Healthy Habits Field Day-Town Creek-Deb Settle

Bridge to Fitness

Equipment: three sets of wooden walking boards , signsShort game description: This game will be located in the front of the school. Teams will start on the sidewalk and use the boards to move across to the curb without stepping on the blacktop. Directions and what to say to each class: Divide the class into teams of three. Ask students the question……..”What is Fitness?”(Students in the primary grades should know fitness is how well the body works. The students in third through fifth grade begin to learn that fitness is the efficiency of the heart, lungs, and muscles) Say, “If you're fit, your body works well, feels good, and can do all the things you want to do, like run around and keep up with your friends. To be fit make sure your body is active at least 60 minutes a day. You also need to fill it with nutritional healthy foods.”Continue the directions saying, “The game we will play today is called Building a Bridge to Fitness. The object of the game is to get your team to the fit side of life. When I say GO your team must use the boards to make it to the healthy fitness zone (the other curb). You may not step on the blacktop. If a teammate touches the blacktop your team has fallen into a bad habit of unhealthy eating and inactivity and has to start over as a team. Take your time and work together to make sure everyone is Fit!” Students will use the boards in groups of three to cross the bus lane.

Shoot out the Sugar!

Equipment: sling shots, four cones for lines, sweet posters and/or cups, ballstarget sling shot-pictures of sweetsShort game description: Students will use the sling shots to propel the balls and hit the posters. They take one shot each and then the next person goes…keep going…they can get more than one turn.

Directions and what to say to each class: “Eating too much sugar can really make you sick. Sugary drinks and sweets don’t have the nutrients your body needs to grow and stay healthy and we know that it gives us quick energy but not long lasting energy and we end up “crashing”. Today you will be shooting out the sugar. In the game the first person will use the sling shot to shoot the sugary snacks (posters and/or cups with pictures of candy on them). They will shoot one ball, retrieve it, and come back to the team and give the sling shot to the next person. Stand as close as you want but make sure to shoot that sugar out of your life!” Students can get multiple turns and please make sure they don’t pull too hard on the slingshots.

Nourishing Nutrients

Equipment: parachute, balls with nutrient names on themShort game description: Place the balls on the parachute and students either shake or lift and lower the parachute to the ground on your command to get the balls to fall off. The students who collect the balls must say the nutrient name on the ball before they put it back on the parachute.

Directions and what to say to each class: Have everyone stand around the edge of the parachute and say, ”Energy is the ability to do work. You get the energy your body needs from the foods and drinks you eat. Foods and drinks contain nutrients. A nutrient is a material in a food or drink that is used by the body. You need six kinds of nutrients. Some help you grow. Some give you energy. Others help your body work well. A healthful diet gives you all the nutrients you need. Today we will be playing a game called Nourishing Nutrients. In this game you will be blasting the nutrients your body needs off the parachute. When I tell you pick up the parachute and shake it hard. (Have them shake it for a while). Now when I say “Up” you lift the parachute up together as a team. I’ll say down and you bring it down. Some of the “nutrients” or balls will fall off after we do this a couple of times. I will select four students to be the nutrient blasters at the end of the game. They will pick up the balls and toss them back on the parachute saying the name of a nutrient when tossing. The empty parachute is an example of what your body looks like in the morning…before breakfast…it doesn’t have a lot of the nutrients it needs for the day. That’s why we eat breakfast… to replenish the nutrients our bodies used. At the end we will review all the nutrients.”

Calcium Crunch!

Equipment: one milk carton for each student in the school, a trash can of water, an empty trash canShort game description: Students will first fill their milk carton with water then the second relay they will stomp the water out of the milk carton and shoot the crushed milk carton in the trash can

Directions and what to say to each class: Divide the class into four teams and have them line up behind a cone then say, “Calcium rich foods build strong bones.” Have them repeat what you said. “Calcium is a key building block for strong, healthy bones. But most kids don't get the calcium they need per day. When your body doesn’t get the calcium it needs you run the risk of developing a bone disease called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can cause your bones to get weak and break easily when they get older. Today you will be playing Calcium Crunch! I’m going to call each team up to get one milk carton. Team one, please walk and move safely.” After they are back in line call team two and so on until all students have an empty milk carton. “On the word “GO” the first person in each line will run down and fill their milk carton with water and go to the end of the line and hold their milk carton. We will continue until everyone’s carton is filled. Ready …Go… Now we have a second part to our game. When I say “Go” the first person in line will run down and place his/her milk carton somewhere past the line and stomp on it saying “Calcium rich foods build strong bones!” After they have crushed the carton they will pick it up and shoot it in the trash can and tag the next persons hand to go! Classes should only perform this activity once as we have a limited number of milk cartons.

