photo by:
woodleywonderworks Many camps look for innovative, fun, tasty ways to provide healthy choices and decision-making skills to their campers and staff. Parents can adapt these tips to promote healthy eating and enjoy the results along with their children. Watch what happens when you:
- Teach your children to alter food preferences by giving them good
choices
- Serve only green leaf (or other dark green versus iceberg lettuce).
- Serve whole wheat bread items in place of white (i.e., hamburger buns).
- Serve all sauces, dressings, and gravies on the side.
- Make fresh vegetables and dips available in colorful arrays.
- Offer whole wheat or graham crackers instead of chips.
- Offer taste tests, expose your children to new foods. For example . . .
.
- Make kiwi the "fruit of the day" by providing your child with a half kiwi and a spoon.
- Serve slices of jicama and cookie cutters at the table for your child to make edible shapes.
- Provide frilly toothpicks for eating Gardenburgers or other new items.
- Offer a dinner table contest, giving points for numbers of spinach leaves consumed.
- Provide an array of "Guess what it is" taste-testing food items.
- Encourage eating breakfast
- Studies show children perform better in school and at play.
- A healthy breakfast is a good deterrent for overeating at lunch.
- Those who skip breakfast have more problems with weight control.
- Introduce a new exercise or activity program
- Consider enrolling your child in a dance/ethnic dance/movement program.
- Offer your child the opportunity to try a new sport.
- Promote a "5-a-Day Summer Club" at home
- Offer different colored fruits and vegetable pieces and toothpicks so your child can build a fruit animal shape or vegetable creation, and then eat it.
- Display a poster in your kitchen to track 5-a-day foods.
- Offer points for healthy eating choices.
- Reduce "fast food" and junk food for snacks and side dishes (chips,
cookies, candy, etc.)
- Replace chips at meals with soy crisps or home-made potato dishes.
- Have a "make your own trail mix" party, providing healthy choices (dried banana or other fruit chips, nuts, raisins, Cheerios, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, toasted oatmeal or granola, carob chips).
-
1
- 2
View Full Article
Reprinted with the permission of the American Camp Association. © 2008 American Camping Association, Inc.
Ask a Question
Have questions about this article or topic? Ask150 Characters allowed
Today on Education.com
SEASONAL
100th Day of School
HOLIDAY
Celebrate President's Day
PARENTING
7 Things to Do When a Teacher Calls Home
Popular Articles
Wondering what others found interesting? Check out our most popular articles.
- Cyber Bullying Statistics: What the Facts Mean for You
- Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids
- Sudbury Schools: A Radical Alternative to No Child Left Behind
- The Definition of Autism: About to Change?
- eBooks for Kids: Hurtful or Helpful for Young Readers?
- Fight Obesity, Naked Chef-Style
- Is Your Child a Cheater?
- 7 Story-Making Games for Kids
- Body Odor and Bad Breath: 6 Things to Tell Teens About Hygiene
- The Babysitter Box: Essential Elements for Fun



Add your own comment