2018-2019 Nutrition & Physical Activity Classroom Calendar

Nutrition & Physical Activity Classroom Calendar

Research shows that kids who are physically active and eat well learn better.  The Poe Center has created this calendar with that in mind.  Developed based on teacher feedback, this calendar features useful health information along with easy-to-use classroom activities designed to integrate nutrition and physical activity into the classroom throughout the year.  We encourage you to share this resource with teachers, other educators, parents, etc.
It is Poe’s gift to you!

 

DOWNLOAD A COPY of the 2018-2019 CALENDAR HERE (file will download automatically).

 

WAIT THERE’S MORE!
We have provided a list of resources and references used to develop the calendar. Each month also features extra activities to do with your students.

August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July

 

---

 

AUGUST – Water

References/Resources:

• Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. (n.d.). Seasonality Chart: Fruit and Nuts.
• Margolis, R. E. (n.d.). Why Do We Need to Drink Water?
• Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, September 05). Water: How much should you drink every day?
• Mullen, M., MS, RD, & Shield, J., MED RD LD. (2016, May 03). Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Water: How Much Do Kids Need? 

Additional Activities:

• • Gough, K. (2013, March 15). International waffle day recipes. 
  • Kledzik, K. (2015, April 01). 22 dog-themed lesson plans for teachers.
  • Left Handers Day. (2016). Celebrate Left Handers Day with your own lefty zone.
  • Lemonade Day! (2016). Lemonade day national.
  • Sears, M. (2016). Day trips for book lovers. 
  • Watermelon.Org. (n.d.). Host a watermelon day.

(back to top)

SEPTEMBER – Fresh & Fun Snacking

References/Resources:

• US Department of Health & Human Services. Fruits & Veggies – More Matters Month.
• Sunshine and Hurricanes: Smart Parenting with Purpose. Easy Fruit and Cracker Pizzas.

Additional Activities:

• • Boys and Girls Clubs of America. (n.d.). Boys and girls clubs day for kids.
  • Boys and Girls Clubs of America. (2016). Day for kids. 
  • Eats Amazing. Easy Recipes for Kids: Frozen Fruity Yoghurt Bites.
  • EdHelper. (n.d.). Pizza theme unit.
  • Education World. (2016). Awesome autumn!
  • Hot Chalk. (2016). Labor day lessons and teacher resources.
  • Knott, S. (2013). Three sisters garden. 
  • Magud, E. (January 13). Lesson plans: Pizza theme day (Elementary).
  • National September 11 Memorial & Museum. (2016). Lesson Plans.
  • Roderick, T. (2015, September 08). 9/11 Anniversary Teaching Guide.
  • Scholastic. (2016). Autumn lesson plans and ideas.
  • Scholastic. (2016). Celebrate national children’s book week.
  • Scholastic. (2016). Understanding September 11. 
  • TeacherVision. (2016). Autumn teacher resources.
  • TeacherVision. (2016). Labor day resources for teachers. 
  • Zauber, K. (2015, July 21). Labor day curriculum resources. 

(back to top)

OCTOBER – October Mental Well Being

References/Resources:

• What Health. (2016). October 2016 Health Awareness Events. 
• Harvard Health Publications-Harvard Medical School. (2009, July). Sleep and mental health.
• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). What Is Mental Health? 
• World Health Organization. (2003). WHO definition of Health. 

Additional Activities:

