Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category

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Age Appropriate Fitness

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Focusing your child’s physical fitness on fun activities will increase your child’s ability to move with confidence and competence.  Exercise increases overall metabolism, builds a healthy heart and lungs, strong bones and muscles, and improves coordination, balance, posture and flexibility.

Infant Gross MotorInfant

Encourage babies to explore activities that allow for reaching, rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling themselves up and walking.  ‘Tummy Time’ is the perfect opportunity for babies to practice lifting their heads and develop strong muscles.  Placing toys just out of reach encourages babies to reach for the toys, assisting in physical development. 

First Steps/Toddler

Support young toddlers mastery of walking by allowing them to be active!  Play with them as they learn to run, hop, dance and throw.  Have them chase bubbles or invent a silly walk – play becomes exercise.  Remember to always provide encouragement to toddlers as they build self-confidence.

Preschool +

Preschoolers need plenty of time and space to run around and play.  Taking your child to a playground or park is a great way to release energy and exercise!  Encourage creative dancing and riding scooters and tricycles.  Play ‘Statues’ by playing up-tempo music.  Have your child move while the music is playing and freeze into a statue when you pause it.  Play outside with your child and teach hand-eye coordination by showing the basics of throwing, catching and kicking a large, soft ball.

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Empower Your Children to Eat Healthy: Pasta Primavera Plus

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Dinner is an opportunity to reconnect with your family at the end of each day.  Make this important ritual less stressful by giving everyone the chance to create an individualized meal.  It’s easier than you may think!

  • Make enough pasta for everyone – choose a fun shape like spirals, pinwheels, or shells.  Not only is the pasta pleasing to look at, it’s already bite-size!  Put a fist-size amount in a bowl for each family member.
  • Steam fresh vegetables a cup or two at a time.  Choose your family’s favorites and provide variety in color, texture, and taste such as, carrots, corn, and peppers.  Put each veggie in its own serving bowl.
  • Add the “plus” to dinner with a little protein power!  Place a legume or two into individual serving bowls.  You could choose soybeans, peas, lima beans, lentils, or chick peas.
  • Let the kids choose their own veggies and legumes to create personalized recipes.
  • The sauce is up to the chef.  Do your kids prefer a red sauce, white sauce, or no sauce?

By providing good food choices, you are modeling a healthy attitude. By giving your children an opportunity to make their own food choices once in a while, you are empowering them to make their own decisions.

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Family Fitness FOUR

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Practice Fitness:

Ride a bike, take a walk on the beach, or hike a path.

Model Fitness:

Drink water, eat properly, workout regularly, and don’t smoke!

Fuel Fitness:

Plan meals and shop together.  Make meal preparation a family affair.

Encourage Mental Fitness:

Limit television and computer games.  Play a board game, read a book, or write a letter to grandma.

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Cooking with Children: Make it Fun, Safe & Memorable!

Monday, May 17th, 2010

Sharing the kitchen with your child can not only create a lifetime of happy memories, but can also instill valuable life lessons from a young age. Through baking, cooking and even cleaning up, children can develop and express their creativity and independence; explore new foods; learn about nutrition; enhance their math, reading and science skills; and, most importantly, spend valuable quality time with mom, dad and siblings.

Below are a few tips to help make kitchen time with your little one fun, safe and memorable:

Always stress cleanliness and safety in the kitchen.

  • Wash hands before, after and as-needed during the process.
  • Provide your child with a sturdy, non-slip step stool to stand on so they are at your level.
  • Use kid-friendly wood or plastic utensils.
  • Let them choose their own apron or buy a plain one that they can personalize with fabric markers. Covering up will help cut down on the cleanup afterward.
  • Keep sharp knives, graters and other dangerous tools/appliances away from small hands.
  • Explain that only mom and dad can use the stove, oven and other electrical appliances.
  • Supervise your child closely. Stay in the room until the cooking is complete. If you need to leave for some reason, take them with you.

Include your child in the preparation.

  • Decide together what to make.
  • Read the recipe together thoroughly and gather all ingredients before beginning.  Take them shopping with you for the ingredients and/or have them help select what you need from the cupboard.

Start out easy.

