Melanie's Corner

Kids today are always running and teens are a group who love their sleep. So how do you convince them that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Through constant reminders that get them thinking.

That’s why Learning ZoneXpress has created the book of Five Minute Breakfast Activities. It is an essential classroom resource filled with creative activity ideas and recipes that will encourage students to start the day off with a healthy meal. Activities are divided into age-appropriate levels.

It’s full of constant, yet fun, reminders that breakfast is good nutrition. Here’s is a sample of the classroom mini-lesson activities in the book:

Early Childhood (Preschool and Kindergarten) activities include:

• Making Choices
• Emergent Math Skills
• Letter Recognition

Elementary Education activities include:

• Healthy Foods
• Cause and Effect
• Art/Imagination

Middle School and High School activities include:

• Nutrition
• Planning
• Analyzing

It’s not too early to be thinking about celebrating Nutrition Month in March. It’s a great excuse for spreading the word about good nutrition choices. In honor of our Nutrition Month, Learning ZoneXpress has recently unveiled a series of tri-fold brochures that are great for educating families, parents and students. The brochures are colorful, high quality pamphlets on a range of topics:

• Breakfast Basics (Lo Esencial del Desayuno) Spanish Tri-fold Brochure – The breakfast pamphlet explains (in Spanish) the benefits of breakfast, what nutrients to include at breakfast time, quick breakfasts that take little time to prepare, and a listing of easy foods to grab for breakfast on the go.
• Eating Well With MyPlate (Comer Bien con MiPlato) Spanish Tri-fold Brochures – This informational MyPlate nutrition pamphlet explains (in Spanish) the symbolism of the MyPlate icon, how to build a healthy plate, tips for portion size, how to get a personalized calorie plan, the importance of physical activity, and foods to reduce.
• Handy Portions Tri-fold Brochure – The Handy Portion Tri-fold Brochure is practical guide to navigating portion sizes at meal times by using your hands to help measure and estimate portion sizes. This educational nutrition brochure features 1 cup and 1/2 cup portions of healthy food choices photographed in real hands.
• MyPlate On a Budget Tri-fold Brochures – The MyPlate nutrition pamphlet explains a variety of tips to purchasing nutrient-rich foods, affordable MyPlate meal ideas, strategies for cooking at home, and more. This educational nutrition brochure helps identify ways to purchase and prepare healthful, nutritious foods on a budget.
• Shake the Salt Habit Tri-fold Brochure – The educational salt pamphlet explains the sources of sodium in our diets, common high sodium foods, how to read food labels, and tips to reduce sodium intake. This educational nutrition brochure helps promote nutrition and health through basic information and practical advice that helps explain how to reduce your daily sodium intake and be aware of high sodium foods.
• Sugar Shockers Tri-fold Brochure – The sugar nutrition pamphlet explains the difference between natural sugars and added sugars, common names for sugar on ingredient lists, and ways to eat less sugar. The unique info graphics visually communicate to readers the amount of sugar the portions depicted contains.

All of the brochures are part of our A Healthy Habit™ series of tri-fold brochures that are easy-to-read nutrition education resources for the doctor’s office, healthcare clinic, classroom, or workplace.

Oh and in case you don’t have a way to display the brochures, we also brochure (collateral/literature) holders both a 1 Pocket Literature Holder (which is great for a waiting room) and 4 Pocket Literature Holder version (which is great for a trade show display).

OK maybe you won’t see these movie stars out on the red carpet – but we thought it would be fun to give a nod to the Learning ZoneXpress top selling educational videos of 2012. Each video includes a YouTube Sneak Preview!

3. Child Development Theorists DVD

Beginning with Sigmund Freud, modern child development theories have changed the way that parents raise their children and the way that teachers teach those children. This video is an entertaining and enlightening view of the major child development theorists, how the theories differ, and how more than one approach can be beneficial. Historical footage and photos are combined with candid documentary footage from day care centers in this informative video.

Theorists presented include:
Sigmund Freud
Maria Montessori
Arnold Gesell
Lev Vygotsky
Jean Piaget
Rudolf Dreikurs
Erik Erikson
Abraham Maslow
John Bowlby
B. F. Skinner
Benjamin Spock
Lawrence Kohlberg
T. Berry Brazelton
Diana Baumrind
Howard Gardner

• Appropriate for grades 9-adult. Teaching materials included. 21 min. Closed Captioned.
• Price: $79.95

2. MyPlate Dietary Guidelines for Elementary Students DVD

Registered Dietitian Melissa Halas-Liang shows two students how some of their favorite meals can be both delicious and nutritious by using the USDA MyPlate guidelines. Key messages for each food group are explained while the dietary guidelines are applied to a variety of favorite foods like tacos, pizza, breakfast foods, and fun snacks.

The kitchen how-to segments are interspersed with interviews of real kids eating and talking about their favorite nutritious foods!

• Grade 1-6. Teaching materials online. 23 min.
• Price: $49.95

1. Create a Great Plate:  DVD

When’s the last time you ate off a food pyramid? The ‘Create a Great Plate MyPlate Dietary Guidelines’ DVD is based on the USDA’s new MyPlate campaign. The DVD shows teens what healthy eating looks like, and tells them how to:

1. Make at least half your grains whole
2. Vary your veggies
3. Focus on fruits
4. Get your calcium-rich foods
5. Go lean with protein

• 20 minutes
• Grade 6-Adult
• Price: $79.95