• • A to Z Teacher Stuff. (2016). Pumpkins lesson plans, activities, printables, and teaching ideas. 
  • American Heart Association. (2016). Healthy kids.
  • Burns, J. H. (2016). Great anti-bullying activities and lesson plans. 
  • Cultivating a Healthy Food System. (2016). For teachers. 
  • Education World. (2016). Anti-bullying activities. 
  • Education World. (n.d.). Pick a pumpkin activity! 
  • Education World. (1999). 35 chocolate activities. 
  • Education World. (n.d.). Halloween lesson plans and activities. 
  • Gonzalez, J. (2014). Food education. 
  • Haynes, K. (2016). Halloween classroom activities for any grade.
  • Internet4Classrooms. (2015, December 2). Chocolate factory: Activities, lesson plans and games.
  • Nast, P. (2015, September 13). Columbus day, grades k-5. 
  • Nast, P. (2015, September 14). Halloween lessons, activities and resources, grades k-5.
  • Nast, P. (2015). Teaching students to prevent bullying. 
  • National Farmers Union. (2016). Education materials. 
  • National Pasta Day. (2015). National past day.
  • National Wildlife Federation. (2016). Sustainable food curriculum connections. 
  • Nemours. Children’s Health System. (2016). Healthy children’s activities. 
  • Nourish Interactive. (2016). Kids healthy activity fun – nutrition themed arts and crafts for children promoting healthy habits. 
  • No Time For Flash Cards. (2015, October 29). National oatmeal day. 
  • PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. (2016). Educator toolkits and activities. 
  • ReadWriteThink. (2016). Celebrate columbus day! 
  • Scholastic. (2016). Teacher lesson plans. 
  • Shelby, B. (2012, January 2). No Bake Recipes. 
  • Spark. (2016). Physical activities to keep children healthy. 
  • TeacherVision. (2016). Columbus day teacher resources. 
  • TeacherVision. (2016). Food resources for teachers. 
  • The Teacher’s Corner. (2016). Chocolate. 
  • Utah Agriculture in the Classroom. (2013). Pumpkins…not just for Halloween. 
  • Walk Bike to School. (2016). Walk bike to school. 
  • Zimmerman, A. (2015, November 10). 4 pasta lessons for older kids.
  • Zimmerman, A. (2011, October 26). The pumpkin project – math, science, and fun! | Scholastic.com. 

(back to top)

NOVEMBER – Healthy Holidays

References/Resources:

• Dalton, H. (2012, November 13). Free printable turkey snack – make fun treat cups for Thanksgiving! 
• United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). MyPlate holiday makeover [Infographic]. 

Additional Activities:

• • Busy Teachers Cafe. (n.d.). Election theme unit. 
  • Delta Dental and Delta Dental of Wisconsin Blog. (2016, January 07). Lesson plans for smart smiles: Dental health resources for the classroom. 
  • Delta Dental and McMillen Center for Health Education. (2013, January). Oral health lesson plans, first grade.
  • Education World. (n.d.). Daylight saving time: five resources for the classroom. 
  • Education World. (n.d.). Internet scavenger hunt: daylight savings time. 
  • Education World. (2015, November 07). Thanksgiving lesson plans and activities.
  • Education World. (2016, February 14). The election: classroom activities.
  • Education World. (2014, November 11). Veterans day lesson plans and activities.
  • Moran, D. (n.d.). Celebrate national sandwich day. 
  • Nast, P. (2015, November 9). Thanksgiving Ideas for the classroom. 
  • Nast, P. (2015, October 16). Veterans day activities. 
  • Nast, P. (2015, October 16). Veterans day activities, grades k-5. 
  • Education World. National stress awareness day. (2016). 
  • Scholastic. (2016). A feast of thanksgiving ideas and crafts.
  • Scholastic. (2016). Elections: everything you need. 
  • Teacher Planet. (2016). Daylight saving time. 
  • TeacherVision. (2016). Thanksgiving. 
  • TeacherVision. (2016). Veterans day – teacher resources. 
  • Visit NC. (2016). Hiking in NC – North Carolina travel & tourism.

(back to top)

DECEMBER – Exercise

References/Resources:

• President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. (n.d.). Be active-why is it important?
• Walk Bike to School. (n.d.). About bike to school day.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015, June 04). Physical activity and health. 
• National Health Service. (2015, July 13). Benefits of exercise. 
• President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. (n.d.). Physical activity. 