Slap on the Sunscreen

Equipment: Squirting Water Bottle, blindfolds, polyspots, water from the “community trash can” on the blacktop, a bucket to get extra waterShort game description: Students blindfolded will squirt the water from the water bottle at classmates

Directions and what to say to each class: Have everyone stand on one of the polyspots on the ground and say to the class, “Did you know that we all need some sun? It's our primary source of vitamin D, which helps us absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones. But it doesn't take much time in the sun for most people to get the vitamin D they need. Staying in the sun without sunscreen can cause the sun rays called ultraviolet rays to damage our skin, our eyes, and we can even cause skin cancer. Protect your skin and body! Wear sun block, sunglasses to protect your eyes, and a baseball cap or some other fun hat to block your face from the sun. Today we will be playing a game called Slap on the Sunscreen. During this game your friends will try to help you protect your skin from the sun by squirting you with sun screen. The first person in line will need to come up to the polyspot in front of the line about four feet away. They will put on the blindfold and hold the bottle of “sunscreen” . I will ask them to turn around a couple of times and then they will try to squirt the “sunscreen” (water) on you. After a couple of minutes we will change places by moving up to the next spot and the person who just went will go to the end of the line.” (If you need extra water there will be some in a trash can located in your area. )

Hydration Station

Equipment: plungers, pit balls, box or a crateShort game description: Students run down with a plunger and pick up a ball from the bucket and put in in the plunger and carry it and drop it in the box. IMPORTANT: Students must hold the plunger with one hand and grip it on the blue tape at the end. They cannot use two hands and the ball must be in the plunger when they leave the bucket. If they drop the ball and it doesn’t go into the box then they take it back to the bucket and run back and give the plunger to the next person.

Directions and what to say to each class: Divide the students into four lines and say, “This game is called, “Hydration Station”. Drinking water is an important part of staying healthy, especially when it's hot outside. When you're sweating, you lose water that your body needs to work properly. And if you're playing a sport or running around in the sun, you lose even more water, because you sweat that much more. When you're really thirsty, cold water is the best thirst-quencher. Drinking before you feel thirsty helps keep the water level in your body from dropping too low (dehydration). Now, when I say “GO” the first person in line will run down gripping the plunger with one hand on the blue tape and pick up a ball from the water supply (fourth and fifth grade must grip the plunger with his/her non-dominant hand). Next you will place the water(a ball) in the plunger and carry it to the cells in the body to rehydrate them. They will just keep circling around and fill their class box (cells) with balls. Time them for one minute and count the number of balls in the box. If time permits see if they can beat their score.

Busted Brain

Equipment: one water balloon for each child Short game description: Helmet Safety-Water balloon activity tossing back and forth

Directions and what to say to each class: Pair students up with a partner and have them stand across from each other. Now say, “Safety equipment protects you from injuries when you play sports, exercise or when you’re at work. Do you wear a helmet when you ride your bike? A bike helmet is a type of safety equipment and a head injury can mean brain injury. That's why it's so important to wear your bike helmet, it’s the law for children to wear one in Maryland. Today we are going to play Busted Brain.” I am going to give you a balloon, you only get one, so be careful not to squeeze it or drop it. When I say go you are to toss the balloon ONCE to your partner……Go!” Next students should take a giant step back and perform the toss again until all are finished. Each class can only perform this activity once.

Tenacious Tick

Equipment: four pinnies, lots of clothespins, four buckets for the clothespins, four conesShort game description: Students run down and place the clothespin on the person wearing the pinnie to see how many they can collect as a team.

Directions and what to say to each class: Line the students up behind the cone and say, “Have you ever been bitten by a tick? A tick attaches itself to the skin and sucks blood. There are hundreds of kinds of ticks on the planet, and they can be found almost everywhere. The two types of ticks that many people talk about are the deer and dog ticks. If you think you've been bitten by a tick, tell an adult immediately and don’t take it off. Some ticks carry diseases, such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They can pass these diseases to people. It’s important for adults to see the tick. Today we are going to play Tenacious Tick. In this game you will find a bucket of ticks (clothespins) beside your team. On the word “Go” the first person will run down and place a “tick” on the person wearing the pinnie, then run back and tag the next person’s hand. You will keep going until all the ticks have been collected”, (or a time you deem appropriate to stop). “Now I’m going to pick four special people to wear the pinnies and we’ll get started. Remember to place the ticks on the pinnie, not on the person’s clothes or body.”

