Balancing Food & Play
- Type
- Program
Overview
Contact
College Station, TX 77843-2251
Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Obesity in the United States is an epidemic- and has been for decades. Texas has the 8th highest obesity rate for youth ages 10-17 with 17.3% being obese. Childhood obesity results in extra health care costs; on average $12,900 more in medical costs than a child with normal weight and is also associated with poorer educational outcomes including a lower GPA, lower reading and math scores, and more school absences.
Teaching children how to live healthy is a good way to help them grow into healthy adults. Balancing Food & Play (3rd thru 5th-grade curriculum) was developed to address children’s health issues by developing lifelong healthy behaviors through nutrition, physical activity, and family engagement. The curriculum is based on the principles of the MyPlate Food Guidance System and the Social Cognitive Model; targeting early childhood health habits while providing youth the opportunity to learn about nutrition and physical activity in an engaging and exciting way, exploring creativity in the classroom, home kitchens, and playgrounds.
AgriLife Extension educators are trained on the program and then in turn train local teachers to implement it throughout the school day. All 20 lessons are available via the Teacher's manual and online virtual lessons are available for teacher use as well. Student journals and parent newsletters/assignments support self-reflection and family engagement. All components of the curriculum, including the online virtual lessons, are available in both English and Spanish.
Looking for solutions in your county? Contact your local extension experts
More choices in Caregiving
- Course
Knowing what children can do and what they know is powerful information that can guide early learning teachers to create appropriate learning experiences for their children. The purposes and types of assessments are examined.
This 4-hour course for early learning educators is designed to review the purposes of assessment, how to evaluate and interpret the results, and create a plan to share results with families. - Course
Maintaining the health of young children – and setting them up with lifelong healthy habits – are critical elements of a quality early childhood program. This course provides an overview of the Texas Healthy Building Blocks recognition program for early care and education settings that have demonstrated a commitment to promoting early childhood health. It is aligned with the guidelines of the Texas Healthy Building Blocks recognition program.
- Course
Creating healthy habits is a critical element of quality early childhood programs. This course reviews practices that promote physical activity in young children. It is aligned with Texas Healthy Building Blocks recognition criteria and was developed with support from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
- Course
Abusive head trauma is the leading cause of death in cases of child abuse in the United States. This 2-hour course will help you better understand the dangers of abusive head trauma and how to take steps to protect the children in your care from this type of abuse.
- Course
Infants’ experiences early in life literally influence the physical structures of the brain, opening the way for patterns of thought and behavior for the rest of a child’s life. This 1-hour course addresses critical topics related to caring for the youngest and most vulnerable population of children, infants and toddlers.
- Course
Infants and toddlers engage in challenging behaviors as a way of communicating that they have unmet needs. Enroll in this online course to learn how to recognize, understand, and develop responses to these types of behavior as well as working with a team to fully assess and address challenging infant and toddler behavior.