This summer, we hosted the Ideas for Health and Wellness contest, inviting you to share ideas, stories, and tips to support healthy changes in our schools. Throughout the summer, we received great creative ideas for school wellness. Thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to our winners, who will receive a gift card and wellness prize for their schools!
A few of the many standout ideas shared in the contest include:
Ask each child to bring in a fruit they enjoy, cut into pieces, then add them all together into a huge bowl to make a friendship fruit salad! Have a new food of the day at snacktime, where students get to taste something healthy and new, then make a bar graph with their votes. - Jennifer L.
Teachers are the ultimate role models! Modeling healthy food and beverage choices during the school day can have a big impact, as well as insisting on only healthy fun food items for school parties and snacks. Drinking water during the day instead of having a can of soda on the desk is huge! Telling the kids how good you feel when you exercise helps them understand the emotional significance of exercise. Having a chart on the wall by your desk tracking how far you walk in a week, how many times you went to the gym, etc. models how tracking our exercise can help us keep up a regular routine. - Ann C.
Plant sales are often successful -- students could raise the seedlings themselves or team up with a local nursery. - Hannah T.
Have an exercise-a-thon. The children/adult volunteers could pick from one of four exercises (jogging in place, jumping jacks, touching toes, etc.), taking pledges. The children would learn fundraising techniques for their schools, get exercise, and have fun. - Kay B.
These ideas and many more will support schools in making healthy changes! Ideas shared in the contest will be featured in resources and publications to help schools across the country implement health and wellness programs.
Kudos to all the parents, teachers, community and school leaders making a difference in their schools through food and fitness with such creative projects!
Comments