Sweaty Safari

Equipment: two big sponges, water from the community water trash can, two bucketsShort game description: students pass the sponge over his/her head to the person in line behind them, the older children pass alternating under the legs then next person over the head

Directions and what to say to each class: Divide the class into two teams and place them in a line. Now say, “Bacteria on your body causes body odor…not sweat. Sweating is your body’s way of cooling down. Sweating is important, just as important as taking a bath. Today we will be playing a game called Sweaty Safari. In this game you will be taking a bath to clean the bacteria off as you sweat! On the word, “Go” the first person in line will pick up the sponge out of the bucket with two hands and lift it over their head and hand it to the next person in line. That person will do the same thing until the sponge gets to the end of the line. The last person who gets the sponge will run up and get in front of the line, dip the sponge again, and start the whole game again until everyone has had a turn to be first in line.

It’s No Joke….Don’t Smoke

Equipment: three cones, pool noodlesShort game description: Pool noodle activity where students will carry as many pool noodles as they can

Directions and what to say to each class: Line the students up behind a cone and say, “Smoking is one of the worst things kids or adults can do to their bodies. The nicotine and other poisonous chemicals in tobacco cause lots of diseases, like heart problems and some kinds of cancer. If you smoke, you hurt your body each time you light up. The longer you smoke, the worse the damage becomes. If you smoke you will have:bad breath, yellow teeth, smelly clothes, more colds and coughs, difficulty keeping up with friends when playing sports and an empty wallet — cigarettes are very expensive! Today you will be playing a game where you will pick up the cigarettes and carry them, as many as you can. Each cigarette you carry away has saved a person from smoking. The first person in line will run down and pick up one cigarette. They will run back with it and hand it to the next person in line. The second person will run down with the cigarette and pick up another and bring both back to his/her team. You will keep going until your team drops one. If your team drops one then you start over again with one!“

Be alert! Accidents hurt!

Equipment: different kinds of safety equipmentShort game description: relay race with safety gear

Directions and what to say to each class: Divide the class into four teams and say, “Safety equipment protects your body from injuries. Do you wear a helmet when you ride a bike? A bike helmet is a type of safety equipment. Special clothing keeps skin from being scraped, cut, or bruised. Knee pads, safety glasses, elbow pads, chest protectors and wrist guards are all great examples of equipment used to protect our body from injury. . Today you will perform a safety relay race. On the word “GO” you will run down and pick up safety equipment and put it on (kindergarten can pick one or two…all other grades will pick three pieces of equipment) then you will run back to your team who can help you take it off…the next person in line will put on the safety equipment you picked up and run down and take it off and select three other pieces of equipment to put on from the pile and run back to the team and give it to the next person in line. This is not a race it’s just for fun.

Get Active!

Equipment: sprinklers, tires, and several other “obstacles”, adults with water to spray the students as they runShort Description of the game: This is an obstacle course. One adult will be in charge of giving the directions to the class and the others will adjust obstacles and squirt the children with water as they run.

Directions and what to say to each class: “Being active every day is important for your overall health. Physical activity helps you maintain a healthful weight and strengthens your body like your bones, muscles, and heart. It can also help prevent diseases, control weight, and relieve stress. You should exercise at least how many times a week? (They should reply every day for a total of 60 minutes….60 minutes every day…60 minutes go out and play). Aerobic activities are exercises that cause deep breathing and a fast heart rate. Because your heart is a muscle it gets stronger with exercise. Exercise also allows your lungs to hold more air. With a strong heart and lungs your cells get oxygen faster and your body works more efficiently. Today you will GET ACTIVE! You will start the race here (near the storage barn), and continue to run on the Terrapin Trail. After entering the playground area you will follow the Terrapin Trail all the way around until you meet your teacher at the finish line near the playground equipment. Move safely when jogging and be careful when traveling through the obstacles!! There are many obstacles that might prevent you from being active. Like no where to play, no friends to play with, or the weather isn’t cooperating. Understand that ALL of these are problems that can be solved!

Kick Your Shoes off and Relax! Be the Boss of Stress!

