Fun in the Sun Health and Nutrition Preschool Activities

Young children will learn that eating healthy foods and exercise keep our bodies healthy and strong. Twiggi, Lily, and their friends are having fun in the sun, but Raccoon stays inside to eat his favorite foods (cake, hamburger, and fries) and doesn’t move from his place while watching TV. When he finally decides to join in the fun, Raccoon is too out of shape to get out of his burrow without help. His friends remind him that he has to exercise and eat right to stay healthy.

Before Reading

Explain to children that living things need different things to live and grow up healthy. Ask children what they need to grow and stay healthy (food, water, air, movement, shelter, love). Read or listen to the Twiggle Book Fun in the Sun.

During Reading

Talk about the cover art. Let children predict and discuss what the book is about. Ask children to look at the illustrations on each page to help them understand the story and make predictions about what happens next. Ask question like, "Why do you think Raccoon doesn't want to join them? Do you think the food Raccoon is eating is healthy? Would you like to play with Twiggi? What do you like to play outside? Do you think Raccoon will go and play with his friends? Afterwards, give your child a chance to read the book together with you or aloud to you. As you reread the story, point out the healthy food choices and the not so healthy food choices. Play the Fun in the Sun game to help Raccoon make healthy food choices.

Preschool Activities:

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After Reading

Talk about the story and how it relates to children’s experiences. Let children color the Lily and Twiggi coloring page or write and draw to expand on the story. For independent reading, print out the printable version of the booklet.

Preschool Activities:

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Language / Health / Nutrition

Discuss with children that our body needs food to give us energy to move, think, grow, and stay healthy. Place the picture of the train on the board.

Preschool Activities:

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Explain that our body is like a train engine. It needs energy to pull the railroad cars. Ask: Can you think of any food that would help your body to be healthy and strong (vegetables, fruits, grains, milk, meat)? Let's name these food items "Energy GO" food. These foods give our body everything it needs to grow and go. Some foods can make our body slow. Explain to children that it is okay to eat these foods sometimes, but not too much because they can make our body slow. Ask: Can you name any food that you shouldn't eat too much of (fries, hamburger, hotdog, chips, cake, candies, cookies, ice cream)? Let's name these items "Sometimes SLOW" food. If we eat too much of these foods the train cars will get very heavy and the train engine won't have enough strength to pull them because it didn't get enough Energy Go food.

Pick a picture of a food and ask children the name of the food. Let children decide if the food goes on to the train engine "Energy GO" or on the railroad car "Sometimes SLOW."

Preschool Activities:

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Preschool Activities:

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Preschool Activities:

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Preschool Activities:

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Sing the song and insert the name of the food at the end of the rhyme.

Are You Hungry?
(Tune: Are You Sleeping?)
Adapted by Jolanda Garcia, KidsSoup Inc.

Are you hungry?
Are you hungry?
Yes, I am,
Yes, I am.
What is there to eat, please?
What is there to eat, please?
Look, look, look
A hamburger I took. (Pretend to eat the food.)

Repeat with a different food. Use three Sometimes SLOW foods (cake, ice cream, hamburger) in a row. Ask children how our body would feel right now. How can we change it? Yes, by eating some healthy "GO foods." Use a healthy food choice for the next turn (salad, rice, meat, fruit, etc.).

Math

Skill: Compare two sets to determine if they are equal.

In a small group, pass around a basket of foods cards. Tell each child how many foods he or she may take: Lisa, you may have one. Philipp, you may take two. Let everyone have at least one food. Let children look at the food and group them in to GO and SLOW food. Help children compare the sets they have. Ask: Who has two healthy GO foods? Who has more GO foods than SLOW foods? Who has only one SLOW food?

Health and Exercise

Objectives: Children will learn that being active and exercising help the body to stay healthy and strong.

Preschool Activities:

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Explain to children that our body’s engine needs to exercise and move a lot to keep strong and healthy. Moving keeps our heart, lungs, and muscles strong and healthy. When we exercise hard we need to make sure that our body doesn’t run out of energy. We need to drink water and fill our body with healthy food that will gives us lots of energy. Sing the Healthy Twiggles song and get ready to wiggle and giggle with your children by dancing and singing along with Lily to the Healthy Twiggles song.

Preschool Activities:

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Healthy Twiggles Song

We wiggle, wiggle fast; (Wiggle fast.)
And we wiggle, wiggle slow. (Wiggle slow.)

We learn to stay healthy (Wiggle with hands on the hips.)
from head to toe! (Touch head with both hands, then bend down to point to toes.)

We jump up high; (Jump up with arms stretched high.)
And we jump down low. (Jump low.)

It’s fun to be healthy (Put hands on hips.)
from head to toe! (Touch head with both hands, then bend down to point to toes.)

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Jump in front (Jump to the front.)
and jump to the back (Jump to the back.)
Turn around and (Turn around.)
clap your hands. (Claps hands three times.)

Step to the right (Step to the right with arms on hips.)
and step to the left (Step to the left with arms on hips.)
Touch your toes
that's how it goes. (Bend down to touch toes and jump up again.)

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We wiggle, wiggle fast; (Wiggle fast.)
And we wiggle, wiggle slow. (Wiggle slow.)

We learn to stay healthy (Wiggle with hands on the hips.)
from head to toe! (Touch head with both hands, then bend down to point to toes.)

We jump up high; (Jump up with arms stretched high.)
And we jump down low. (Jump low.)

It’s fun to be healthy (Put hands on hips.)
from head to toe! (Touch head with both hands, then bend down to point to toes.)

Movement and Game

Freeze Dance
Play some lively music and have children dance and move around. When the music stops, the children must freeze. When the music starts up again, they can move and dance. At the end of this activity, have children lie on their back and feel their heart.

Discuss with children if they were sweating during the exercise. Explain that our bodies get hot during exercise and that our body is using water inside to cool off. So we sweat. Stress the fact that we need to drink water to get some water back into our body. Explain that sodas and other drinks with added sugars are not good to get water back into our body.