Everyone is busy getting their kids back to school.  What a perfect time to take a little break and bring the kids to a Family Night that will mix fruits and vegetables and lots of FUN.  Nourish Interactive has been working with Fresh Choice to reach out to kids and promote healthy eating.  With September being National Childhood Obesity Awareness month, it is a reminder to us how important healthy foods and daily activity is for kids.

We are happy to let our San Mateo, CA and nearby Peninsula cities know that the Fresh Choice Restaurant in San Mateo will host its First Family Night.  Nourish Interactive will be there with nutrition education games to make fruits and vegetables fun for kids.

Click to go to Facebook Event Page!

Take a night off from cooking and enjoy fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables from their local farm while the kids have some fun learning about healthy food choices.

Just a few of the FREE & FUN nutrition activities for kids:

• Take a picture with Chef Solus
• Play Nourish Interactive Games- winner of Parents’ Choice Seal and Children’s Library Association Award
• Play tic-tac-toe   The vegetables versus Chef Solus
• Coloring fruits and vegetables while kids learn where produce really comes from!
• Spin the wheel, land on a fruit or vegetable and win a prize!
• Healthy eating out tips for parents to take home.
• Each child will have their name entered into a contest and have a chance to win a Wii game system.

Play the Yummy Drops Fruit Game and automatically get a FREE Kids meal coupon for Fresh Choice Restaurant!

More information:

Family Night event at Fresh Choice Restaurant in San Mateo, CA

Fresh Choice and Nourish Interactive Partnership

Nourish Interactive partnered with Fresh Choice!

Do we know what is really a healthy diet?  According to a recent study, 81% parents thought their child was having a healthy diet when in fact they were not.  It seems that parents assessed their child’s diet by looking at the three main meals they ate a day.  If the meals were balanced, then the parents rated the child’s diet as healthy.

This is part of a healthy diet for kids but you also have to look at:

• the amount of food eating (portion control)
• the snacks eating before and after meals (how many, what are they eating)
• processed foods versus natural ingredients
• junk food intake

These other variables can take a healthy balanced meal into a very unhealthy overall diet.

I have a little challenge for you-

I am going to recommend that you do a little family activity for 3 days.  And that is to help your child use a food journal and write down everything he/she eats.  Include the bits of this and nibbles of that.  Keep it light and fun for the kids so it doesn’t seem like a chore.  Maybe even a contest, who can complete and post their journal first each night.  Heck, the whole family could do it.

• Then you can use a meal planner and see what your child should be eating compared to what they are actually eating.  Look at the types of food they are eating.
• You will see where some family eating habit changes need to be made
• Next, pick one or two eating habits that you and your child are going to work on.

Little by little, you can change your family’s eating habit and it won’t feel so drastic.

You may be surprised at how easy it is to make one or two changes!  All adding up to a healthy child and healthier family.

We have some tools to help you get started:

Setting healthy goals with children

Goals and Food Journals – free, cute printables for kids

I’m Maggie LaBarbera, RN founder of Nourish Interactive- The Fun Way to Learn About Nutrition. I am excited to announce that four of my games are finalists in Apps for Healthy Kids Contest, sponsored by the “Let’s Move” Campaign.The Let’s Move Campaign is lead by our First Lady, Michelle Obama with a mission to fight childhood obesity.

The public is encouraged to vote for their favorite games which will determine the winner of the Popular Award. Popular Choice is where you come in! You can support our free healthy nutrition games by voting for the 4 games

Update- Vote soon the contest ends August 14th! Chef Solus’ Food Pyramid Adventure Game has the best chance, of the four games we have in the finals, of winning- you can help by going directly to this link:

Chef Solus’ on Apps for Healthy Kids to vote for this one game!
It take about 3 minutes.

We are so proud to be part of this contest and join other game developers in finding fun and creative solutions for kids. This recognition would really go a long way in helping us to reach more children and produce more free games and tools in English and Spanish! And that is what we want to do but need your help.

Large international gaming companies, hospitals, and universities have games in finals, they have access to a huge network of employees and associates to get support from for votes. We are a small California start-up made up of moms who are RNs and RDs and we can’t win without your support!

