We all want our children to be active and to make healthy food choices, and PTAs are always looking for new program ideas. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service’s Team Nutrition, which supports improving Child Nutrition Programs, has collected 20 themed events from real-life events at Team Nutrition schools in a free booklet you can order in hardcopy or download as a PDF.
These tested events aim to connect the school, home, cafeteria, classroom, and community to improve child nutrition. The events are grouped as appropriate for elementary schools, middle schools, or both. The events include both stand-alone events that PTAs could run as well as classroom projects for teachers and school cafeteria events that PTAs could support and encourage their school to use. The booklet includes handouts for specific events and those for any event. Events include:
- Try-Day Fridays (Elementary School)
- Healthy Food Heritages: Investigating Nutrition Across Cultures (Middle School)
- You Control the School Menu: Vote for Your Favorite (Middle School)
- The Chef in You: A Cooking Competition (Both)
- Fun, Food, and Fitness: A Family Party (Both)
- Plant It, Grow It, Eat It!: Healthy Habits Take Root (Both)
- Power Up with Local Athletes: Try a Sport Day (Both)
If your PTA is looking for a ready-to-use program on healthy habits, be sure to check out this free booklet from Team Nutrition.
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