Summer Fun!

By: Molly Luke, Early Intervention Specialized Instruction Teacher, Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, Norristown, PA

I know teachers typically say that “summer is their favorite time of year”, but since I teach all year long- yes, this is still true! Summer is my favorite season to teach, because you can almost guarantee to get the kiddies outside moving and learning each and everyday…with sunblock and water of course! Below is a great infographic which includes ideas for summer fun that you as a teacher or parent could incorporate with your child during the season. 

Summer Fun

I hope these ideas start your motivation that summer is a GREAT time to keep your children actives. If you still need specific ideas, please feel free to “follow” me on Pinterest. I have folders labeled “Summer”, “Outside Play” and “Rainy Day Activities” that I’m sure could come in handy!

About the Author: Hello! I have been teaching for about 10 years now, ages Pre-K through 8th grade…needless to say, I am a life-long learner and always looking for new thing to challenge my body and brain to do in a classroom! Outside of the classroom, family comes first! My husband Dan, baby Marshall and basset hound Penelope enjoy my naturally caffeinated personality on a regular basis. The whole family enjoys traveling, and I personally have a goal of visiting all 7 continents! 2 more to go! 

Eating Well Doesn’t Have to Cost a Fortune

By: Kerry McKenzie

In my previous blog, Eat Well to Be Well, I discussed how to engage your family with eating nutritious foods, low in sugar and how to make meals fun. After that post, I got to thinking about how people are sometimes not sure how to wisely spend their grocery money and how sometimes eating nutritiously can be…well…expensive if you don’t know some secrets!

What we must remember as adults and parents (so that we can teach this to our children) is to prioritize eating well to be well. Yes, high-quality food can be costly, but the high cost of poor health and diet-related disease is far more expensive. Prevention is the best cure, and here are some ways to save when sourcing whole, nutritious foods…
• Take field trips to local farmer’s markets
• Comparison shop
• Start your own garden at home in windowsills, in containers or in raised beds

Buying food from local farmers is one of my favorite ways to save on nutritious foods. Your local farmers don’t grow their crops for fun – they do it as a business so they make sure that their products are the best. Plus, when you buy local, you are getting the produce as soon as possible. There isn’t any packaging that needs to be done, no pre-treatment to ensure the product doesn’t spoil before the gets from point A to point B. Because of this, it is less likely that nutrients will be lost because of the shorter time frame from farm to table. And one of the best parts of buying local is that you are supporting local families. The wholesale prices that farmers get for their products are low, often near the cost of production. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food - which helps farm families stay on the land. Remember to visit your local farmer often as new crops come into season at different times. Prices are the lowest when crops are in full swing!

Comparison shopping is also another way to save money on your grocery bill. A lot of stores will be out competitor prices so watch your ads. Stock up and save when you can as well. Produce can be frozen but is always best when used as soon as possible. There are also great grocery apps for your smart phones that will save you anywhere from a quarter to upwards of $5 for just buying what you need. I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever see sales on milk but I always make sure to use my grocery app to get that $0.25 off! It adds up fast!

My last advice for you is to start your own garden at home. Research tells us that children are more likely to eat fruits or veggies they have helped nurture and grow. A packet of seeds is VERY inexpensive (check out your local dollar stores!) so starting from seed is cheap and can save you a ton of money! Research what you desire to plant so that you are aware of how it grows in your area. Many seeds can be started on window sills and can be transplanted once they are big enough. This also helps keep the wildlife from getting your seeds. Planting a garden can be great fun for you and your children. 

What are some ways that you save on your groceries but still serve healthy, nutritious foods? 

About the Author: Kerry McKenzie, B.A., M.S., has been working in education for more than 13 years. She is a Certified Health Coach, a 500 level (E-RYT500) yoga teacher and specializes in early childhood motor development. She has a passion for working with expecting moms, babies, toddlers and preschool age children and their caregivers at Greenville Health Systems pediatric clinic, child care centers and in the community. Click here to learn more about Kerry.

Diabesity: Prevention Is Possible

By: Dr. Linda Carson

We recently posted a blog by Lindsay Dawson who shared a very personal account of learning that she had a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes when she was young. That blog made me reflect on my own experience with diabetes. My sister was diagnosed later in life with Type 2 diabetes, and since then she has lost much of her vision and one of her legs to this dreaded disease. In the past 15 years she has managed her diabetes with lifestyle changes and much healthier eating.

Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult onset diabetes but in recent years, the age of onset has moved younger and younger. Children as young as six have been shown to have elevated blood pressure and cholesterol. Childhood obesity has steadily increased over the past three decades. An interesting book written by Francine Kauffman, a pediatric endocrinologist, describes the consequences of our lifestyles of convenience. She says that we have designed comfy environments and foods (non-foods) that are going to do us in.

Dr. Kauffman also warns that diabetes and obesity are so linked together that soon physicians will be diagnosing them as a single syndrome known as diabesity. In fact, Diabesity is the name of her book. It is written for parents to help them understand ways to prevent both obesity and diabetes in children. The CDC has published trend maps that show how the prevalence of both obesity and diabetes has revealed a similar progression in recent years.

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/center/slides.html

Experts agree that many cases of Type 2 diabetes and obesity can be prevented or minimized with healthy nutrition and physical activity. To be sure that your family is getting the preventive benefits from your food, try to eat more leafy green veggies, beans, and fruits. The fiber, vitamins, and minerals in plant-based food are what we should have everyday to nourish body and mind. Eating natural, unprocessed foods that are nutrient dense rather than calorie dense, will contribute to healthy metabolism and blood sugar levels.

For many, a daily diet of fresh fruits and veggies will also result in healthy weight loss! Wondering how to know if a food is nutrient dense? Think of it this way, if it is grown as a plant, try to eat more of that. If it is manufactured or processed in a “plant”, try to eat less of that. The processing takes away nutrition. And when selecting or preparing food for your family, remember the caution from Dr. Kauffman: We’ve designed environments and diets out of convenience that one day soon will do us in. Everyone is busy and convenience is wonderful, but lets all try to make healthier choices for our children and families.

So feed them well and move them more. Listen to a song by the same title and let us know what strategies you do to promote plant flavors, plant protein, and plant fiber?

About the Author: Linda Carson, Ed. D, is the founder and CEO of Choosy Kids, LLC, and the Ware Distinguished Professor Emerita at West Virginia University. An award winning, nationally recognized expert, Dr. Carson has devoted her career to promoting healthy preferences for young children and the adults who make decisions on their behalf. Click here to learn more about Linda.