Equipment: noneShort Description of the game: students will kick one of his/her shoes as far as possible

Directions and what to say to each class: Divide the class into three teams and line them up on the black edging for the playground equipment near the basketball courts. Now say, “You learned on Healthy Habits day that stress can hurt you. It might make you feel sick to your stomach, have a headache or feel angry. We also learned some strategies to relieve stress like belly breathing or using exercise to Be the Boss of Stress. Our game today is a fun way to relieve stress, it’s called “Kick your shoes off and relax….be the boss of stress”. In the game you will be kicking the stress away by kicking your shoe off. Take off only one of your shoes. Now the first group put your toes only back into your shoe. When I say GO you are to kick your shoe as far as you can to the playground equipment. (Continue until all three groups have had a turn.)

Peer Pressure Second through Fifth grade only

Equipment: tug of war ropeShort Description of the game: students will play tug of warDirections and what to say to each class: Say, “Peer Pressure can be a good or bad thing. If a friend or classmate has ever pushed you into doing something you don't want to do, then you've experienced peer pressure. Most of us worry about fitting in and what others will think of us and sometimes it’s hard to say “No” when they are pulling you to do something wrong. You might feel like you are being pulled in two directions…doing the right thing or doing what your friends want you to do. Our game today is called Peer Pressure. I am going to divide you into two teams. You will stand on a side of the rope and grab it. Make sure to wait until I say go before you start to pull. You may not let go of the rope during the game. Be the winner over peer pressure and remember whatever direction your being pulled use your strategies to win the battle!”

Sugary Drinks Make you Sick!

Equipment: sand, coke bottles, spoons, 4 cones , Ziploc bag with eight teaspoons of sand inside

Short Description of the game: Students will use the spoon to fill the coke bottles up with sand (sugar)

Directions and what to say to each class: Divide the class into four teams line up behind one of the buckets of sand and say, “How much sugar do you think is in a size soda like this? (hold up a soda bottle and have them guess). Eight teaspoons…that’s right……. Eight teaspoons of sugar. “Can you imagine dumping that much sugar on a bowl of oatmeal? What about a typical 20-ounce bottle of cola? 13 teaspoons of sugar! Drinking sugary drinks don’t provide your body with the needed nutrients. Today you will be playing a game called Sugary Drinks Make You Sick. In the game the first person in line will take the spoon and run down to the sugar (sand) and scoop it up with the spoon then take it down to the soda bottle and dump it in. Next they will run back to his/her team and give the spoon to the next person in line to do the same thing. Keep going until the bottle is full to the bottom of the label!!! You may not cup your hand around the spoon to grab more “sugar”.

Food Frenzy (not used for 2015 Field day)

Equipment: fake food, cafeteria trayShort Description of the game:Directions and what to say to each class: Eating a balanced diet just means that you choose foods in the right amounts from each of the food groups. Eating a balanced diet and exercising every day will help your body to stay healthy. It will provide your body with everything it needs to grow and repair itself. Today you will be playing a game called Food Frenzy. In the game you will have a food group you must “shop” for at the “grocery store” (a big pile of fake food). Team one you can be the Vegetable team, Team two you’re the fruit team, Team three you will shop for the Grain Group, Team four you will shop for the Dairy Group, and finally Team five will shop for the Meat and Beans Group. On the word “GO” the first person will run down and collect one example of food from that is part of their food group then run back and place it on the mat. After placing it on the mat they will run back to the team and tag the next person’s hand to go.” Keep going for a while and then share the results with the class.

Brush Brush(not used for 2015 Field day)

Equipment: six small brooms, cotton balls representing plaque, eyewear to protect the eyesShort Description of the game: students try to keep the plague off their teeth by brushing. Directions and what to say to each class: Two teams … students will one at a time sweep the teeth clean and get back in line….

Directions and what to say to each class: Divide the class into two teams and have them line up behind the green line. Now say, “Brushing your teeth is very important. It helps to prevent cavities, bad breath, and plaque from growing on your teeth. Today you will play a game called Brush Brush. When I say go the first three people in line from each team will pick up the sweepers and sweep all the plaque (cotton balls) to the other team’s side. When I say STOP you must go back to your team and give the sweepers to the next three people in line.” Make sure everyone gets a turn.

Muscles, Muscles make us Move

Equipment: tires, cones

Short Description of the game: Students will flip or roll (depending on which works best for their class/grade level)

Directions and what to say to each class: Having strong muscles is important in everyone’s life especially to lift and carry heavy objects like your book bag or band instrument! When you have strong muscles carrying and lifting heavy things is a lot easier. You will be able to tell if you are performing a muscle exercise if your muscles become sore and tired when working. Today you will be working your upper body muscles in a game called Muscles, Muscles, Make us Move. In the game the first person in line will roll (or flip) the tire to the other side of the blacktop, then they will roll (or flip) it back to the line. Keep going until everyone’s had a turn to build his/her muscles.

