Tips for Creating a Healthy Classroom

You can encourage your students to eat more healthfully by making it a focus throughout your classroom and curriculum. Here are some ideas for creating a healthy classroom:

Set a SuperKids Snack and Celebration Policy in your classroom.

At the beginning of the school year, tell your students about the policy, and be sure to have a handout your students can take home to their parents. Encourage your students to bring fruits and vegetables for snacks and classroom parties. The Fun with Fruits & Vegetables Kids' Cookbook contains recipes for foods that can be prepared for classroom parties. If healthful eating is encouraged in your classroom, it will start to happen in other places.

Incorporate one Healthy Foods event into your curriculum each month.

Events can include having a Healthy Foods Party to celebrate a holiday (Halloween, Mardi Gras, etc.), going on a Supermarket Tour, or visiting a local orchard or farm.

Use the lesson plans on this site to easily incorporate SuperKids curricular activities.

Lesson plans are available for language arts, math, social studies, science and music.

Conduct monthly taste tests in your classroom to help introduce your students to new fruits and vegetables.

Local supermarkets may be willing to donate produce, or local businesses may be willing to sponsor your efforts to help your students eat better

Each month have your students write to the Healthy Friend of the Month.

Writing emails helps them develop writing skills. The Healthy Friends always write back, and provide a lot of information on the fruit or vegetable of the month. The information they provide can be used to write reports.

Use the Healthy Adventures CD-ROM in your classroom.

The CD-ROM provides hours and hours of cross-curricular activities in areas like reading, math, science, geography, health, music and technology.

Give your students Healthy Activity Sheets to take home and complete with their families.

Healthy Activity Sheets are a fun way to learn more about fruits and vegetables. Completing them with their families gives kids a chance to talk about these issues with their parents, and helps make the whole family more aware of their eating habits.

Give all your students a free copy of the How'd You Do Your 5 Today Chart?

Have your students take the chart and stickers home where they can get the whole family tracking their fruit and vegetable intake throughout the year.

Survey your class to see what their favorite fruits and vegetables are.

Invite the school foodservice director or manager into your classroom and let your students tell why they like these fruits and vegetables best. The goal is to get the foodservice director to serve more of the favorite fruits and vegetables.

Display colorful fruit and vegetable posters, pictures and artwork in your classroom.

Having your students create the art lets them express what their favorite fruits and vegetables are.

Periodically have your students take the Healthy Eating Challenge.

Taking the challenge will remind them of the importance of eating 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Hold a Nutrition Adventures event

The Nutrition Adventures is a fun-filled half-day nutrition education event that reinforces the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and physical activity through various games, activities and taste-testing opportunities.


Tips for Creating a Healthy Classroom You can encourage your students to eat more healthfully by making it a focus throughout your classroom and curriculum. Here are some ideas for creating a healthy classroom: Set a SuperKids Snack and Celebration Policy in your classroom. At the beginning of the school year, tell your students about the policy, and be sure to have a handout your students can take home to their parents. Encourage your students to bring fruits and vegetables for snacks and classroom parties. The Fun with Fruits & Vegetables Kids' Cookbook contains recipes for foods that can be prepared for classroom parties. If healthful eating is encouraged in your classroom, it will start to happen in other places. Incorporate one Healthy Foods event into your curriculum each month. Events can include having a Healthy Foods Party to celebrate a holiday (Halloween, Mardi Gras, etc.), going on a Supermarket Tour, or visiting a local orchard or farm. Use the lesson plans on this site to easily incorporate SuperKids curricular activities. Lesson plans are available for language arts, math, social studies, science and music. Conduct monthly taste tests in your classroom to help introduce your students to new fruits and vegetables. Local supermarkets may be willing to donate produce, or local businesses may be willing to sponsor your efforts to help your students eat better Each month have your students write to the Healthy Friend of the Month. Writing emails helps them develop writing skills. The Healthy Friends always write back, and provide a lot of information on the fruit or vegetable of the month. The information they provide can be used to write reports. Use the Healthy Adventures CD-ROM in your classroom. The CD-ROM provides hours and hours of cross-curricular activities in areas like reading, math, science, geography, health, music and technology. Give your students Healthy Activity Sheets to take home and complete with their families. Healthy Activity Sheets are a fun way to learn more about fruits and vegetables. Completing them with their families gives kids a chance to talk about these issues with their parents, and helps make the whole family more aware of their eating habits. Give all your students a free copy of the How'd You Do Your 5 Today Chart? Have your students take the chart and stickers home where they can get the whole family tracking their fruit and vegetable intake throughout the year. Survey your class to see what their favorite fruits and vegetables are. Invite the school foodservice director or manager into your classroom and let your students tell why they like these fruits and vegetables best. The goal is to get the foodservice director to serve more of the favorite fruits and vegetables. Display colorful fruit and vegetable posters, pictures and artwork in your classroom. Having your students create the art lets them express what their favorite fruits and vegetables are. Periodically have your students take the Healthy Eating Challenge. Taking the challenge will remind them of the importance of eating 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Hold a Nutrition Adventures event The Nutrition Adventures is a fun-filled half-day nutrition education event that reinforces the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and physical activity through various games, activities and taste-testing opportunities.