The number of overweight children in the United States is growing at a rapid rate. Today as many as one third of young children and adolescents are over-weight. This condition is associated with risks for heart disease, an increase in type 2 diabetes among children, and other health-related problems. The problem of overweight children is attributed primarily to the intake of too many calories and the lack of sufficient physical activity. Get in the Game For Good Health!, a standards-based health education program sponsored by the California Olive Committee, is designed to help students develop wholesome lifestyles through healthy eating and exercise. informs parents about the program and gives them tips on supporting their children as they work to develop healthy lifestyles.
Target Audience
Get in the Game For Good Health! is designed for use with students in grades four through six as a supplement to the health curriculum.
Program Components
- This teacher's guide that contains suggestions for using the activity sheets, answer keys, and follow-up activities to enhance the learning.
- Four reproducible worksheets for use with students.
- Three copies of a full-color poster to use as an integral part of the program. Please share them with your colleagues.
- A reproducible parent letter that informs parents about the program and gives them tips on supporting their children as they work to develop healthy lifestyles.
- A teacher response card. Please take a moment to complete and return this card.
- A web-based calorie and activity calculator that measures both calories consumed and calories burned through daily activities. The calculator is personalized to each child's height and weight. Check it out at www.calolive.org/calculator.
- Downloadable Food Diary at www.calolive.org/educators.
Using the Program
Activity Sheets
Photocopy the enclosed activity sheets to provide a complete set for each student. Make a master copy of the activity sheets and teacher's guide to share with other teachers in your school.
Parent Letter
Photocopy the enclosed letter to provide a copy for each student in your class. Send the letter home as you begin the program so that parents will be aware of what their children are learning and support them in their efforts to maintain or improve healthy lifestyles.
Poster
Display the poster in the classroom to generate interest in the program. Draw attention to the park setting and all the different activities that are taking place there. Encourage students to talk about the types of activities they do, which activities on the poster they would like to try, and why these activities are healthy. At the conclusion of the program, work through the game with the class as a review. Encourage students to find as many healthy items as they can, as well as floating olives for extra points. The maximum number of points students can receive are 260 for healthy foods, 500 for activities, and 275 for floating olives. Students might work as teams to complete the activity. When all teams have completed the activity, they can share their findings with the class.
Certificate
Make enough copies of the certificate for each student. To save yourself some time, you might want to sign the certificate before you make the copies. Give each student a copy, congratulating them on successfully completing the program. Encourage them to take the pledge to consciously work to maintain a healthy lifestyle by signing the certificate. They can then take it home to post on the refrigerator as a reminder to eat healthy and be active.
