NO! Don't Clean Your Plate!

I love the first point in this article about why and when the idea of “clean your plate” started! I remember when my kids were very young, and the only thing their dad had to say at the table was “clean your plate”, to which I would always respond that they don’t need to! Even after spending years of trying to get him to see the healthier side of things he would still say “finish your meat”, to which I would respond “no, they don’t need to. The healthiest things on their plate were the vegetables they already finished.”!!!

Great article from AuPair.org. Read it…

10 Reasons to Abolish the Clean Plate Club

American kids are taught to clean their plates. “There are children starving in Africa”, is the mantra  they hear repeated throughout their young lives. So, one may wonder, how does stuffing my face here in Peoria help end world hunger? The truth is, it’s time to put that idea to bed, and we’ll give you ten reasons why. Here then, are 10 reasons to abolish the Clean Plate Club:

1. The campaign began during war time, when READ MORE

Exercise at School Promotes learning

Didn’t we already know this? Haven’t we been saying this for years? Plead with your school to incorporate physical activities into the school day. Try your best to see that your kids get enough out of school. Beginning of the day is optimal!!!

Bikes, Balls In Class, How Phys Ed Transformed One School

Sound body, sound mind has long been the accepted wisdom.

But schools have traditionally promoted brains and brawn separately.

Not so at Naperville Central High School west of Chicago. Here the kids who struggle with math and reading go to gym class first.

“What we’re trying to do here is jump start their brain,” says Paul Zientarski, chairman of the Physical Education Department at Naperville.

So the very first class of the day is physical education.

And at Naperville, exercise isn’t confined to the gym. There are bikes and balls right in the classroom. Even in reading class, these kids are constantly on the move. READ MORE

Element Bars for Holiday Gifts! On sale now!

Don’t forget to check out the GKM YUM ME! bars from Element Bars. They would make a fun and healthy gift for your loved ones. At Element Bars you can even create your own recipes for a custom fit or choose from their powerhouse ready recipes!

Think FUN and YUM ME! for the holidays! Check out this funy video from Element Bars. Share and save 15%!

Introducing the YUM ME! Snack Bar Designed By GKM! at Element Bars

Do your kids love snacks? Crunchy snacks? It’s hard to find crunchy snacks that are healthy, but we found an awesome solution!!! Get Kids Moving created our own YUM ME! bar at Element Bars. Our YUM ME! bars are rich in Vitamins A & C, loaded with Calcium & Iron, and low in sodium. And, of course, they’re yummy!

At  Element Bars the healthy and “yummy” snack solution is easy and FUN! You can have fun building your own snack bar. All the ingredients are healthy options and many are offered as organic. You can even add boosts for things such as immunity, bone health, heart health and more.

How cool is this…As you add ingredients, the nutrion label automatically updates so you know immediately what the health benfits are of the bar you’re creating.  The site will even coach you on ingredients that “fit” together; this way you don’t design a bar that you’re not going to like. The ingredients and boosts are labelled with their particular health benefit (heart health, brain function, etc…). If you want a bit of help from a nutritionist, that’s available too!

If you don’t want to create your own bar, you can choose from the prepared recipes, all healthy and delicious. You can even choose the recipe designed by Get Kids Moving for the YUM ME! bar!

This is an awesome idea, a fun site and a great snacking solution for the health conscious!  Build your own custom energy bar today.

Plan Now for Winter Trails Day 2012!

NATIONWIDE: Learn winter sports for FREE on January 7th!

If you are new to winter sports, snowshoe and cross country are easy to learn and fun for all ages making them perfect for families and groups and they are a great way to get some exercise.  We’ll have the experts and the equipment on hand to help you get started, all you have to do is show up ready to have fun.

Discover your new winter passion!

Winter Trails Day involves almost 100 resorts and Nordic Centers nationwide, and gets 11,000 kids and adults on the snow each year.  Please visit our Find A Site page to search for a site near you.

READ MORE about Winter Trails Day