N-Lighten Kids

Week 7 Tip for the Kids:

If you are staying active and tracking your points for N-Lighten Kids, then you also need to make sure you are making good food choices so your body has the fuel it needs.  Did you know that you can use a picture of a pyramid to make good food choices?  The MyPyramid for Kids helps you to know what foods to eat every day and what things you should be careful with like fats and sugars.  There is lots of good information about the food pyramid and even a special page just for you, including the MyPyramid Blast Off Game.  You can visit it at www.mypyramid.com.  This week, your challenge is to use the My Pyramid for Kids Worksheet to see how you are doing in making good choices. Have your teacher or an adult help you print two or three copies of the worksheet and then keep it on your refrigerator so you remember to fill it out.

Week 7 Tip for the Captains:

Whether you are cooking just for yourself or a larger group, planning meals is a good place to start improving your food choices. If the task of planning breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks seems too overwhelming, start by planning only dinner meals.  Taking the time to plan a healthy evening meal can help you avoid a less healthful "drive-through" dinner and save you money.  Start by making a list of all of your favorite meals, then use a piece of paper or calendar to jot down your menu ideas for the week.  Make sure to make a grocery list so you can buy the ingredients you will need and post your list on the refrigerator so the person who gets home first can start preparing the meal.  If you need help, you might try MyPyramid's interactive meal planner.  To use the planner, go to www.mypyramid.gov and click on the MyPyramid Menu Planner link.
^{This tip is provided by Cami Wells, Extension Educator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Hall County Extension}

Sporty’s Corner

Sharks & Barracudas
You will need 15-20 orange cones and 5-7 flags or a marked space like a gym.  Have all of the students come to the center of the area.  The students will form a circle and count off by twos.  Once that is done, select a leader for each group.  One group will be the sharks and the other will be the barracudas. Each group will go to the end line on each end of the gym.  The object of the game is for the group that is sneaking up on the other group, to try to get away without being tagged from the other group.  The game starts out with the sharks sneaking up real slowly behind the barracudas, which have their backs to the sharks. Once the barracudas’ leader feel the sharks are getting close enough to be caught, he or she yells out: Here come the Sharks! The barracudas take off and try to catch as many sharks as possible.  Each shark that is tagged becomes a member of the barracudas. Now it is the barracudas turn to sneak up on the sharks.  Once the sharks leader feels that the barracudas are close enough he or she yells out: Here come the Barracudas. The sharks turn around and chase the barracudas tagging as many as they can. The ones that are tagged now become sharks. Create variations as desired.  For example, the first time they used running to catch the other members, but next time have them skip or hop.  Play until all members have been tagged to one side or set a time limit before beginning.