CATCH News - Letters to the Editor

April, 2008

Camp CATCH It
The case of the missing healthy lifestyle
By Bobbi-Jo Reil, Program Director Eastview Boys and Girls Club

We recently held Camp CATCH It which was our March Break Camp that we held with a CATCH theme. Campers were assigned a camp name - something to do with investigation and food, for example Chief Celery Stick or Police Officer Pickle.

Everyone was expected to address others by their camp name (everyone made and wore badges), and if they got caught using a person's real name they were given a calorie (charted by groups in lunch room) Campers were divided into two groups for large group activities - The Soups and The Sandwiches The Soups had to make a home made soup and the sandwiches had to make fresh sandwiches, and the one to come up with the healthiest choice got to choose which meal they wanted for the fat relay. Choices were a healthy meal and a Big Mac Meal- the relay consisted of putting the right amount of lard on the plate to coincide with the amount of fat in the meal.

Daily activities consisted of planning a healthy lunch, CATCH games, nutritional experiments, detective activities, and outings. They went snow-tubing, swimming, and walked to the zoo. The campers were very busy all week, and according to parents very tired at the end of the day.

Parents also informed us that they talked about their day and the activities, and some of them even stayed in character at night. Parents were more than willing to contribute the ingredients needed for the healthy lunches the kids made and one parent even dropped off a container of fresh pineapple, cut and ready to eat. What a nice change from the regular donation of a bag of cookies we are all used to getting. So I guess that means the message is getting home.

March, 2008

Sandra Turner with the Leesburg Regional Medical Center in Florida writes about how CATCH Kids Club has been included in their new program.

Dear CATCH,

Nearly two years ago, Leesburg Regional Medical Center purchased CATCH Kids club materials with the hopes of finding ideas that could be incorporated into our community.  Enabled by partnerships formed between Leesburg Regional Medical Center , Lake County 's Schools - Food Services Division and the University of Central Florida what came out of it was a program that we entitled T.U.F.F. Kids which stands for Teaching Us Fitness is Fun. 

Using the CATCH Kids curriculum as the base, TUFF Kids is a 6 week program with alternating lesson plans focusing on nutrition and physical fitness.  After piloting TUFF Kids last year in three after-school care programs, I am happy to report that this year, TUFF Kids will be expanding two-fold.  This summer, all Elementary Schools in Lake County , FL will be implementing the TUFF Kids program in their summer program.  We are very excited about this opportunity as we have the ability to effect the lives of 1900 kids in our community.

Without the information provided to us by CATCH Kids, none of this would have been made possible.  As such, CATCH Kids is given accolades in the letters sent home to all parents.  At the conclusion of the program, I will be more than happy to share with you (and your readers) success stories and photos.   I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you,

Sandra Turner, Manager of Wellness Service
Leesburg Regional Medical Center

Stacy Brown from Evans Elementary School in Burkburnett, Texas writes about a new walking program they have recently started.

"We have implemented an after school club that we call
"Catch On, Walk On, Miles with I.C. Evans Walking Club." The students
signed up to be members and they bring family and friends to walk with
them afterschool. Each additional walker earns the student extra walking
points. Students with the most points in May will earn prizes. We have
just recently started this club, but it is going very well. We walk on
Monday, Tuesday, and Friday's from 3-3:30 p.m. If the weather is bad we
walk inside the school. The school has approximately 400 students. On
Friday we had 92 people walking after school." Stacy Brown.

Also in March, Janice L. Swope who is a Physcial Education and Health Teacher in Pflugerville Elementary in Pflugerville, Texas writes about a great way to promote February as heart month.

"Attached is a heart trivia contest that Pflugerville Elementary School, Pflugerville, TX, will participate in during February -- heart month.  The question is read during the live broadcast of the morning announcements.  Students place their answers in a bucket in the cafeteria before noon.  The correct answer and winner is read the next morning.  Winner receives a pencil." Janice Swope.

Thanks Janice! Keep those ideas coming! To download the heart trivia contest please right click the link below and save.

Heart Trivia Calendar

October, 2007

Kathy Hurst of Oregon Dairy in Lititz, Pennsylvania wrote us recently about promoting CATCH Go-Slow-Whoa foods in the Farm and Store Tours they host for local schools and groups.  She thought it was a good way to teach the children about choosing foods for a healthy lifestyle, and we couldn't agree more. We asked Kathy to tell us what's going on in Lititz! Here is what Kathy had to say...

"We are a family owned grocery store located near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Throughout the year, we give tours of our store to school groups, day care centers, etc. In June (National Dairy Month), we have "Family Farm Days". This event is quite large with approximately 10,000 visitors touring our farm and enjoying a 'Chicken BBQ" on the deck of our restaurant overlooking the countryside. Again, wagon rides are given back and forth between the store and the farm and the kids can enjoy such things as crawling through a "straw tunnel", pony rides, sheep shearing, a "stream study"  and many other agricultural displays set up under tents in the farm meadow.  This event is in partnership with many local agricultural businesses, the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Penn State University Agricultural Extension. Free samples of our milk, chocolate milk, and ice cream are available down at the farm."

And we got this neat cafeteria idea from Pedrina Duncan at the Harmony Hills Elementary School, Northeast ISD, San Antonio, Texas.

"I have an awesome way of incorporating CATCH in my school.  Most people look at colorful things, so I hang posters that explain the Go, Slow, and Whoa foods. I place a green circle on the Go poster, a yellow cirlce on the Slow poster, and a red circle on the Whoa poster so that the students know what each color means. Then on the serving line, I place either a green, yellow, or red circle by the foods, depending on if they are Go, Slow, or Whoa foods. This helps the children know right away what they are eating and helps them to make healthier choices. I also like to have the Go, Slow, and Whoa foods on the menu announced each morning. For example, "Good morning, your Go foods today are_______, the Slow foods are________, and the Whoa foods are_______. This helps to get the children interested in looking for these items on the serving line."

Have a question for our editor?

You can write Kathy at: Editor@CATCHinfo.org

Subscribe Here Free!

Contact us for more information on CATCH!