1. Building the Foundation: Resources for a Healthy School Environment

2. Teacher Toolkit The “toolkit” is a series of resources to help classroom teachers enhance their schools healthy eating and physical activity environments. The goal of these resources is the implementation of policy, system and environmental (PSE) change at the classroom level.

3. Teacher Roles Teachers have a role in empowering students to make healthy choices. Classroom lessons and activities shape how students approach health and wellness. Teachers can facilitate the development of lasting healthy behaviors by offering healthy eating occasions and time to be physically active throughout the school day.

4. Toolkit Content Areas Healthy Classroom Celebrations Healthy Classroom Beverages Teachers as Role Models Farm to School Programming

5. Healthy Classroom Celebrations Celebrations are great opportunities to promote a healthy lifestyle, provide a consistent message and create excitement around nutritious choices. When food is part of a special event, offer a variety of healthy options including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and water.

6. Healthy Classroom Celebrations Turn to the person sitting next to you and discuss: – the special events and holidays you celebrate in your classroom and the ways you celebrate these special events.

7. Healthy Classroom Celebrations Who would like to share? What are some ways you can have healthy classroom celebrations? Which idea will you try in your classroom?

8. Healthy Classroom Celebrations Example PSE’s Encourage parents to provide fruits, vegetables and whole grain snacks for classroom events. Provide parents with a “wish list” of healthy celebration food items. Consider extra recess or class games for a non- food celebration. Invite a “special guest” to spend classroom time interacting with the students as a reward. Consider having students create edible “food art” for classroom celebrations.

9. Healthy Classroom Beverages Access to drinking water throughout the day gives students an opportunity to stay hydrated which may improve their cognitive function, dental and physical health.

10. Healthy Classroom Beverages For this activity, we are going to divide into groups based on color. Using the colored index card on your table, walk around the room and find others with the same colored index card.

11. Healthy Classroom Beverages With the members of your new group, discuss: – the types of beverages allowed in your classroom and the ways you can encourage students to bring or select healthy beverages.

12. Healthy Classroom Beverages Who would like to share? What are some ways you can have healthy beverages available in your classroom? What do you plan to try in your classroom to allow students to have access to water throughout the school day?

13. Healthy Classroom Beverages Example PSE’s Encourage students to carry water bottles throughout the school day. Include age-appropriate size water bottles on the list of items parents can donate to the classroom. Reinforce the importance of drinking water throughout classroom lessons. Have students create healthy beverage posters to be placed in the classroom, hallways, and on doors.

14. Teachers as Role Models Teachers who role model healthy behaviors in their classroom can have an enormous impact on choices children make related to healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Children are more likely to embrace and adopt habits if they see adults in their lives demonstrate these same healthy behaviors.

15. Teachers as Role Models For this activity, please stand up and form a line in the front of the room. Count off by 4’s. Now form 4 new groups.

16. Teachers as Role Models In your group, share ways you are a role model to your students and their families and identify an area to improve as a role model.

17. Teachers as Role Models Who would like to share? What are some ways you are a role model to your students, their families and other school staff? After today, how do you plan to further your role as a classroom role model for your students?

18. Teachers as Role Models Example PSE’s Model healthy eating behaviors by consuming healthy foods and beverages. Participate in nutrition education classroom tasting activities. Share positive out-of-the–classroom healthy eating experiences with students. Walk during recess and lunch time with students. Eat lunch in the cafeteria with students.

19. Farm to School Programming The benefits of Farm to School programs are numerous and varied. Farm to School provides education and outreach to build school and community awareness of local food production. When partnering with local farmers, students have a better knowledge of agriculture, healthy eating, local foods and seasonality.

20. Farm to School Programming For this activity, please walk around the room and find a partner who you have not worked with today.

21. Farm to School Programming With your partner, discuss ways you can incorporate farm to school programming in your classroom teaching and activities.

22. Farm to School Programming Who would like to share? What are some ways you can add farm to school activities to your classroom throughout the school year? How do you plan to incorporate farm to school programming into your classroom in the next month?

23. Farm to School Programming Example PSE’s Celebrate Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week during the second week of September. Discuss local produce offered in the school cafeteria. During October, plan National Farm to School activities including tasting local fall produce available at Farmers’ Markets.

24. Teacher Toolkit: Resources Resources provided offer suggestions to promote healthy behaviors in the classroom, throughout the school and at home. Coming soon! A web-based resource for your use and to share with colleagues.

25. What are your questions?

26. Toolkit information

27. Toolkit information