About Apps for Healthy Kids Challenge
Michelle Obama is looking for innovative ways to reach out to children and help them learn the importance of healthy eating and being active.  She launched this contest to challenge the nation to come up with creative tools and games that are fun and would engage children all the while promoting healthy choices.  Once again, the Obamas are seeing the value of technology and the importance of FUN when reaching out to children.

Well, FUN and healthy choices and games!  Yes, that is exactly what Nourish Interactive is all about.  Helping kids be healthier through early and FUN online games and tools.  So we were very excited about this challenge and more excited that our games have been been accepted into the contest!

We hope you choose to vote for us, you can vote for 1 game or all 4 games that we have in the contest.

Register HERE- Let’s Move Apps for Healthy Kids

Each link below will bring you to the contest page where you can try the game and vote!

Chef Solus and the Food Pyramid Adventure The food pyramid comes to life as kids travel through each slice and learn about the food groups in this fun adventure game

Healthy Harvest Maze kids learn about fruits and vegetables as they travel through a farm maze and harvest fruits and vegetables

Ride the Food Label kids learn how to read a food label and take a little virtual quiz

Kevin’s Build a Meal kids create a customize meal based on the USDA guidelines as they enter a virtual kitchen, school cafeteria and grocery store

Please check out our games and vote- we really appreciate your vote!

You can help spread the word and show support for our games by placing this banner on your webpage, blog, facebook, myspace, twitter! Please help us spread the word and to show your support copy and paste code:

<a href=”http://nourishinteractive.com/healthy-kids-games-contest” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://nourishinteractive.com/images/nutrition-games/Badge-childhood-obesity-apps-forhealthykids-contest.gif” /></a>

Thank you so much for your continued support!

About our Website and Games

Maggie LaBarbera, RN

We are a based company that is dedicated to supporting parents by providing them with useful information to help them improve their families health and nutrition and are devoted to educating children about the importance of nutrition and exercise.  We have over 37,000 members and 4000+ organizations that use our FREE website and educational games to help teach children and families about the importance of healthy eating and daily exercise!

We believe in the power of prevention and that starts by investing in our children’s health today. We acknowledge and support the key roles of both the parents and the health educators. All games are available in English or Spanish and the kids’ pages and games are completely ad- free. Read more about the Nourish Interactive and it’s mission.

Sincerely,

Maggie LaBarbera and The Nourish Interactive Team

( Moms, RNs and Registered Dietitians who believe all children should have access to quality early nutrition education. We hope you visit our website it’s fun and free!)

Related Resources:

See all of our free nutrition games and read about the nutrition concepts they teach- We have over 20 interactive nutrition education games for kids!

Nutrition Tools for Teaching-  online tools, lesson plans and printable healthy tips for schools,  youth centers, community websites

For Parents Healthy family tips sheets, mini wellness articles with kid-friendly tips, and more!

You may be interested in our visitor and member comments

See our showcase of organizations, schools, cities, websites and bloggers who share our free games with their communities

Sign up for free membership

Contest Information

Read more about our submission

Read the rules for contest

Contest Prizes and Judging

The “Let’s Move” campaign, lead by Michelle Obama, has incorporated the Healthier US School challenge into her campaign.   As part of her goal to raise a healthier generation of kids, there are monetary incentive awards for schools that are focusing on healthier alternatives as part of their lunch program.

Currently 732 schools from 32 states have recognition and an award for their work.  Her goal is to have 1250 schools receive an award by June 2011.

Learn more how your school can participate and be recognized for helping kids be healthier

Awards include

• Bronze – $500
• Silver- $1000
• Gold- $1500
• Gold Award of Distinction- $2000

June 21 is National Summer Learning Day.  There are events occurring all over the United States to raise awareness about the importance of continuing education during summertime.

To find an event near you, go to the National Summer Learning Association, they have a map that you can click on to find a celebration near you.

Summer Learning Day is a nationwide advocacy celebration—a holiday to mark the importance of summer learning. It is a chance for summer learning programs to share with funders, families, teachers, principals, mayors, city councilmen, school boards, and others the contributions they make to the lives of children and families.

