Month: August 2022

Cloverbuds Back to School: Create a Healthy Living Routine

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August means it is time to get ready to go back to school and time for a new routine at home. Cloverbud members can help parents, siblings, and themselves determine what that routine looks like. An easy thing to do is to decide what clothes to wear the next day.  Set them out the night before so getting dressed is not such a chore when the school bus is approaching.

In addition to creating a morning routine, you can help your Cloverbud prepare for the school day.  Parts of the school day may be stressful for your Cloverbud.  Talk to them ahead of time to identify what those stressors are and how to address them. Are they worried about lunch time? Have them accompany you to the grocery store to pick out healthy snacks they can pack in their lunch. Cloverbuds can pack lunch the night before, so they know what to expect the next day. Is there an item they are worried about getting opened? Perform a trial run at least one time at home or talk through who may be available during lunchtime to help them open that tricky juice box.

CLICK HERE for ideas to become a MyPlate Champion. Visit https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/kids for more information.

A new school year is also a great time for youth to identify healthy goals. They could work on becoming a MyPlate Health Champion by eating more fruits and vegetables or playing outside at recess and after school instead of playing video games. The United States Department of Agriculture has a website for children devoted to MyPlate that includes easy activities to familiarize them with eating healthy or making better health choices. A fun activity that might help at the grocery store is MyPlate Grocery  Store Bingo.

Print a few of these cards or challenge your child to make their own and take them with you to the grocery store. Cloverbud members can look for these items at the store while walking the aisle. If you have older children, they can help by selecting an ingredient or two to try out in a new recipe.

Back to school time does not have to be stressful for everyone. Use this year to focus on creating a new routine or trying something new as a family to alleviate some of the stress. Begin with easy steps such as buying more fruits or vegetables on your next grocery trip, having a sit-down family dinner, or talking through “what to expect” those first few days of school. Even one small change can make a difference, and it may ripple into big changes down the road.

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Making Snack Time Fun and Healthy

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Have you ever made Ants on a Log or Teddy Bear Toast?  Snack time is a favorite for most Cloverbuds, so why not make it fun and healthy at the same time!  Young children may be a picky when it comes to food.  Making snacks together at a meeting can make the snacks more appealing and aid in the discussion of MyPlate and the importance of eating healthy.

Ants on a Log is a simple recipe with three ingredients: celery, peanut butter, and raisins.  Clean the celery and cut it into approximately three-inch pieces.  Fill the grooved center of each celery slice with peanut butter to fill your “log”.  Now, add your raisins or “ants” and your Ants on a Log is ready to eat.  Be sure to provide each youth with their own supplies including a plastic knife they can use to spread their own peanut butter.  Have a picky eater in your group who does not like one of the ingredients or a member with a food allergy?  Check out some alternative ingredients at https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/ants-log/.

Teddy Bear Toast is a simple recipe with four ingredients: Bread, peanut butter or butter, bananas, and blueberries.  Toast a slice of bread.  Spread peanut butter or butter on the toast.  Peel a banana and cut three ½ inch round slices of bananas – place one in the center of the toast as the nose and use the other two as the ears, one in each of the upper corners of the toast.  Wash three blueberries and place one in the center of the nose and use the other two as eyes.  Place them just above the nose in the peanut butter.

Continue your lesson by teaching about MyPlate and the 5 food groups that will help keep your members healthy.  Check out free activities at https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/kids.  For example, you can have the members color their own MyPlate based on the five food groups and then ask them where the ingredients from their snack come from on the plate.  Help your members make the connection from their healthy snack to healthy choices to fill their plate.

Educating Cloverbuds about the importance of MyPlate and eating a variety of healthy foods will give them a firm foundation for healthy nutrition throughout their lifespan.