This goal setting calendar is one of 42 activity sheets included in Nutrition Fun with Brocc & Roll.

March is a great month for...

• Digging in the Dirt
  Success in the garden starts with healthy soil. Now is the time to clear debris, pull weeds, and enrich your soil with compost, worm castings, and other organic material. In many regions, you can start planting cool weather crops such as lettuce, spinach, cabbage, kale, radishes and broccoli. Hot weather loving plants such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and squash can be started from seed indoors. If you have questions about your local growing region, contact your Cooperative Extension office – they are a rich resource for the home gardener.

• Celebrating National Nutrition Month®
  National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the American Dietetic Association. Visit http://www.eatright.org/nnm/ for nutrition education resources, tips, videos, blogs, and more. For insight from 3rd and 4th graders about what it means to "eat right," click here.

• Restarting those New Year's Goals
  If you didn't quite reach your New Year's goals, now is a good time to restart your plans, perhaps this time with more realistic aspirations. The goal setting calendar at left is one I use with children but it works for all of us. The key is to set S.N.A.C.K. goals -- which stands for Small, Needed, Achievable, Can I Count it (measurable), and Know-how.

• Organizing eating for spring sports
  Eating well can be a challenge when your children are involved in youth sports. Learn how to get organized and pack healthful picnic food for young athletes here.

• Enjoying increased daylight
  As the days grow longer, families have more time to spend outdoors. Take advantage of the extended daylight by shooting hoops together, playing in the park, or teaching your children some of the games you played as a child.

• Hugging your child (it's always a great day, week, month for hugs!)

Our Nutrition Education Toolkit includes everything you need to teach lively nutrition lessons to children. The materials are ideal for working with children ages 6-12 in a variety of classroom or group settings. For only $34.95, you will receive:

• How to Teach Nutrition to Kids, 4th ed. (book) Link
• Nutrition Fun with Brocc & Roll, 2nd ed. (activity book) Link
• Nutrition Education Curriculum Guide (via digital download) Link

  Order through our secure shopping cart:

  

Kids Snack Maze: Free Download

Download this free Snack Attack maze. After children complete the maze, ask them to list at least three healthy choices for after school snacks. Plan an activity where children can create their own healthy snack, comprised of the following food choices:

• fruit or vegetable
• protein source (a serving from the dairy and/or meat & beans group)
• whole grain
  
  

News in Brief

Do you have An App for children's health?
First Lady Michelle Obama has just launched the Apps for Healthy Kids competition, part of the Let's Move! initiative aimed at ending childhood obesity within a generation. Run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Apps for Healthy Kids challenges software developers, game designers and other innovators to develop creative, fun and engaging activities that encourage kids and their parents to make more nutritious food choices and be more physically active. Games and tools must use a USDA nutrition dataset that provides total calories, calories from "extras" (including solid fats and added sugars) and MyPyramid food groups for more than 1,000 commonly eaten foods. Entries must be submitted by June 30.

Recent Studies of Interest:

• Summer camp brings improvements in self-esteem and weight Link (camp information is located here)
• Health Affairs Journal devotes March 2010 issue to childhood obesity Link
• Fitness may boost academic performance in children Link

Recommended: FitCity Online
I was introduced to FitCity online by health and physical education educator Jim Smith at the recent Ohio OAHPERD conference. Initially funded by a grant from CDC, It is an impressive site full of interactive fitness and nutrition activities and resources. Request a month's free trial by visiting www.fitcityonline.com.

©2010 by Connie Liakos Evers, All Rights Reserved. There is a modest reprint fee for reproducing the material in this newsletter in either print or electronic publications. Please send an email to reprint@nutritionforkids.com for details and rates.

The FEEDING KIDS NEWSLETTER is published quarterly by 24 CARROT PRESS. To subscribe, click here.