Additional Activities:

• • A to Z Teacher Stuff. (n.d.). Gingerbread houses. 
  • Education World. (2014, December 01). A blizzard of winter lessons!
  • Education World. (2015). December holiday lesson plans and activities.
  • Education World. (2014, December 09). Happy new year! 
  • HotChalk. (2016). Lessons and teacher resources for the new years. 
  • Nast, P. (2015, November 9). Winter-themed classroom resources, grades k-5. 
  • Scholastic. (2016). Attack on pearl harbor teacher’s guide. 
  • TeacherVision. (2016). New year’s.
  • Teacher Planet. (2016). New year’s. 
  • Teaching Heart. (2012, November). The gingerbread man theme unit. 
  • The Teacher’s Corner. (2016). Winter activities. 

(back to top)

JANUARY – MyPlate

References/Resources:

• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.). Follow a healthy eating pattern across the lifespan [Infographic]. 

Additional Activities:

• • Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom. (n.d.). A field of beans. 
  • Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom. (n.d.) A bean is a seed. 
  • United States. National Park Service. (n.d.). The bean lab elementary lesson. 
  • Arcand, B. (2016, January 09). Chocolate dipped dried fruit {national apricot day}. 
  • Shelby, B. (2011, July 11). Milk day-themes for a day. 
  • Shelby, B. (2010, September 20) Popcorn theme. 
  • Popcorn.org. (2016). For teachers. 
  • Nast, P. (2015, September 13). Popcorn activities, grades k-5. 
  • Nast, P. (2015, September 13). Popcorn activities, grades 6-8. 
  • Poquette, S. (2016). Healthy granola bar recipes for national granola bar day. 

(back to top)

FEBRUARY – Dairy

References/Resources:

• Best Bones Forever. (n.d.) What’s in your bones?
• United States Department of Agriculture. (2016, January 12). Non-dairy sources of calcium. 
• United States Department of Agriculture. (2015, June 26). Tips to making wise choices in the dairy group. 

Additional Activities:

• • Best Bones Forever. (n.d.) What’s in your bones?
  • Bonnie Cabbage Program. (2016). Bonnie cabbage program. 
  • Emerson, S., & Risso, M. (2013). Luscious leaves. 
  • Grow For It. (2016). Strawberries in schools. 
  • Grow for It. (n.d.). Strawberries: The berry bucket.
  • National Constitution Center. (n.d.). Freedom day-grades k-4. 
  • National Constitution Center (n.d.) Freedom day-middle school and high school. 
  • National Agriculture in the Classroom, Bailey, R., Jones, M. P., Nicolau, J., & Tenhunfeld, D. (2013). Science and poetry with almonds, grades 3-5. 
  • National Agriculture in the Classroom, Bailey, R., Jones, M. P., Nicolau, J., & Tenhunfeld, D. (2013). Nutritious almonds, grades 3-5.
  • Ray, J., Balcerzak, P., Williams, B., & Samson, C. (2016, April 30). Red cabbage chemistry activity.
  • Scholastic. (2016). Teaching kindness for valentine’s day. 
  • Taylor, S. (2012, February 10). Be my valentine: activities that build friendship in the classroom.
  • TeacherVision. (2016). The life of milton hershey. 
  • TeacherVision. (2016). Top 15 valentine’s day printables for k-8. 

(back to top)

MARCH – Fruits & Vegetables

• Little Food Junction. (2009, October 21). The hungry caterpillar. 
• United States Department of Agriculture. (2015, June 9). 10 Tips nutrition education series. 

Additional Activities:

• • Celebrate Picture Books. (n.d.). National pack your lunch day. 
  • Homeschool Helpers. (2016). National take a walk in the park day. 
  • Kids Health in the Classroom. (2015). School lunch-grades 6-8.
  • National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Ideas for bringing humor into the classroom. 
  • The Teacher’s Corner. (n.d.). Activities & lessons for march events. 

(back to top)

APRIL – Gardening

References/Resources:

• Better Homes and Garden. (n.d.). 10 Steps to beginning a garden. 
• Poe Center for Health Education. Poe & Grow Garden: Build Your Own School Garden. 