Did you know that numerous studies have shown that children experience “learning loss” when they do not participate in some type of educational activity during summer.  Most students will lose about two months of grade level equivalency in math skills.

There are many fun ways to have kids keep learning during summertime but is not the traditional in-class model that kids want a break from.  Online learning opportunities for kids are available and many of them for free.

We are happy to be one of those free sites that can keep your child learning in a fun way about nutrition.

As a summertime program, you can use our numerous online nutrition education games and lesson plans to teach kids as well as our growing printable worksheets and learning sheets.  We are here to support learning throughout the year in a fun and positive way.

Happy Summer Learning Day!

Thank you Teachers for a wonderful year of learning.   We want you to know that we appreciate the caring and supportive manner in which you teach our children every day.  We applaud your dedication and part in raising a healthy child and incorporating nutrition education as part of your curriculum.

Nutrition is really the core subject for creating a healthy child and to say thank you, Nourish Interactive made this image just for you!

Have a wonderful summer and looking forward to more nutrition fun at the start of the new school year!

Resources:

Summer Backpack Kit - Keep the kids on track for healthy choices this summer with a daily healthy tips calendar, snacking tips and a cute healthy snacks tracking sheet.

I remember reading my children stories right before they went to sleep.  Of course that was when they were little and that was quite a while ago.  But I still keep an eye out for cute stories that parents can read to their children that have a healthy message.

Well, I found a cute story with a healthy message that your child might enjoy for storytime.  It’s called Sending you Sammy by Sarah Butland.  A cute little story with happy artwork about a little boy who is chosen to be a superhero because he likes healthy foods.  He becomes BananaBoy and is tasked to help his friends eat healthier too.

What I love is story time is another fun and memorable time to promote healthy eating in a fun and positive way.  I tested it out on my 6 year old niece and she had lots of questions which gave me the opportunity to talk about the importance of healthy foods and how it makes her grow and do well in school and have energy to have fun and more.

Read more about the book and upcoming events associated with Adventures of Sammy.  For kids, Sarah has created a free fanclub.

You can find the book at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

That is what this is all about.  It is about reaching out to children in many different ways and introducing healthy foods in fun, creative and positive ways.   There are many ways to introduce nutrition and reinforce it.

We have started a list of healthy storytime books for kids below. If you have a special or creative way that you help your children eat healthier, please share it with us by leaving a comment.

Links to books:

Sending you Sammy- Book

We Eat Food That’s Fresh- Book and CD

Havoc at the Hillside Market- Book

I am happy to share with you some exciting news.  Nourish Interactive has teamed up with Fresh Choice Restaurants to promote healthy eating to kids.

To combat all the junk food marketing, we need to also provide fun “marketing” or education about healthy foods.  ie. “It is fun to eat healthy foods!”  That is our goal and by extending ourselves into this restaurant, we can work together to offer kids healthy foods while they are learning about healthy eating in a positive way.

We are very excited about this partnership because Fresh Choice is very much aligned with our goals to promote healthy eating in a fun and positive way.  Fresh Choice has their own farm and serves fresh produce as part of their daily menu.

I can honestly say, that when my children were young, we went to this restaurant because it was affordable, catered to families and their foods were nutritious.  You won’t find a 600 calorie burger at this restaurant.  But the selection is healthy and varied enough so that the kids and adults could all find dishes that were delicious.  That is not always easy to find as a parent.

And as part of our partnership,

• we will be promoting nutrition to kids in the restaurant through fun positive messaging.  For example, this month, kids will receive a free nutrition coloring page to enjoy as the family enjoys their meal
• offering a free kids meal coupon to kids that play the new Yummy Drops game (our new online game that promotes the fruit group. )

About our In-Restaurant Nutrition Education for Kids

We are starting with a farm to table education series.  It is surprising but many kids don’t really know where fruits and vegetables come from.  Our goal is to help them learn in a fun way where fruits and vegetables come from as they journey from the farm to the restaurant.  There is much research indicating that helping kids connect with fresh fruits and vegetables will peak their interest and taste buds to eat more of them.  We know that most kids do not get their adequate servings of fruits and vegetables and our mission is to change that.

And this is just the start.  We have lots of other ideas on how to reach out to kids during their restaurant experience to promote healthy food choices!