Protein Sling

Equipment: large sling shots, balls (eggs) Short Description of the game: Students will use the sling shots to launch the balls. Make sure they hold the ball with their hands through the middle of the sling shot rubber bands. Once they pull it back they have two seconds to let go. They can’t hold the sling for too long. Also the students holding the ends needs to hold the handles waist high, not near his/her face. They take turns in holding the handles and slinging the balls. The holders must stand still and not move the hands when holding the sling shot.Directions and what to say to each class: Divide the class into groups of three. Now say, “You probably know you need to eat protein, but what is it? Many foods contain protein but the best sources are beef, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, and legumes like black beans and lentils. Protein builds, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body. Not the tissues you blow your nose in! We mean the stuff your body's made up of like organs and muscles. Today you will play protein sling. In this game you will launch the “egg” out with a sling shot in a group of three. You and your two friends will work as a team and take turns launching the egg. The person who launches the egg retrieves it for the next person. After each person on the team of three has had one turn to launch the next three people in line will get a turn. Remember when holding the sling handles make sure you hold them low towards your stomach and the launcher remember you only have two seconds after you pull it back before you have to let go. Launcher also hold the “egg” on the stomach and bend down on one knee before letting go.”Cues for launching the egg that we used in P.E.-cover the chicken’s body with the blanket (sling). Reach through the rubber bands holding the egg with the fingers and thumb on top of blanket. “Tada!” Let go opening the hands away from the sling.

If this is too difficult for the younger students in Kindergarten and first grade they can just throw the ball as far as possible.

Healthy Hula Hoops

Short Description of the game: Students will hula hoop around the waist. You may have a contest to see who can hula hoop the longest.

Building Healthy HabitsShort Description of the game: Students in teams will stack Frisbees and cups as high as possibleEquipment: Frisbees, cupsDirections and what to say to each class: Divide the class into three or four teams and say, “Today you will be playing a game called Building Healthy Habits. Habits are hard to break. That's why the sooner in life we build good, healthy habits, the easier it is to keep them and stay as healthy as possible. Eating healthy, participating in regular physical activity, staying safe, and thinking healthy are the best way to get there. And when good habits are in place, it's easier to resist bad ones. In the game today you will build a tower of healthy habits as a team with the Frisbees and cups. Let see how high you can build without it falling or without you holding it up. Each team gets three chances to build strong healthy habits.”

Germ Catcher

Short Description of the game: Students in teams will dribble the ball in between the cones. When they get to the end they will place the ball between their knees or ankles and jump back to the next person in line.

Equipment: basketballs, cones

Stay …..Chalk Activity

Equipment: chalkShort Description of the game: Student’s will choose a piece of chalk to draw healthy food or write healthy vocabulary on the ground. They will not be permitted to change his/her color chalk and must hand it in at the end of their time at this station. I’d have them stay no longer than 7 minutes. In November all students learned healthy habits all beginning with the word “Stay”Stay FitStay FueledStay Safe Stay CleanStay HappyThey learned more specifics for each category that are posted in the cafeteria. They can either draw healthy habits or write healthy vocabulary.The information on the posters is attached.

Stay Fit!Get active- Every day for at least 60 minutes and do your thing! Things YOU like to do to stay active!

60 minutes- 60 minutes every day 60 minutes go out and play!

30 in your Target Heart Rate-Fourth and fifth grade you want to get your heart rate in your target heart rate zone for at least 30 of the 60 minutes!

Stay Fueled! Eat Healthy- Make sure you get all the nutrients your body needs by using MyPlate and eating from all the food groups. Know the difference between “some of the time foods” and “all the time foods”, eat breakfast to refuel your body after sleeping all night

Hydrate- Have at least four to eight glasses of water a day.

Rest- Get enough sleep, at least 10 to 11

hours a night for kids.

Stay Clean!Clean your body by taking a bath or shower -Especially if you get: dirty, sweaty, or have body odor. Wear clean clothes and use deodorant if

needed.

Wash your hands- Especially before eating, after going to the bathroom, or blowing your nose.

Brush your teeth- At least twice a day or after every meal.

Cover your sneezes-Sneeze into your elbow.

Stay Safe!Move safely-Move slowly in crowded spaces

Make sure your shoes are tied

Obey the safety rules

Wear protective gear- Wear your helmet when riding your skateboard, scooter, or any kind of bicycle.

Stay Happy!

Smile

Think positive thoughts

Spend time with friends and family

Find ways to be the boss of stress