Peach, Stawberry, and Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie
Few kids (or adults) dislike smoothies. The only non-takers were those who dislike fruit in general. These were a great snack for a rare 100 degree September day.
Think and be in the Pink. In other words: Be healthy. Create. Create your space and environment for a healthy mind and body. Create recipes, paintings, drawings, books...
Showing posts with label Healthy kid program. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthy kid program. Show all posts
Monday, September 27, 2010
Everyone loves a smoothie!
Snack today for the kids in my program:
Peach, Stawberry, and Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie
Few kids (or adults) dislike smoothies. The only non-takers were those who dislike fruit in general. These were a great snack for a rare 100 degree September day.
Peach, Stawberry, and Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie
Few kids (or adults) dislike smoothies. The only non-takers were those who dislike fruit in general. These were a great snack for a rare 100 degree September day.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Frozen Bananas
One of my constant challenges is serving snacks to the kids in my program that are both healthy and fun.
Today was a win!
Answer?
It's in the title! Frozen bananas...
All you must do is cut the banana in half (do not peel). Stick a popsicle stick inside, and then unpeel the banana halves. Place them in the freezer until frozen and until you are ready to enjoy them. The frozen bananas are delicious by themselves, but you can dip them in melted chocolate and then roll them in your favorite goodies (nuts, sprinkles, coconut, etc). I decided to just drizzle a little chocolate syrup over the top because I do not have a double broiler to melt chocolate - and the microwave has never worked well for me in that area.
The kids loved the snack - and I did too. I was happy they ate their fruit, and they were happy it was decorated, they were able to choose their sprinkles of choice, and it was fun to eat.
Today was a win!
Answer?
It's in the title! Frozen bananas...
All you must do is cut the banana in half (do not peel). Stick a popsicle stick inside, and then unpeel the banana halves. Place them in the freezer until frozen and until you are ready to enjoy them. The frozen bananas are delicious by themselves, but you can dip them in melted chocolate and then roll them in your favorite goodies (nuts, sprinkles, coconut, etc). I decided to just drizzle a little chocolate syrup over the top because I do not have a double broiler to melt chocolate - and the microwave has never worked well for me in that area.
The kids loved the snack - and I did too. I was happy they ate their fruit, and they were happy it was decorated, they were able to choose their sprinkles of choice, and it was fun to eat.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Mind, Body, and Soul - week one
Happy September!
I'm back into the full swing of things at my before and after school program. I have to constantly keep in mind how to instill the YMCA's motto of building strong kids, strong families, and strong communities. Part of their mission is to promote the growth of a healthy spirit, mind, and body - just what this blog is about.
How I did that this past week and a half with the kids:
Spirit: Play with the kids - engage them and try to find out what their interests are. The teachers and I asked them questions so that we could get to know them individually. For the kindergartners, we are having them start journals so they can get to know themselves. Every kid (and person) has a different personality and has different needs - they may need something different to let their spirit shine :)
Mind: We encouraged them to sign up for the homework club, but in a more disguised way, we get them to think. We play games with them when they walk through the door (such as trying to think of animal names from A to Z), and we give them a daily "interesting fact" on a board titled, "The BRAIN". They pick topics they want to learn about and drop them in our "brain box". Learning and exercising your brain can be fun....
I love this tree picture by loversdisengage. What do you want to learn about?
Body: Already started giving them healthy snacks such as: cucumbers with hummus and chips (most tried the hummus!), whole grain pasta with tomato sauce, and popcorn with tangerines.
Hummus goes well with pretty much any vegetable - so it's a tasty way to have a healthy snack.
I'm back into the full swing of things at my before and after school program. I have to constantly keep in mind how to instill the YMCA's motto of building strong kids, strong families, and strong communities. Part of their mission is to promote the growth of a healthy spirit, mind, and body - just what this blog is about.
How I did that this past week and a half with the kids:
Spirit: Play with the kids - engage them and try to find out what their interests are. The teachers and I asked them questions so that we could get to know them individually. For the kindergartners, we are having them start journals so they can get to know themselves. Every kid (and person) has a different personality and has different needs - they may need something different to let their spirit shine :)
Mind: We encouraged them to sign up for the homework club, but in a more disguised way, we get them to think. We play games with them when they walk through the door (such as trying to think of animal names from A to Z), and we give them a daily "interesting fact" on a board titled, "The BRAIN". They pick topics they want to learn about and drop them in our "brain box". Learning and exercising your brain can be fun....
Body: Already started giving them healthy snacks such as: cucumbers with hummus and chips (most tried the hummus!), whole grain pasta with tomato sauce, and popcorn with tangerines.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
How The Party Went
The Valentine's Day party was smooth running, but it was surprisingly very low key. Most of the kids went home early because of other plans, so we (my other staff member and I) didn't have much chaos to content with.
In the early afternoon we had 10 excited kindergartners, so we played a Valentine's Day game where they all hid paper hearts around the room. Then, at 2:00, they got to watch the older children search madly for them. They had a hard time not giving away any hints, but really liked the whole activity. It was fun for them to know something that the other children did not.
At 3:00, we had our "potluck" with only about 15 kids. Parents brought in delicious but simple healthy food: a veggie tray, mixed fruit bowl, and cheese. We made homemade bread at the site with our new breadmaker...and that was it!
The kids had an array of colors (the colors of the rainbow) to choose from. They did ask about the cupcakes a parent had brought that were waiting for them behind the counter - but were fine with the answer that they would have to wait and eat this food first.
Kids have to be kids. We put on a movie a little later and served the cupcakes and they thoroughly enjoyed them. Kids have to have the goodies...but I was happy that the day didn't have to be all about candy and treats. When each kid left, I handed them a their goody bag that i had put together, and they all seemed excited to see what was inside - tools to be creative and a cuddly stuffed animal - nothing to rot their teeth :o)
In the early afternoon we had 10 excited kindergartners, so we played a Valentine's Day game where they all hid paper hearts around the room. Then, at 2:00, they got to watch the older children search madly for them. They had a hard time not giving away any hints, but really liked the whole activity. It was fun for them to know something that the other children did not.
At 3:00, we had our "potluck" with only about 15 kids. Parents brought in delicious but simple healthy food: a veggie tray, mixed fruit bowl, and cheese. We made homemade bread at the site with our new breadmaker...and that was it!
The kids had an array of colors (the colors of the rainbow) to choose from. They did ask about the cupcakes a parent had brought that were waiting for them behind the counter - but were fine with the answer that they would have to wait and eat this food first.
Kids have to be kids. We put on a movie a little later and served the cupcakes and they thoroughly enjoyed them. Kids have to have the goodies...but I was happy that the day didn't have to be all about candy and treats. When each kid left, I handed them a their goody bag that i had put together, and they all seemed excited to see what was inside - tools to be creative and a cuddly stuffed animal - nothing to rot their teeth :o)
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