Happy Feet, Healthy Food Kids' Club

FOCUS ON HEALTH AND FITNESS: HAPPY FEET, HEALTHY FOOD KIDS' CLUB
Story 1, Photos Carol Goodrow and Mary Anne Willliams
kids

Buddies

For printable click here Footprint chart 1 | Footprint chart 2 | Happy Feet Lunch Form

snacks

Eating a healthy snack is the norm at our club.

CLUB OVERVIEW
Three weeks of club have gone by and I'm enjoying it more than ever. I have two groups - 50 children on Monday and another 50 on Tuesday. It's a lot of kids and even more energy, but it's hard for me to turn kids away and each kid who completes the club program is a bit healthier and more likely to have healthy habits throughout his/her life.

We still journal, read, and eat healthy snacks, but this year the kids are WORKING to EARN an "Official Happy Feet, Healthy Food Kid" ribbon.

signs

THE ROUTINE
1. Backpacks in the hall.
2. Make a name tag.
3. Show the teacher your journal (if you journaled at home).
4. Get your folder from a cubby.
5. Color in your footprints. Make sure to color code: blue footprint for coming to club, green footprint for bringing a healthy snack, purple footprint for eating a happy feet lunch this week, etc.

FOOTPRINT CHARTS
The children have various ways to earn "footprints" in their folders and 25 footprints earn a blue (or purple) ribbon.

Of course I WANT every child to earn the ribbon so I encourage and remind and hen peck a little to make sure they are on their way and IF a child doesn't earn the ribbon by the end of the 10 weeks, they can take their footprint folder and book home and earn it over time.

Like the other years, after the kids are all here we start the club. Together, we check the footprint charts to make sure everyone colored their earned footprints. By the third week, many were coloring in an orange footprint for attending the Cider Mill Road Race (the town fun run) or walking for "Hanna's Hope" a fundraiser for JDRA (Juvenile Diabetes).

kids

Taking a survey about fruits and vegetables - likes and dislikes

Mrs. Ober

HAPPY FEET LUNCHES
This year the children will be rewarded for eating "Happy Feet Lunches" at school or at home. A "Happy Feet Lunch" is simple. It has to have a fruit, a vegetable, water or milk and at least one other healthy food like whole-wheat bread, beans, chicken, or low-fat yogurt. Children and their parents fill out little "Happy Feet Lunch" slips and bring them to club for a purple footprint.

Mrs. Augusta

In November, our school will begin serving "Happy Feet Lunches" in the cafeteria following similar guidelines. To promote this program our walls are lined with photos of teachers, student teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators (including our superintendent of schools) eating "Happy Feet Lunches".

OUTDOORS
After we go over all of the administrative details we head outdoors for a running game, a little running practice, and a nature walk. The weather has been very mild- like summer, almost a little too warm. Soon it will cool and the running will be super.

CHIPMUNK CHASE
This year we are planning for our fun run early. It's called the "Chipmunk Chase". Families are invited to run on a beautiful 1-K rail-trail like track at CNC Software, Inc. The kids will run or run/walk with their families and pets. They'll receive a medal on crossing the finish line.

I hope to teach all of the children how to sign the words "walk, run, chipmunk, chase, slow and fast" so that they can talk to a little boy in the club who communicates by ASL. This is something new and VERY fun.

Run

Signing "Run"

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We have many parents who volunteer this year, but could use many more. Without the parents we couldn't handle 50 young children at each club session.

The parents help organize the materials, remind the children of our club routines, help the children focus, help them with their reading and writing, and fully participate with us in our physical activity.

Signing "chipmunk"

JOURNALING
As always, we end the session up with journaling in "Happy Feet, Healthy Food". This year to streamline things, I have big banners with the sample sentences on the wall to help the children with their journaling. Those who are just learning to read and write have models to copy from, but those who already are literate compose their own journal entries.

Just as they finish their parents are arriving to take them home. They leave with their books, so they can journal at home, earning " red footprints" for their charts at club.

Key to Footprint Chart - 25 Footprints to a Ribbon
Activity	Maximum Footprints You Can Earn	Color Code
Attending Club	10	Blue
Bringing Healthy Snacks to Club	10	Green
Journaling at Home during the Week	9	Red
Attending the Club Fun Run	1	Black, Brown, and White Stripes
Attending Other Fun Runs or Events	Varies	Orange
Earning Toe-tokens at Recess Mileage Club	Varies	Color of Toe Token , Write the word "TOE" in or under the footprint.
Having a Happy Feet Healthy Lunch click for fill-in form	Varies	Purple
Bringing Mom, Dad, Grandma or Grandpa to Happy Feet Club	Varies	Yellow
Special Projects Approved by Club Leader	Varies	Black

ADDING SIGN TO YOUR CLUB (ASL)
Would you like to add ASL to your club? If so, follow these steps.
1. Find someone in your school who can sign. Have them teach you a few words. Take photos of them signing so that you won't forget.

2. Visit Bill Vicars's site Lifeprint.com. He makes signing easy and explains its nuances very well. What's more, many of his signs are animated. He also gives tips for "finger spelling". Here is Bill signing run.