  • When first introducing your child to the joy of baking, use simple recipes with basic ingredients and uncomplicated instructions.
  • Box mixes are a great way to get started. They usually ask for only two or three added ingredients and provide easy-to-follow, detailed instructions right on the box.
  • As your child learns more about the cooking and baking process, feel free to introduce more complex recipes.

Let them do it.

  • This is a great learning opportunity for your little one, so let them measure and pour ingredients into the bowl. It’s not only a good math lesson, but also bolsters their confidence.

Taste and praise!

  • Learning to cook and bake should be a fun experience for your child, so always be enthusiastic about tasting their masterpiece and praise the effort and the outcome, no matter what. They’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment and be excited for their next cooking adventure!

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Nutrition: Shake it Up!

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Nutrition comes in many shapes and sizes – and not all of them are solid.  A fruit shake is a refreshing way to start your child’s day.  Choose your child’s favorite fruits or try a new one from time to time.  Add a piece of whole grain toast – and maybe a little peanut butter – and you have a balanced breakfast alternative.  Cut and freeze fruits ahead of time to make this breakfast as quick and easy as it is nutritious and fun!

Yogurt, Banana, and Strawberry Shake

Ingredients:

  • 1 Small Banana
  • 6 Strawberries
  • ⅔ Cup Plain Yogurt  (Substitute: Soy or Vanilla Yogurt)
  • 3 T. Orange Juice
  • 2-3 T.  2% Milk

Directions:

  • Slice the banana and strawberries.
  • Puree sliced fruit in a blender or food processor.
  • Add the yogurt and orange juice.
  • Blend until smooth.  (Use milk to thin, if necessary.)

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Family Picnic Time!

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

Introduce your children to the wonders of a picnic…grab the picnic basket and a blanket.  But food is still the most important picnic ingredient:

What to pack:  (Always consider age-appropriateness!)

  • Easy-to-transport veggies: baby carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers
  • Bottled water or sippy cups with water
  • Trail mix:  Make your own.  Include nuts, raisins, pretzels, dried fruit, and coconut.
  • Fresh fruit:  Slice it or cube it and put it in small individual containers.
  • Pre-sliced cheese and whole-grain crackers.
  • Pre-cut sandwiches: Peanut butter and banana or cream cheese and cucumber on whole grain bread.
  • Plastic utensils.

Picnics are a great family outing, and can become a treasured family memory.  Plan your picnic according to your family dynamics to ensure a pleasant experience.

  • Does your toddler need a nap at two?  Then make it a brunch picnic so you are home in time.
  • Does your preschooler need high-energy activity before sitting down to a yummy lunch?  Bring a Frisbee, a few balls, and maybe a kite – play first, and eat later.

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Goddard Schools Nationwide Launch Goddard Gets Gardening Program

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Gardening has the ability to educate children about where food comes from and how healthy eating can impact a child’s life both mentally and physically. To plant this seed of knowledge among preschoolers across the country, 360-plus Goddard Schools nationwide will launch the Goddard Gets Gardening program.

Through a number of gardening-related activities, more than 40,000 children will learn about planning, planting, care-taking and harvesting an actual garden.

“Gardening is a fun activity that teaches patience and responsibility, healthy eating, environmental awareness and, more importantly, builds self esteem,” said Joseph Schumacher, Chief Executive Officer at Goddard Systems, Inc. “The Goddard Gets Gardening initiative introduces children, at an early age, to the excitement of gardening and provides an enriching and educational hands-on opportunity.”

The schools are taking their cue from Michelle Obama, who last spring planted the first White House Garden since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden, to promote community gardening and healthy local eating. The South Lawn plot quickly became the nation’s most high-profile garden spot.

Each Goddard School will develop a unique gardening experience, from sensory gardens that teach children about all the five senses to indoor gardens that demonstrate how easy it is to grow food inside. Whether children live on a farm, in the suburbs, or even in the city, the Goddard Gets Gardening program will encourage children to learn about sustainability, food preparation, plant identification, healthy eating and more.

Every day inside and outside the classroom, Goddard encourages children to lead a healthy lifestyle through a number of programs including yoga, dance, dramatic play, music and movement. The Goddard Gets Gardening initiative supports Goddard Systems, Inc.’s ongoing efforts and commitment to promoting children’s health.

