Educating parents and their children about the importance of leading a healthy life through both nutrition and physical activity is a huge passion of mine. It breaks my heart to see the number of children who are already over weight at such a young age at the school where I teach. My principal and I came up with this idea where I will offer "Ms. Kulik's healthy living tip of the week" each Monday morning over the morning announcements. I challenge the teachers to discuss the tip with their class and challenge the students to put the tip to the test throughout the week to see how much better they feel! I will update this page of my blog each Monday with the tip of the week and I challenge you to discuss the facts with your children.
Monday, November 14
Studies show that children who eat a healthy breakfast each morning perform better academically in school than those who do not. I challenge you to discuss with your children foods that could be included in a healthy breakfast and then include those foods in your breakfast each morning.
Monday, November 21
Children
should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. There
are three types of activity that are important. Each of these should be
included at least 3 days a week in your physical activity.
1. Aerobic activity (get your heart rate up!)...for example playing soccer, playing tag, anything that includes running.
2. Muscle strengthening...for example climbing on the monkey bars or gymnastics.
3. Bone strengthening...for example jumping rope or running.
My
challenge for your family this week is to get outside after your
Thanksgiving dinner and participate in a physical activity together. My
students came up with some great ideas this morning. Try one of these
or ask your kids for ideas.
1. play frisbe
2. play football, soccer, or basketball
3. play pass the turkey (like hot potato) and the one holding the turkey at the end has to do jumping jacks
4. dance
Monday, November 28
School aged children should get between 10 and 12 hours of sleep each night. Their bedtime can range anywhere from 7:00 - 9:00pm for a school night depending on what time they need to get up for school. It seems like most kids get up at around 7am, so they can go to bad as late at 9:00. On the weekend when they sleep a little later, it's fine to stay up a little bit later! Talk with your kids this week to decide what time they need to go to bed to get the needed 10-12 hours of sleep each night!
Monday, December 5
It's important to eat fruit and vegetables every day! One great fruit is an apple. Before eating one, you need to wash it with soap and water. Unless the fruit or vegetables you are eating are organic, the fruit has harmful pesticides on them. These are chemicals the farmers put on the fruit and vegetables to have them grow faster and look pretty. Remember to use soap and then dry them before eating!
Monday, December 12
Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. You should eat between 3 - 6 servings a day. Try to eat some vegetables at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Vegetables at breakfast? Yep, have mom put them into an omelet or into some scrambled eggs. You would be surprised at how great they taste! At lunch, include some lettuce and tomato on your sandwich. Try to get creative for dinner. Talk with your kids about some different types of vegetables and try a new one every week. They may not like every one they try, but you may be surprised at what they do like!
Monday, December 19
It's important to keep your bones healthy! They need calcium from foods like milk, yogurt, or cheese. Your bones also need exercise. Children who are inactive are more likely to be injured and break a bone. The best activities to do for bone health are jogging, skipping, and dancing. I challenge you to get out of the house and move over the holidays or if it's too cold have a dance party inside!
Monday, January 2
Did you know that your body is made up of 60% water? That's over half of your body weight! You need to drink 6-8 glasses of water every day to make sure your body gets the water it needs to keep your muscles, lungs, brain, and other organs working correctly. This week I challenge you to drink water instead of sugary drinks for all meals and any other time you are thirsty!
Monday, January 9
We've been talking about how important it is to stay active. There are more things than playing outside to keep your whole family moving! The next time you go shopping with your kids, park the car in a farther spot than usual, so you can both get a few more steps walking to the door. When you go to the mall or other building with more than one floor take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Challenge your kids to a race to see who can make it to the top quicker. Can you think of any other creative ways to stay active throughout the week?
Monday, January 16
Vitamin C is an important vitamin to have in your diet every day! It's even more important for kids because your body is growing and your bones, teeth, brain and many other body parts need it. It also helps with healing cuts and reducing fevers when you are sick. You can get vitamin C from raw green peppers, oranges, kiwis, and strawberries.
Monday, January 23
How big is the human heart? It's the size of a fist. Where is it located? In the center of your chest between your lungs - not on the left side as many people think. The heart beats about 70 beats a minute or 100,000 times a day. Over a lifetime, the average human heart will beat more than 2 .5 billion times. The "thump" of a heartbeat is made by the heart valves pumping blood. The heart's job is to pump blood - a lot of blood. The body contains about 6 gallons of blood, but the heart pushes it throughout your body 3 times a minute. That means the heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood a day! Place 2 fingers on your neck or wrist to feel for your pulse point. Count your pulse for one minute. For kids it should be between 90 and 120 beats a minute and for adults around 72. After you exercise the next time, check it again. Your pulse should be quite a bit higher!
Monday, January 30
Who like's sugar? I know I do! Did you know sugar is naturally in fruits, plain milk, and some vegetables? The sugar in chocolate milk, flavored yogurt, candy, ice cream, and cookies is added when it's made. That's the type of sugar you want to only eat a little bit of each day. I challenge you this week to choose snacks with natural sugar instead of added sugar!
Monday, February 6
Our school has McTeacher night at McDonald's a few times a year. Definitely not the most healthy fundraiser, but very successful for our school. Thanks to one of my student's parents she gave me the idea of giving the kids some options to make their meal healthier. When eating at McDonald's have your children choose the regular size kid's meal instead of the mighty kid's meal. Replace the french fries with apples or a side salad. For your drink have plain milk, unsweet tea, or water instead of soda, chocolate milk, or juice. It's possible to have fun at McDonald's with your family and friends while still making healthy choices!
Monday, February 13
This is the time of year when either you or one of your friends or family members is sick. How can you stay healthy and help keep others healthy? First start out by not sharing drinks or food with anyone! If you are sick remember to cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and then wash your hands immediately after. We want everyone at school everyday, but if you are sick stay home until you are better!
Monday, March 5
I started a program at our school called the Mileage Club where the students are required to walk at least 2 laps (1/4 a mile) a day at recess. They are tallying their laps to get to a mile and then to five miles. They get a toe token at 5 miles to hang on their book bag. The school is working together to walk 10,000 miles to Australia. We will have a family fun walk when we reach 9,999 miles so we can walk that last mile together as a school family to show the importance of being a healthy family.
Monday, March 12
We finished our first week of Mileage Club and we have walked 160 miles, which is the distance to the beach! I reminded the students that they need to drink plenty of water after recess to rehydrate themselves from the water that was sweated out during recess to keep their body healthy.
Monday, March 19
We have now walked 590 miles, which is the distance to Disney World in Florida! I challenged the students to bring healthy snacks this week instead of sweet ones like chips, cakes, or cookies. I recommended fruit, vegetables, cheese, or yogurt. These snacks will give them important vitamins and minerals as well as keep them full until lunch.
