A Healthy Picture - Class Notes

Teachers are enhancing learning in math, science, literature, and more...with fun, hands-on activities that also send a healthy eating and physical activity message! Mix up quick and easy activities to create a curiosity for learning and the potential for healthy outcomes!

Class Notes is a sampling of ideas for fun activities that require very little time…Ideas that allow kids to learn and practice healthy choices!

For more suggestions, over 100 simple ideas to send a healthy message are found in The Healthy Kids Challenge Activity Kit.


Getting Started

Quick, easy to incorporate activities that send a healthy message enhance an existing health curriculum, or they can be the beginning of something awesome!

Find what works best for you! Look at the “1-2-3’s” for incorporating healthy classroom messages, then choose and adapt simple options to making learning fun!


Healthy Moves (physical movement)

Movement isn’t just for physical education class anymore!

Movement in the Classroom is linked to:

• Improved learning

• Better behavior

• Healthy kids!

Movement activities in the classroom reinforce core subject matter. Active involvement captures interest, stimulates thinking, and helps develop healthy minds and bodies.


Healthy Eating Message

Keep healthy eating messages quite simple--they don’t require extensive nutrition science education!

Just about every day there is something in the media about the latest findings or advice for healthy diets. What is reported one day, may be questioned the next, and how to eat healthy can become very confusing.

The best tool for kids to receive a consistent, healthy message is The United States Department of Agriculture MyPyramid food guidance system. Nutrition is a science and like any other, it is evolving and constantly being evaluated based on the newest findings. MyPyramid concepts provide a good solid start to making healthy choices. Learning is enhanced when kids have an opportunity to practice making the choices they are learning and taste foods in the classroom.