Nutrition & Physical Activity - Activities

The California School Garden Network curriculum section provides over one hundred garden-based lessons to create, expand, and sustain garden-based learning experiences. It offers practical ideas and resources for every level of garden-based learning from sprouting seeds to understanding the food system.

This curriculum section was compiled by the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Garden-Based Learning Workgroup. The content for this section was borrowed, with permission, from various resources.

Connect for Kids (CFK) now offers a comprehensive collection of resources to help Americans understand and take action on healthy nutrition and obesity. Included in this toolkit are informational resources and resources for children, teens, parents and educators. To learn more, click here.

This free resource for after-school program was developed by the Dairy Council of California to teach Kindergarten through 6th grade students to recognize healthy choices around diet and physical activity. The curriculum contains materials including resources in English and Spanish. To view and download this free curriculum, go to www.dairycouncilofca.org/ED_ProgramsDMI.aspx

Do More-Watch Less! is a toolkit for afterschool programs and youth serving organizations to encourage tweens (ages 10-14) to incorporate more screen-free activities into their lives while reducing the time they spend watching TV, surfing the internet, and playing video games.

In celebration of the new Karate Kid movie coming out June 11, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and Sony Pictures Entertainment teamed up to create a FREE downloadable fitness program for afterschool programs. Get Your G.A.M.E. (Get Active, Move and Exercise) On provides lesson plans and materials that encourage kids ages 6-14 to be active for 60 minutes a day and ideas for afterschool fitness instructors working with kids ages 6-14.

This website from the USDA teaches students how to use MyPyramid Plan (www.MyPyramid.gov).The MyPyramid Web site features a “For Kids” section that provides information and activities for students ages six to eleven. The MyPyramid Blast Off Game is an interactive computer game in which students can reach Planet Power by fueling their rocket with food and physical activity. The game notifies students when they have selected the correct amounts of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, beans, mills, and physical activity.

The Network for a Healthy California — Children's Power Play! Campaign develops and tests a variety of resources to help educate, motivate, and empower 9- to 11-year-old children to eat fruits and vegetables and be physically active. The materials are research-based, educator-friendly, and appealing to children.

The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom provides many free resources for teaching students about science and agriculture. These resources include a teacher resource guide, sample lesson plans, and fact sheets. Other free resources include mulitiple text available for download, including one that links school gardens with California content standards. To access these resources, click the following link http://www.cfaitc.org/