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Posted in Goddard News, Nutrition, Preschool | 1 Comment »

Pack a Healthy Lunch…that your child will enjoy!

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Introduce your children to healthy eating by involving them in the lunch preparation.  Children have a tendency to eat and try new foods that they helped to prepare.  And children who help in the kitchen build their confidence which makes them feel important and proud.

Avoid brown bag boredom and try the following healthy, easy and fun options.  Bonus – your children will want to eat these choices!

Turn lunch into an adventure:

  • Cut sandwiches into playful shapes with cookie cutters.  Children are more excited about eating a star- or dinosaur-shaped sandwich because it makes the experience fun!  Choose cheese or deli meats to replace breads and cut them into fun shapes, too.

Make lunch fun by including a dip:

  • Yogurt is a great dip for fruit.
  • Provide hummus for veggies.

Use a variety of ‘sandwich’ options:

  • Bagels, pita bread, wheat wraps or crackers.

Consider packing applesauce or yogurt as a treat in lieu of a ‘sweet’ dessert.

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Goddard Schools Kicks Off the “Get Active” Initiative to Keep Youngsters Moving

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Michelle Obama recently announced “Let’s Move,” a national campaign to combat childhood obesity through fitness and nutrition programs. Placing children on the right path to living and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential, and that is why Goddard initiated its “Get Active” campaign. Every day inside and outside the classroom, 360- plus Goddard Schools nationwide take great strides to get preschoolers, toddlers and infants up and moving.

To encourage children to “Get Active,” here are some simple and helpful ideas that you can do at home with your young child:

1. Take It Outside – Limit “screen time” and encourage your child to go outside and PLAY. Have a relay race, set up an obstacle course or bring back one of your favorite childhood pastimes like hopscotch or jump rope.

2. It’s In Your Nature – Take your child on a nature walk. Use this great opportunity to talk to your child about plants and animals you see while getting fresh air and exercise.

3. Get Dramatic – When you’re transitioning a child from one activity to another – like play time to dinner time – ask them to move like their favorite animal. Hop like a kangaroo, slither like a snake or waddle like a duck.

4. Be a Good Sport – Preschool age children love to learn the basic rules of popular sports and games. Take this opportunity to talk about sportsmanship.

5. Be Free – Remember free play? Let go of some structure, and encourage your children to use their imaginations in their indoor and outdoor play.

6. Stretch It Out – Preschoolers love basic yoga moves. Take a few minutes each day to stretch with your little one.

7. Put Some Movement In Your Music – When you sing songs or listen to music with young children, encourage them to dance with scarves, make up movements to go with the lyrics or just DANCE and move their bodies to the music.

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Fun and Learning with Your “Little Chef” in the Kitchen

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

veggies

Cooking with children requires time, patience, and some extra cleanup, especially when the children are younger. But it is well worth the effort.

Cooking can provide a great outlet for bonding with your child. Some of the lessons children learn in the kitchen reinforce what they’ve been learning in school, like basic math (counting eggs, pouring water into measuring cups), science (exploring with senses: listening to a mixer, pounding dough and watching it rise, smelling it bake in the oven, then tasting it) and language skills (reading a recipe together and introducing new vocabulary, listening skills developed when following steps in a recipe).

Start off with tasks that can be easily executed. This will encourage your child to keep on trying, and they’ll feel very good about themselves when the task is complete. Here are some examples of simple tasks to get your “little chef” started in the kitchen:

  • Stirring and adding ingredients
  • Tearing lettuce
  • Helping to read a cookbook by turning pages
  • Sprinkling cheese
  • Using cookie cutters
  • Pouring ingredients that are cool/cold
  • Setting the table

When cooking with children, always stress safety. You must establish all the rules before getting started:

  • What is OK to touch and what will hurt them
  • What is strictly for adults
  • Proper hand washing

Including your child in the kitchen can encourage a more adventurous palate and healthy eating patterns. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce healthy eating choices into a child’s life. More importantly, cooking with your “little chef” can boost their self-esteem once the task at hand is complete. Children are usually proud of their cooking accomplishments!

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