fun, engaging resources teach kids about food choices
Kids learn by example, right? Most are not getting food education in school, and with the family home-cooked meal becoming an anachronism in our fast-paced lives, where will they learn food rules for life—or at least get a framework for healthy eating habits?
Carole Carson, author of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction (Hound 2007), has gathered these free interactive kids’ nutrition resources to help teach kids the basics about nutrition. Pass them along to your clients as a handout, or post them on your facility walls.
- Monster Nutrition. Mungo the nutrition monster will eat everything in his path. Kids must quickly choose what to feed him: the healthier their choices, the higher their score. www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/activities/monster.asp.
- MyPyramid Blast Off. Kids can reach outer space by fueling a rocket with healthy foods and physical activity. Each food group has a separate fuel tank so kids can keep track of how their choices fit into the food pyramid. www.mypyramid.gov/kids/kids_game.html.
- Nutrition Tracker. This downloadable game encourages kids to keep track of what they eat and compares their food choices with the daily recommended servings for each food group. www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/activities/tracker.asp.
- Chef Solus’s Cooking School. Kids cook with Chef Solus by following recipes and learning about healthy food choices. www.nourishinteractive.com/en/kids/solus-cooking-game/solus-cooking-game.
Sandy Todd Webster
For 22 years, Sandy Todd Webster was the chief architect of IDEA's content program - including the award-winning IDEA FITNESS JOURNAL and IDEA FOOD & NUTRITION TIPS - the industry's leading resources for fitness, wellness and nutrition professionals worldwide. She created, launched and nurtured these brands and many others during her productive and purposeful IDEA tenure. Sandy is a Rouxbe-certified professional plant-based cook and a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach who is pursuing a Master's degree in Sustainable Food Systems through The Culinary Institute of America (expected August 2024). She plans to combine these passions with her content expertise to continue inspiring others to make the world a more just, healthy and regenerative place.