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Eat Well Play Hard News
Spring 2011
Welcome to the Spring 2011 Eat Well Play Hard News. The season’s
National TV Turnoff Week is a great opportunity to encourage children to
turn off the TV and boost physical activity.
This issue focuses on the importance of limiting TV, video games and
other recreational screen time and getting kids more active. Inside you’ll
find ideas for fun, screen-free activities – indoors and outdoors. You’ll
also hear from child care centers around the city on what they’re doing
to promote physical activity and good nutrition.
Less Screen Time Equals More Active Time
Tips for Increasing Active Play
Studies show that too much screen time from TV or
videos at an early age affects a child’s physical and
mental health. For example:
Time spent watching TV or videos cuts into time
when kids can be active.
Children often overeat or snack on high-calorie,
high-fat foods when watching TV.
The more time kids spend watching TV or videos,
the more likely they are to be overweight or obese.
Children exposed to media violence are more likely
to engage in aggressive behavior and use violence
to solve problems.
Active play is important for physical, mental and social
development. It helps preschoolers learn how to get
along with others, explore, create, make choices and
feel good. In addition, daily physical activity gives
children more energy, helps develop bones and
muscles, and improves sleep.
Child care centers in New York City are required to
provide at least 60 minutes of physical activity each
day, including at least 30 minutes of structured
physical activity for children three years of age and
older. In addition, child care centers are not allowed to
provide educational TV or video viewing for children
younger than two years of age, and no more than 60
minutes a day for those two years of age and older.
Here are some ideas to get children moving in your
In this Issue
Physical Activity Star 2
Nutrition Star 2
Physical Activity of the Quarter 3
Cooking with Kids 4
Parent Page 5
Nutrition Activity of the Quarter 7
classroom. Remember, children follow adults’ examples.
If you’re more active, they’ll be too.
Indoors
1. Make an obstacle course using pillows, boxes and
hula hoops. Have kids go over, through and around
obstacles.
2. Dance to lively music.
3. Play catch or basketball with a yarn ball or
beanbag, and a basket or box.
4. Play charades, twister or simon says.
5. Play drums or other instruments and march around
the room.
6. Roll out bubble wrap. Have kids form a train to
stomp out the bubbles as they chug along.
7. Organize Move-To-Improve fitness breaks.
8. Dance to lively music.
Outdoors
1. Walk through the local park or around the
neighborhood, and discover what’s in the area.
2. Blow bubbles and chase them.
3. Have fun with a hula hoop. Roll the hoop and chase
after it, or lay it on the ground and hop in and out.
4. Play hopscotch or freeze-tag.
5. Plant a flower, vegetable or herb garden.
6. Organize a scavenger hunt. Look for flowers,
colorful leaves or small rocks.
7. Use a ball and empty plastic bottles to bowl.

Physical Activity Star: Washington Heights Day Care Center
The children and staff at Washington Heights Day
Care Center are excited about moving more. Over the
past three years, the center has integrated fitness
breaks that combine dancing, music and other
physical activities into the day. “We recently had kids
demonstrate how plants grow,” said center director
Nereida Hill. “Some children were rolling like seeds.
Others carried scarves and acted as water to help the
seeds grow. And still others circled around like the
sun to help the leaves grow.”
Since introducing the fitness breaks, “the children are
more energetic, curious and enthusiastic in class,”
explained Ms. Hill. “The fitness breaks are really
stimulating the children’s brains and increasing their
learning capacity.”
Nutrition Star: Chung Pak Day Care Center
The Chung Pak Day Care Center in lower Manhattan
recently implemented the Eat Well Play Hard program.
According to center director Mary Sikarevich, the
program has introduced children and parents to new,
healthy foods, outside their traditional diet. Eat Well
Play Hard staff also trained teachers on the program’s
curriculum and provided tips on encouraging healthy
behaviors among children and parents. The center
enlisted a volunteer translator for the most popular
parent workshops, which often bring in more than 40
participants.
The recent Healthy Snacks workshop was a huge hit,
with parents clamoring for the tuna pita pockets
recipe. Another workshop focused on limiting TV,
video games and other screen time and increasing
physical activity. Chung Pak staff gave out Cool
Culture passes, which offer free access to nearly 100
museums, gardens and other events around the city.
Children, parents and staff also visited a local orchard,
picked apples and then made apple sauce in class.
According to Ms. Sikarevich, the greatest success has
been the “excitement and conversations generated by
the increased emphasis on nutrition.” Getting
everyone excited about nutrition has led to the
sharing of ideas, recipes and strategies for healthful
eating. The kids are excited about trying new foods
and helping with meals at home. In addition, parents
are incorporating new foods from the workshops into
home-cooked meals.
Here are tips from Chung Pak staff on implementing a
successful nutrition education program:
Make activities fun and make sure food tastes
good.
Hand out small giveaways to workshop attendees.
Open up workshops to all family members,
including grandparents and siblings.
Hold workshops near the end of the day, when
childcare is still available.
Get teachers excited about nutrition; they, in turn,
will excite the kids and parents.
Supplies
Serving spoons
Serving bowls
Paper plates
Plastic knives
Measuring cups
Blender
Small cups
Small sealable containers
Napkins
Ingredients
(for 20 servings, ½ cup per serving)
4 to 5 ripe bananas
3 ¼ cups fruit, such as strawberries,
blueberries or peaches
4 ½ cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 ½ cups orange juice
Preparation
Wash fresh fruit.
Wash and cut bananas (with peel) into quarters.
Place each fruit in a separate serving bowl with serving spoon.
Steps
Nutrition Activity of the Quarter: Fruit Shake-Up
Explain that:
° The class will be making a fruit shake.
° It’s made out of fruit and juice, and it will give us lots of energy to move and play.
° Physical activity is important to keep us healthy and strong.
° We’ll move our bodies while we make our shakes.
Have children peel and cut prepared bananas into smaller, 1 to 2 inch pieces, and put in blender.
Have class measure out fruit and yogurt and put in blender.
Close lid, and blend until smooth. Ask class to imagine they’re a blender. Tell them to flap their arms and
spin around like a helicopter.
Pour fruit mixture into six separate sealable containers, add 1/4 cup of orange juice to each, and seal
tight.
Have children take turns shaking up containers while they shake and wiggle.
Pour into small cups.
Ask children to describe what the shake tastes like.
2 Eat Well Play Hard News, Fall 2010 Eat Well Play Hard News, Fall 2010 7

