks when students bring in fruit, vegetables, low-fat or fat-free dairy, or a whole grain for a snack. Set a classroom goal and infuse nutrition education into the conversation.
• Emphasize the importance of healthy snacks at school and home through events like parent-teacher conferences when you have a built-in audience.
• Host a P.A.C.K. Week at your school where students bring in a different colored fruit or vegetable as a snack each day.
• Use these healthy food art snack ideas as part of a classroom nutrition education lesson, birthday celebration or for a morning snack.
• Partner with parents to establish a monthly snack program where parents bring in a snack for everyone once per month.
• If your school qualifies, join the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program for free, regular snacks for students and staff.
• Host a healthy snack competition with students: Provide a list of common fruits, veggies, dairy, protein and grains and challenge students to build a healthy snack with three or more ingredients. Ask students to post their healthy snack on social media or bring it in to share. Let their peers vote on their favorite snack!

Click on the resources listed below to download:

• Smart Snacks Infographic Poster
• Snack Swaps
• Power Up on Veggies Poster
• Fruit is the New Fast-Food Poster

Original Source: http://bit.ly/OfferHealthySnacks

How many fundraisers does your school do each year? Fundraisers provide money for a variety of school improvements, student scholarships, equipment and other activities not covered by the school’s budget. Healthy fundraising is a public demonstration of your school’s commitment to promoting healthy, consistent behaviors among students, families and communities at large while helping your school meet financial needs.

Tips to Take Action

• Review current fundraising strategies at your school. What healthy fundraisers are you already doing? Are there less nutritious fundraisers that could be healthier? How much money is made with fundraisers each year?
• Check to see if your school meets Smart Snacks Standards which outlines what can be sold during the school day.
• Engage and educate your school administration and school fundraising groups (e.g. Friends Groups, Action Teams, Parent Teacher Associations, etc.) on the importance of healthy fundraising ideas and Smart Snacks Standards. Invite these group members to join the school wellness team to share ideas and discuss challenges.
• Consider active fundraisers such as walk-a-thons, fun runs, dance-a-thons and hop-a-thons, or host a sports tournament for dodgeball, volleyball, soccer, basketball, bag toss, etc.
• Instead of selling foods, sell non-edibles such as flowers, seed packets, school merchandise, school supplies, holiday gifts, etc.
• Consider service fundraisers such as providing childcare for “parents night out,” car washes, sports clinics, coat check at school dances or parent events, etc.
• Ask local community businesses to sponsor your fundraiser, donate products or space, or provide prizes or discounts for students who fundraise a certain amount.

Click here to watch our Healthy Fundraising Webinar.

Original Source: http://bit.ly/HealthyFundraisingOptions

It’s no secret that tempting and tasty beverages are everywhere. It’s easy to forget the importance of water for overall health and a well-balanced diet. Staying hydrated helps kids stay alert and focused, can keep their bodies at a safe and healthy temperature, and may improve cognitive functioning. School-aged kids should be drinking at least six to eight glasses of water each day. One of the easiest ways of ensuring kids, school staff and families drink more water is to make water more accessible and fun throughout the day.

Tips to Take Action at School

• Ensure clean, maintained water fountains are available throughout the school.
• Sell water bottles branded with your school logo. It supports healthy fundraising and access to water!
• Encourage teachers to allow water bottles in the classroom, or allow students to go to the water fountain as needed during class.
• Educate staff: Consuming water supports their students’ immune systems and may lessen headaches, sleepiness and stomach aches which ultimately helps students be present and ready to learn.
• Work with your food service department to swap out sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages available in vending machines or in the cafeteria and replace them with regular water, flavored waters and sparkling water (learn what is allowable in schools).
• Start a Rethink Your Drink campaign to educate students on the importance of water and the amount of sugar in sweetened beverages.
• Host a taste test of infused waters – see below for some of Action for Healthy Kids’ favorite flavor combinations! For an extra challenge, make it a blind taste test to see if students can pick out what is in the water.
  • Mix plain seltzer water with a little 100% fruit juice for a refreshing and bubbly treat
  • Infuse a pitcher of plain water with these combinations (or let students get creative!):
    • Blueberry & Lemon
    • Strawberry & Basil
    • Watermelon & Mint
    • Pineapple & Jalapeno
    • Peach & Berries
    • Apple & Cinnamon Sticks
    • Orange & Cucumber
• Teach the importance of water in health education class. Adjust your explanation based on the age of the student. Here’s some basic information:
  • Water is an essential nutrient for life—we can’t live without it!
  • Water represents about two-thirds of our body weight.
  • Water is part of every living cell, and it’s a medium for all metabolic changes (digestion, absorption and excretion), as it helps transport nutrients.
• Invite parents to take a community pledge to swap out 1-for-1 by replacing one sugar-sweetened drink with water each day.

Does your school have a wellness policy in place regarding access to water? If not, click here to view the CDC’s toolkit on increasing access to drinking water in schools.

Click on the resources listed below to download:

• Water is the Clear Winner Poster
• Rethink Your Drink Infographic Poster
• Rethink Your Drink version 2.0 Infographic Poster
• Rethink Your Drink Quick Tips
• Water Access in Schools Webinar
• Food and Beverage Marketing in Schools Webinar

Original Source: http://bit.ly/MoreWaterPlease

Don’t let a hungry stomach lead to a distracted mind! Studies show that good nutrition leads to improved classroom performance, higher test scores and better behavior. It can be a challenge to get students to the cafeteria before school, so consider making breakfast a part of the school day with Breakfast in the Classroom! According to Action for Healthy Kids Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) works especially well in elementary school but is easily adapted for all grade levels, helping students begin their day nourished and ready to learn.

Tips to Take Action:

• Discuss BIC with your school stakeholders. Get the principal on board by showing him/her research [link to https://www.actionforhealthykids.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AFHK-Learning-Connection.pdf] that demonstrates how breakfast improves academic scores while reducing absenteeism and classroom disruptions. Plus, feeding more students breakfast results in increased reimbursements, which can improve the school’s food service program bottom line.
• Once you have administrative approval, work with teachers and custodians to gain buy in and communicate to parents the new plan. Incorporate their ideas and address their concerns early.
• Be prepared to address concerns. Avoid the following perceived barriers:
  1. Perception: Breakfast in the Classroom will cut into instructional time.
     Reality: The first 10-15 minutes of class time is spent in activities that accommodate the eating of breakfast – like announcements, attendance, organization, etc.
  2. Perception: Meals in the classroom will be messy.
     Reality: Menus are simple and planned to reduce messiness. Menus include items that are hand-held and easily eaten by students. Surveyed schools with BIC report that trash and messes were easily handled, and did not cause a problem as originally anticipated by teachers and other school staff. Each classroom can have its own disinfectant spray bottle, paper towels, and a broom/dustpan for spills, but these items are rarely needed. In most schools, students are responsible for keeping their own areas clean and tend to be careful when eating their meals. Consider designating a classroom job to be the one who cleans up after breakfast.
  3. Perception: Teachers will resist the idea.
     Reality: Teachers who are now doing BIC are the strongest advocates of the program. They see the benefits of well-fed students and improved academic and classroom behavior. Some schools also give their teachers a breakfast at no charge as a “thank you” for their participation, and to model correct eating behaviors to the students. Note: Teachers can receive a breakfast at no charge, as they are now considered part of the food service program.

Click here to download daily breakfast tips.

Original Source: http://bit.ly/BreakfastInClassroom