Additional Activities:

• • American Heart Association. (2016, April 5). National walking day. 
  • Arbor Day Foundation. (2016). Explore educational resources-arbor day. 
  • Beth’s Music Classroom. (n.d.). Peanut butter and jelly song/rhyme. 
  • Child Care Lounge. (2016). Pretzel theme and activities. 
  • Davis, M. (2013, March 22). April fool’s day in the classroom: 8 resources for teachers. 
  • Education World. (n.d.). Earth day lesson plans and activities.
  • Hot Chalk. (2016). National arbor day. 
  • Nast, P. (2016, February 9). Earth day curriculum resources, grades k-5.
  • Nast, P. (2016, February 9). Earth day curriculum resources, grades 6-8. 
  • Teacher Planet. (2016). April fools.
  • Teach-a-roo. (2015, January 25). Peanut butter, jelly time! using functional and informational text in the classroom. 
  • TeacherVision. (2016). Gardening resources. 
  • The Teacher’s Guide. (2013). The teacher’s guide-free worksheets, SMARTboard templates, and lesson plans for teachers. 

(back to top)

MAY – Whole Grains

References/Resources:

• United States Department of Agriculture. (2015, June 16). Tips to help you eat whole grains.
• The Whole Grains Council. (2013). 

Additional Activities:

• • Boulton, G. (n.d.). National dance like a chicken day.
  • Erickson, C. (n.d.). Spread your feathers and dance like a chicken. 
  • Evans, S. (2013, April 22). Tree activities for kids. 
  • Finke, M. (2016, May 9). Where to pick strawberries in the triangle. 
  • Gold, M. (2015, April 29). Fun activities for teacher appreciation week. 
  • Haberlin, S. (n.d.). The “gift” of mindfulness and meditation.
  • LaBarbera, M. (2013, May 8). Happy national school nurse’s day.
  • National Education Association. (2015). Ideas and activities for celebrating national teacher day.
  • National Education Association. (2015). National teacher day.
  • National Education Association. (2015). School nurse day. 
  • National Wildlife Federation. (2011, May 12). The five best ways to celebrate love a tree day. 
  • Planet Ark. (2016, March 14). Lesson plans & learning resources.
  • Safe Routes-National Center for Safe Routes to School. (n.d.). Event & activities-walk and bike to school day.
  • Tesco. (2016). Sweet strawberries: introductory activity ideas ages 5-7.
  • United States Department of Agriculture. (2013, June). The strawberry patch.
  • Walk Bike to School. (n.d.). Bike to school day. 

(back to top)

JUNE – Protein

References/Resources:

• Brownielocks and the 3 bears. (2016). June holidays and observances.
• Men’s Health Month. (n.d.). Men’s health week. 
• United States Department of Agriculture. (2016, January). Vary Your Protein Routine. 
• United States Department of Agriculture. (2015, June 9). 10 Tips nutrition education series.

Additional Activities:

• • American Hiking Society. (2016). Find an event near you – national trails day. 
  • American Hiking Society. (2016). National trails day®.
  • Education World. (2016). Earth day lesson plans and activities.
  • Lipoff, S. (2014, July 2). Watermelon seed spitting contest. 
  • SoftSchools. (2016). World environment day games. 
  • SoftSchools. (2016). World environment day worksheets. 

(back to top)

JULY – Nutrition Facts Label

References/Resources:

• Best Bones Forever. (n.d.). Reading food labels.

Additional Activities:

• Dizzy Feet Foundation. (2016). National dance day.
• Education World. (2016). Independence day lessons and activities. 
• Hot Chalk. (2016). 4th of July lesson plans and teacher resources.
• Nast, P. (2016, May 2). Learning about independence day, grades k-5.
• National Agriculture in the Classroom. (2013). National agricultural literacy curriculum matrix. 
• TeacherVision. (2016). Fourth of July – teacher resources. 

(back to top)

 

Or, DOWNLOAD A COPY of the 2017-2018 CALENDAR HERE (file will download automatically).