Look for Chef Solus and the produce bunch at the Fresh Choice Restaurant!

How to get your Free Kids Meal Coupon:

Just have your child play the Yummy Drops game (also available in Spanish) and then at the end of the game,  click on the link that says “Open your surprise”.   This will open a pdf that has a little maze game, certificate for being an Ace Pilot and delivering fresh fruits, and a free kids’ meal coupon for Fresh Choice Restaurants and Zoopa Restaurants.

Just print the kids meal coupon and bring it the nearest Fresh Choice or Zoopa Restaurant.

Located in the California, Washington and Texas (Find a Fersh Choice or Zoopa Restaurant near you)

“Farm Fresh Food Coloring Page” for kids- Fresh Choice “Fun Pages”

More About Fresh Choice and Why We Feel They Are A Great Partner

These were the characteristics about this Restaurant that really impressed me:

Fresh Choice is committed to healthy foods (See their menu for yourself):

• all their fresh fruits and vegetables come from local farms, including their own Fresh Choice farm
• their dishes are designed to use the seasonal fruits and vegetables, everything is fresh (really just picked)
• all their foods are well labeled and every dish has the calories listed to help patrons make informed portion selections
• Fresh Choice offers a very impressive spread of healthy foods, mostly great salads, vegetables and fruits
• their dips, dressings and desserts are all available in the low calorie versions
• they also have healthy pizzas! that taste great and kids love

Cater to families:

• they are very affordable for families
• they have a casual environment which is great for kids
• they work with the community to promote reading through their “Lettuce Read” program
• they support fund raising for schools

Fresh Choice commitment to the environment:

• participates in the ClimateSmart program to reduce greenhouse gases.  Their changes are estimated to reduce 8.8 million pounds of greenhouse emissions (equivalent to taking 731 cars off the road each year.)

Quick Resources:

Free Kids Meal Coupon- Play Game – get your free kids meal coupon, while your child hears some positive messaging about fruits

Yummy Drops Game in Spanish

Fresh Choice Partnership page

Fresh Choice Restaurant locations

Fresh Choice Menu

Yesterday was Earth Day and a reminder of the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables.

In honor of Earth Day, we have put together some of our favorite coloring sheets that promote healthy fresh fruits and vegetables and farming coloring sheets.

Please hit the share button and help us spread the fun to kids – It’s fun to learn about fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, eating healthy fresh foods saves our planet!

You’ll reduce your carbon footprint by cutting back on meat just once a week. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the meat industry generates nearly 1/5 of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide. Our precious water resources are exhausted daily and the demand continues to grow. Approximately 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. This total far surpasses the amount of water needed for vegetables and grains.

Slideshow of our Healthy Fruits, Vegetables, Farming Coloring Pages

Visit our website to get full size version to print out and share with kids:

Eating Healthy Fruits and Vegetables-Fun Learn and Color Activities

Farm to Table- Fresh Foods Coloring Pages for Kids

Tips for Increasing daily vegetables and fruits - ‘Nourish Healthy Kids’ article for parents

Coloring, Activity Pages, Games, Tools and Articles are Available in English or Spanish

We are really excited to share with you a new resource from our partners Healthy Monday¡  They are launching today a new section of their website devoted to COOKING WITH KIDS!

Their new section will feature:

• Tips on ways to involve children in the kitchen safely.
• Recipes that kids can help with, organized by age
• Instructional videos demonstrating new recipes and how children can participate
• And more to come!

There is so many compelling research showing the benefits to bringing kids into the kitchen and letting them participate in meal planning, shopping and cooking.  This is a great way and a fun way to have them learn about fresh foods and healthy foods!  The more they interact with healthy foods, the more they will be likely to eat them.

The kitchen represents important family time and a wonderful opportunity to help kids learn to love fresh foods, cooking and healthy meals.

We are happy to share each Monday a new “Kids Cook Monday” Tip.

Serve vegetables as an appetizer.  For example, start dinner with two green beans and two carrots!  If they’re served last or with other foods, kids often fill themselves up and leave vegetables behind.  (Kids Cook Monday Tips-Source Laptop Lunches)