About the Healthy Kids Committee

The mission of the Bethlehem Healthy Kids Committee is to work in cooperation with all levels of district administration and personnel, Bethlehem students and families, and the larger community to improve nutrition, physical activity, environmental health and overall wellness of all students in the Bethlehem Central School District with a goal of providing the best possible environment in which our students can learn. For more information or to join us in this mission, please contact us at bethlehemhealthykids@gmail.com.

Healthy Kids Week 2019 (May 6-10)

We are celebrating Healthy Kids Week the week of May 6-10. Please join the fun! This week is also teacher appreciation week! Please remember to appreciate all the hard work our teachers do every day.

Our theme this year is Sleep Health. Let’s learn some fun facts to help us get a good night’s sleep. Here are 3 resources that will wake you up to the importance of sleep health at all ages.

• Snooze To-Do’s
• Here are some recipes to get you ready to go to sleep.
• And here is an infographic on Why Teens Need Sleep.

The following are some of the activities planned for Healthy Kids Week. Elementary students can fill out these Healthy Choice tickets to track their progress.

Muscle Repair Monday (May 6) – Fun fact—did you know your muscles get bigger from exercise in your sleep?  That’s the time your body repairs the muscles from their hard work!

ACTION: Get moving!  Move today, muscles tomorrow—Play outside!

Try it Tuesday (May 7) – Fun fact—did you know you need ideal conditions to get a good night’s rest?

• No TV, Smartphone, tablet for at least two hours before bed (the lights stimulate the brain!)
• Keep your bedroom cool, quiet, and dark
• Try a simple meditation to focus your mind on rest:

Lie in bed, feel your breath moving into your nose and then out of your nose. Notice its temperature change. Relax your body and keep a soft focus on your breath.

If you feel your bedtime routine prevents good sleep, try experimenting with your bedtime routine or bedroom conditions

ACTION: Eat well to sleep well! Your body is growing as you sleep! Give it the nutrients it needs to do its best work. Pack a vegetable, fruit, and quality protein in your lunch today.

Wake Up Wednesday (May 8) – Fun fact—did you know when you go to bed and wake up at the same time, you help set the circadian rhythm in your brain?  This is your inner clock that keeps your body functioning throughout the 24-hour cycle of a day.  Go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time for the rest of the week and notice how you feel!

In a 24-hour period:

• Kids ages 3-5 need 10-13 hours sleep
• Kids ages 6-12 need 9-12 hours sleep
• Teenagers 13-18 need 8-10 hours sleep

Thinking Thursday (May 9) – Fun fact—did you know your brain programs all of your learning in school and books while you sleep?  You could study five hours straight, but only really know the material the next day due to how your brain processes it in your sleep. Study, shut the books, and go to sleep!

ACTION: Learn something new about a culture different from your own to broaden your cultural horizon. Go to the school or public library and ask for non-fiction books on your chosen topic.

Feel Great Friday (May 10) – Fun fact—did you know you need your eyes to have contact with sunshine (NOT directly looking in the sun) outside for at least 30 minutes a day for your brain to produce good amounts of melatonin, the sleep hormone? If you struggle to get a good sleep and don’t already enjoy this much time outdoors, add this variable to your daily routine and see how you feel!

ACTION: Find gratitude for three new behaviors you explored this week for your body’s health and for your sleep health. Continue these practices to nurture yourself. The sleep you get now pays off later—get your ZZZs.

Farm to You Fest 2018 (October 2-7)

Farm to You Fest celebrates its 10th anniversary at BCSD: This year’s F2YF will be October 1-6, 2018. Each of our schools participates in different ways but one common theme is the appreciation of fresh produce that is grown locally, so tasty and good for our health!

The Bethlehem Healthy Kids Committee is pleased to announce our 10^th annual Farm to You Fest event, which is a statewide celebration of local farms and food. This event has been a great partnership with BC Green Team, Delmar Farmers Market, Capital Roots, and BCSD Food Services. We hope your child will enjoy celebrating Farm to You Fest both at school and with you at home; below are some ways to participate. Enjoy!

“Squash Hunger” Fruit and Vegetable Drive – donate some fresh NY fruits and veggies at school for local people in need. Collection bins are at each of the schools. Designated volunteers will bring them to McCarroll’s/Delmar Marketplace each day. Any fresh produce is welcome (butternut squash, apples, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, beets, pears, etc.) This is a longtime partnership with Capital Roots’ Squash Hunger Program. Our district has donated over 4,500 pounds of produce since we began doing F2YF.

