Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life

1. Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life Sesameworkshop (2007). Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life http://archive.sesameworkshop.org/healthyhabits/

2. What is Healthy Habits for Life? • Multi-media resource kit for preschool classrooms • Bilingual (English and Spanish) format • Fun, games and information to build healthy habits • Designed to reach preschool children most at risk or in underserved communities • Ideas for newsletters and activities to engage families • Created by Sesame Workshop in partnership with…

3. Key messages • Being physically active is fun! Kids need to be active at least 90–120 minutes every day. • Eat more fruits and vegetables – have some at every meal and include a rainbow of different colors. More is better! • What you eat and drink helps you to grow, play, and learn. • Families and caregivers can be wonderful role models for healthy eating and physical activity. • Learning to eat “anytime” foods builds healthy habits for life! • Use teachable moments to help children learn, practice, and celebrate healthy habits.

4. KitComponents • Print Materials • Activity Binder: • Games, activities, poems and songs to get kids moving, learning and making healthy choices • Activities to do at home, newsletters and information for families • DVD • The Get Healthy Now Show • View and Do Extras • Online • Components of the toolkit available online at:http://archive.sesameworkshop.org/healthyhabits/

5. Hokey Pokey Muscles and Bones • To introduce this activity, ask the children to find their bones, feel them and notice how their bodies need bones and muscles to move. • Form a circle and face one another. • Sing and act out the Hokey Pokey Muscles and Bones song.

6. Anytime Apples • Bring in a variety of apples or ask the children to bring their favorite apples for this activity. • Suggest that when the children observe and record their findings, they will become “apple researchers.” • Cut up the apples and ask the children to taste each type of apple and record their favorite. • Help the children make a graph to display the voting results. Ask the children what the graph shows. • Eat the apples for a healthy snack! Sesameworkshop (2007). Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life http://archive.sesameworkshop.org/healthyhabits/ p.52

7. Pick and Pull • First, talk about how various fruits and vegetables grow: • on a tree up high like peaches? • or on bushes and vines above the ground like beans? • or underground like carrots? • Next, have the children move their bodies to show how they would pick or pull the fruit or vegetable that you name. • Encourage them to reach very high to pick from a tree or to bend low to pull carrots from the ground. • Suggest going for a walk to pick imaginary vegetables and fruits. Ask the children to decide what to “pick.” • This can become a vigorous activity when the children run in place between the imaginary fruits and vegetables.

8. Telly’s Triangle Tag • This is the basic “Freeze Tag” game. When the children are tagged by the chosen “it” player, they stop in their places. • When children are tagged, they are “frozen.”Then they can place their wrists together to create a “V” with their hands. • Classmates can rescue and “unfreeze” their friends by placing their hands on top of the “V” which creates Telly Monster’s favorite shape, the TRIANGLE. This allows the tagged children back into the game. So, everyone keeps moving! • Be sure to have the children take turns being “it.” Sesameworkshop (2007). Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life http://archive.sesameworkshop.org/healthyhabits/p.26

9. Moving and Playing Family Newsletter • Animal Moves • Fast-moving creatures for active play • Slow-moving creatures for quiet time or bedtime • Action Tales • Act out what happens in a story: walk, run, jump, dance. • Make up your own stories with lots of actions to do together. Sesameworkshop (2007). Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life http://archive.sesameworkshop.org/healthyhabits/p.18

10. Family Handout: Recipe for a healthy weekend • Enjoy time together! • Eat fruits and vegetables for snacks. • Limit TV time. • Take a walk outside together. • Read a book inside together. • Eat meals as a family. • Get a good night’s sleep!

11. Healthy Happy Party Time Celebrate learning about healthy habits. Engage the children in making invitations for families. Decorate with the children’s work: posters, art work, displays, photographs. Involve families in healthy activities like the Fruit and Veggie Dance or Anytime Apples. Share healthy snacks together! Sesameworkshop (2007). Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life http://archive.sesameworkshop.org/healthyhabits/p.95

12. Let’s Move! Child Care Resources Let’s Move! Child Care resource page: Fabulous resources for preschool children. Share them with your staff, children and families:http://www.healthykidshealthyfuture.org/resources.html Noncompetitive and Active Games for Preschoolers: Gather your teachers to try non-competitive versions of old favorites like Musical Chairs; Duck, Duck, Goose; and Follow the Leader. These games are inclusive, fun and easy to play! http://www.healthykidshealthyfuture.org/content/dam/hkhf/filebox/naccrra/newnaccrra/noncomgames.pdf Head Start Body Start: Website full of developmentally appropriate activities, resources, family night kits, and healthy activities for families that are lots of fun – like the indoor blizzard activity and frostbite blizzard snack activity. Many are in English or Spanish. http://www.aahperd.org/headstartbodystart/activityresources/

13. Have fun getting healthy with your children and families! And remember: the healthy habits you model and teach will last a lifetime!