The Parent and Teacher Guide to Healthy Classrooms

What You Should Know

Studies show that when children's exercise and fitness needs are met, children are more able to learn and achieve.

Given the growing epidemic of obesity and the link between physical activity and academic performance, parents and schools must work together to make quality daily physical education a priority in schools and to give children more opportunities to be physically active throughout the school day.

Unfortunately, the trend is that children are becoming less physically active:

1. In 1969, 42 percent of children ages 5 to 18 walked or biked to school; in 2001, only 16 percent did.

2. Almost all public elementary schools schedule physical education for their students, but only 17 to 22 percent (depending on grade level) provide physical education on a daily basis.

3. About two-thirds of young people in grades 9 to 12 are not engaged in recommended levels of physical activity. Daily participation in high school physical education classes dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 33 percent in 2005.

4. In 2005, only about half of students in grades 9 to 12 attended physical education classes on one or more days in an average week when they were in school.

5. In 2005, more than a third of high schoolers reported watching three or more hours of television per day on an average school day.

This inactivity is not only harming children's health but affecting children's academic success. Physical activity improves children's academic performance.

6. Studies show that providing more time for physical activity (by reducing class time for academics) can lead to improved test scores, particularly in the area of mathematics.

Physical activity programs have also been linked to stronger academic achievement, increased concentration, and improved reading and writing
test scores.

8. Children who have daily physical education classes exhibit better attendance and have a more positive attitude about school.

9. Children who spend less time in other subjects in order to allow for regular physical education have been shown to do equally well or better in academic classes.

Adapted in part, with permission, from Action for Healthy Kids, "Building the Argument: The Need for Physical Education and Physical Activity in Our Schools," www.ActionForHealthyKids.org.

Walk or Bike to School

Leading a "walking school bus"-walking groups of students to school-on a rotating basis with other parents can be a great way to help your kids increase their daily physical activity, especially if you have concerns about their safety.

Also consider organizing a Safe Routes to School program to create a safer environment for children to walk and bike to and from school. Launch your program, or gauge your school community's interest, with an event for Walk to School Day (observed in October).

For more information about these
programs, visit www.walktoschool.org.

What You Should to Know

Proper nutrition is key to leading a healthy life, and healthy eating habits are best formed during childhood.

Teachers and parents can teach children good eating habits by being positive role models in their own choices and by explaining to their children the importance of a balanced diet and how to choose healthy options from each food group. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid for Kids can be a useful resource for talking to kids.

Recommended Daily Portions.

A child's age, gender, and activity level are all factors that determine how much he or she needs to eat every day to stay healthy. Boys and girls grow at different rates and thus may need more or less calories than each other, even when they are the same age.

For food intake recommendations for children visit www.mypyramid.gov.

Serving healthy snacks to our children is important to providing good nutrition for growth and development, supporting lifelong healthy eating habits, and preventing costly and potentially disabling diseases, like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

Snacks are a bigger part of kids' diets than in the past, and can make positive or negative contributions to kids' diets-depending on the choices we offer.

Below are ideas of healthy drinks and snacks to serve to children.

Healthy Foods

1. Fruits and vegetables: Almost all of the snacks served to children should be fruits or vegetables. Do taste tests, or let kids choose (or vote for) new fruits and vegetables to try. Fruit can be served whole, sliced, cut in half, cubed, or in wedges. Canned, frozen, and dried fruits are easy and usually need little preparation.

Healthy options include fresh fruits and vegetables; frozen fruit; applesauce; fruit cups or canned fruit (in juice or light syrup); dried fruit and fruit leathers (without added sugars); fruit salad; fruit juice popsicles; and homemade smoothies.

Vegetables can be served with dips like hummus, bean dip, or salad dressing; in salads; or as veggie pockets in whole wheat pita.

2. Healthy grains (whole grains that are low in fats and sugars): Serve mostly whole grains, which provide more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined grains do. (Whole wheat [or other whole grain] should be the first ingredient listed.)

Healthy whole grain options can include English muffins, pita, or tortillas; breakfast cereal; crackers; rice cakes; popcorn; tortilla chips; granola; cereal bars; breadsticks; or flatbreads. Refined grains, such as pretzels and goldfish, should not be everyday offerings.

Be sure to read nutrition labels to pick options that are low in sugars, saturated fat, and trans fat.

3. Low-fat dairy foods: To protect children's bones and hearts, make sure all dairy foods are low-fat or fat-free, such as yogurt and low-fat pudding.

Since cheese is the number two source of heart-damaging saturated fat in children's diets, choose lower-fat cheeses, serve small portions, and serve cheese with other foods, like fruit, vegetables, or whole grain crackers.

4. Nuts and trail mix: Since nuts are high in calories, it is best to serve small portions (a small handful) and serve them along with another snack, such as fruit.

Healthy Beverages

1. Water: Water should be the main drink served to kids at snack times. Water satisfies thirst without adding calories or sugars (and it is low-cost!).

2. Seltzer or sparkling water: Look for calorie-free varieties, flavored or unflavored.

3. Low-fat and fat-free milk: Milk is a terrific source of calcium and vitamin D, but it is also the number one source of heart-damaging saturated fat in children's diets.

Choose fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) instead of whole or 2% (reduced-fat) milk.

Soy and rice "milks" (fortified with calcium and vitamin D) also are healthy options.

3. Fruit juice: Choose only 100% fruit juice, but limit juice to no more than 6 ounces (a little less than a cup) for 1- to 6-year-olds and no more than 12 ounces (1 1/2-2 cups) for 7- to 18-year-olds.

Avoid juice drinks, which, nutritionally, are no better than soda pop. The label should list 100% juice. Avoid drinks with sugar or high fructose corn syrup in the ingredient list.

Reprinted with permission from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, "Healthy Snacks for Children," www.cspinet.org.