Guess the Weight of the Pumpkin – Participating schools will be guessing the weight of pumpkins! This fun activity is organized by the BC Green Team. Closest guess wins the pumpkin!

Farmers Market Fun

Scavenger Hunt – Visit any local farmers market with your checklist in hand (link here). Turn in your completed checklist at the Delmar Saturday Farmers Market (at the BCSD Middle School; 9AM – 1PM) on October 6th, or at the main office by Tuesday, Oct. 9^th to participate in a farm fresh prize raffle at school! (2 local markets include Tuesdays at the Methodist Church on Kenwood Ave and Saturdays at the Middle School). We will have extra copies of the checklist at our Healthy Kids table at the farmers market.

Corn Husking Contest – this is a new activity being offered by the Delmar Farmers Market. At noon on Saturday, October 6, find the corn-husking table (near the Healthy Kids Committee table) and see how fast you can husk an ear of corn!

Fruit and Veggie BINGO – Collect your BINGO card at the Healthy Kids Committee table at the Delmar Farmers Market and go meet local farmers. See which fruits and veggies they grow and sell and then mark your BINGO card.

Try School Lunch – Did you know that many of the fruits and veggies in our school lunches come from local farms?  Why not give these farm fresh lunches a try?

Pack a Farm Fresh Snack – Pack whole fruits or veggies for snacks this week – sliced apples and pears, cucumbers, carrots…  all in season in NY now!

Salad for All Kids Day at BCMS – On Friday, October 6, during all lunch periods at the BCMS, there will be free, freshly picked salads! Nothing beats the fresh taste of just-picked lettuce, radishes, carrots and more! All of the produce is organically grown by students and community members. You can’t get more local than the produce grown in the middle school garden! It is always a popular event!

Healthy Kids Week 2018 (May 7-11)

We are celebrating Healthy Kids Week the week of May 7-11. Please join the fun! This week is also teacher appreciation week! Please remember to appreciate all the hard work our teachers do every day.

IN OUR SCHOOLS…

The following are some of the activities planned for Healthy Kids Week:

• Moving Monday (May 7) – PE teachers have been doing the Healthy Steps program for years and many of our elementary schools are doing it this week! Our theme for Monday is to enjoy being active and get outside if the weather is as nice as we hope it will be!
• Tasting Tuesday (May 8) – Send your child in with a new, healthy snack for class snack time. Some nice examples are cucumber slices, snap peas, carrots, apples, egg salad on whole wheat crackers, etc.
• Walking Wednesday (May 9) – Try walking or biking where you need to go today. Try your own two legs (or wheels) to get to and from school! Of course, safety is paramount so walk in a group with parents and friends and wear a helmet when on a bike, skateboard, etc. If walking to school is not possible, take a walk after school to the store, the library or just around your neighborhood.
• Thankful Thursday (May 10) – Random acts of kindness! Work extra hard to perform random acts of kindness today. It feels great and brightens someone’s day.
• Fresh Air Friday (May 11) – Enjoy the outside. Get outside and enjoy some fresh air, anytime, before school, recess or after school.

HEALTHY CHOICE PRIZE DRAWING…

Elementary students can win prizes by making healthy choices. Bring your completed tickets to school on Tues., Wed., Thurs. & Friday to be entered in a drawing for exciting prizes!

View or download the Healthy Choice Tickets that the elementary schools are using.

HELP THE BETHLEHEM FOOD PANTRY…

Here is a list of food drive items that are being requested from Bethlehem Food Pantry:

• paper towels
• tea
• facial tissue
• canned fruit (no fruit cocktail)
• laundry detergent
• baked beans
• sponges
• canned chicken
• dish soap
• 100% fruit juice
• shampoo and conditioner
• pasta
• toothpaste
• instant mashed potatoes

ACTIVITIES AT THE BETHLEHEM PUBLIC LIBRARY…

Children’s Place will have fun activities related to healthy eating all day during the week.

DID YOU KNOW…

• Sleep is also an important part of health – school-aged children (ages 6-13 years) need to get 9-11 hours each night to fuel brain and body and teens (14-17 years) need 8-10 hours of sleep.
• Adolescents and young adults are using e-cigarettes that look like flash drives. Learn more from the CDC about how to spot these new e-cigarettes and the health risks associated with their use by young people.

Resources

Michele Obama calls on American families to fight obesity

See Michele Obama’s call to action for American families to stay active and fight childhood obesity: http://www.letsmove.gov/