Happy Feet, Healthy Food Kids' Club

SPRING FOOTPRINTS: HAPPY FEET, HEALTHY FOOD KIDS' CLUB
Week 1, Photos Mary Anne Williams and Carol Goodrow
spring kids

If there's snow, they'll find it.

mud

Mud, snow, puddles, and sun! That's spring in New England.

The first day of club is always a bit hectic. The children and parents must learn the routine:

Backpacks in the hall - against the wall.

Make a nametag with first and last name.
See Mrs. Goodrow for your Happy Feet book.

See a parent for your T-shirt.

See another for your folder and "free" sticker.

Jacket on the back of your chair. Don't forget your hat and mittens.

Eat your snack.

Wait patiently as the other 49 children check in.

After all of the children checked in, we start. The club is filled with as many new children as old-timers, so we have to go over all of the rules and programs.

The HEALTHY SNACK FOLDER Activity
The kids were given a blank "footprint" folder to be used to record exercise completed at home. A large apple cut-out was glued to the outside of the folder. Each child is given a "free" sticker for this cut-out apple upon checking in.

This is their "healthy-snack apple". After today, a sticker can be earned by bringing a healthy snack to club. Goal is 10 stickers, one for each of the ten weeks of club. And what constitutes a healthy snack? Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nuts.

child

If a child brings something processed like a granola bar, they will be given a sticker if one of the first 2 ingredients is healthy - like rolled oats, whole-wheat, or nuts.

A second grader is called on to read the "fun feet" section of page 6 from his Happy Feet book. He reads with a strong voice and confidence, "Play chase with your puppy."

All of the others read and repeat his sentence. The children do "thumbs up" if they play chase with their dogs. Then he reads, "Chase butterflies." Kids read in choral fashion and they raise their hands if they have ever chased butterflies. Then, "Play tag with your friends," and "Chase your shadow."

sibs

We go over the "Pack-a-Snack" section reading and talking about examples healthy apple snacks.

Whole fresh apple

Half-apple spread with peanut butter

Apples sprinkled with cinnamon

Apples in salads

Apples in muffins

We talk about the nutritional benefits of eating apples and then out we go.

kid

It's beautiful outdoors. The sun is shining and it's warm - in the 40s. The kids unzip their jackets or tie them. By the time we make it to the field, they are ready to put them on the fence. But it's too muddy to run on the field.

So we carefully walk a lap, but even with walking their brand new T-shirts become mud splattered. For most this is just to much fun. But to be safe, we leave the field as soon as we can and practice running in line on the sidewalks and asphalt paths.

We need to start this over four times. I lead and a parent taps the children to start, reminding them to leave a space between themselves and the next runner.

We practice this for a while then head to the trail for a nature walk, but the trail is icy and muddy so we cut this as short as we can and then head back indoors.

books

Inside we settle down quickly. Parents bring cups of water to the desks and we have already started. I write the sentence, "We walked in the mud," on a chart.

The kids can either copy the sentence or make up their own. They fill in the log page with: Monday's date, the journal entry (We walked in the mud.), 6 Xs for the 60 minutes they exercised during the day (30 min. at club, 30 minutes at recess or gym), they draw a healthy food in the healthy food 9-square and then they sketch a picture of running with a dog, chasing butterflies or their shadow, or playing tag with friends.

Just as they finish their parents are arriving to take them home. They leave with their books, so they can journal at home, earning "footprints" for their charts at club and the first day has come to an end.

kid