School Health Promotion Resources

The effectiveness of health education is enhanced when students see and hear healthy messages throughout the school day. Integrating healthy messages through other subjects can reinforce and support health knowledge and skills. Consequently, the Alliance encourages schools to integrate messages about healthy eating and physical activity in order for students to receive clear and consistent messages about the importance of these behaviors. Ideas for integrating nutrition and physical activity messages into other core subject areas include:

• Social Studies: study foods and food customs from around the world, identify community health helpers such as nurses and doctors

• Science: plant a garden, recognize plants as food, study how taste and smell affect eating habits, study how food is metabolized

• Math: measure ideal body weight; calculate portion sizes, calories, saturated fat, protein and carbohydrates from food labels; graph energy output of specific physical activities

• Art: illustrate kids moving in different ways, create a menu collage or edible art

• Language Arts: read books that promote healthy eating and physical activity; write letters, essays, ads or PSAs on nutrition topics or school meal policies

• Music: write nutrition songs or a script for a puppet show, create a fun dance to go with specific styles of music

• Physical Education: participate in an alphabet relay; design, monitor and evaluate a personal fitness plan; discuss connections between physical activity and calories as energy