Eat Well Play Hard News
Familia Destacada: Eunice Williams
Salsa de Mango y Garbanzos
Página para los padres
Eunice Williams, abuela de Gabriella, una niña de cuatro años de edad que asiste a la
guardería infantil Starlight en Queens, recientemente participó en los seis talleres de
nutrición de Eat Well Play Hard. La Sra. Williams aprendió sobre cómo comer
saludablemente y ha tratado varias de las recetas de los talleres. A ella y a su familia les
gusta en especial la salsa de mango y garbanzos. (Lea la receta más adelante.)
Consejos para reducir el tiempo frente a la televisión y hacer a los niños más activos
El tiempo que pasan viendo la televisión o videos reduce
el tiempo que los niños pueden estar activos. Puede
reducir el deseo natural de un niño de jugar, ser creativo
e interactuar con los demás. El juego activo es importante
para el desarrollo de un niño. Ayuda a los niños a aprender
a llevarse bien con otros niños, a explorar, a crear y tomar
decisiones. También ayuda a desarrollar los huesos, los
músculos y mejora el sueño. Spring’s National TV Turnoff
Week es una gran oportunidad para animar a sus hijos a
apagar la TV y ser activo. Estas son algunas actividades
divertidas sin la televisión:
Interiores
Haga una pista de obstáculos usando almohadas,
cajas y hula-hoops. Muévase, pase por y alrededor
Ingredientes
1 (15½ onza) de garbanzos,
escurridos y enjuagados
1½ tomates
1 mango
2 cebollas
1 cucharada de aceite vegetal
1 cucharada de vinagre blanco
½ limón
1 cucharadita de comino molido
½ cucharadita de ajo en polvo
Tiempo de preparación: 15 minutos
Tamaño de ración: ½ taza
Rinde 10 porciones
Primavera 2011
de los obstáculos.
Haga que su hijo ayude en las tareas domésticas
sencillas, como desempolvar o recoger los juguetes.
Hagan juntos bocadillos saludables, o ponga música
y bailen.
Cree instrumentos musicales con artículos que se
hayan en la casa, como ollas, sartenes, latas y
botellas vacías, y organice una banda de música.
Exteriores
Visite el zoológico o una granja local.
Camine en el parque local y juegue en las áreas de
recreo.
Haga burbujas.
Juegue a la rayuela o a la estatua.
Idea Para un bocadilla Saludable
1. Lave los tomates, el mango y las cebollas.
2. Pele el mango.
3. Corte los tomates, el mango y las cebollas en trozos pequeñitos.
4. Escurra y enjuague los garbanzos.
5. Exprima el jugo del limón.
6. En un tazón grande combine los ingredientes y mezcle bien.
7. Sirva inmediatamente, o cubra y refrigere por cuatro horas para que
se mezclen los sabores.
8. Sirva con pan pita horneado o con chips de maíz. Disfrute.
Haga que su hijo le ayude con los pasos marcados en negrita
6 Eat Well Play Hard News, Fall 2010
Steps
Physical Activity of the Quarter: Cooking Fun
1. Explain that cooking is fun and a great alternative to watching TV.
2. Have class do suggested movements while they imagine preparing different foods.
We’re first going to warm up:
Stir oatmeal: Circle hips round and round
Slice bananas: Bounce up and down
Shake low-fat milk: Wrap arms around and twist side to side.
Beat eggs: Run in place with knees high.
Bake potatoes: Jump, raise arms to the side and back down.
Stir chicken noodle soup: Circle hips.
Chop mixed vegetables: Jump up and down.
Slice low-fat cheese: Kick legs straight up and down.
Chill water: Shiver.
Mix fruit salad: Shake entire body
3. Ask kids to come up with additional movements.
4. Ask class to imagine they’re cleaning up.
Wash dishes: Circle one hand over the other.
Put dishes away: Reach up high.
Put leftovers in fridge: Bend down low.
Wash hands: Rub hands together.
3

Makes 24 mini pizzas
Cooking with Kids: Healthy Mini Pizzas
Ingredients
1 green pepper
1/2 onion
12 whole-wheat English muffins
3 cups tomato sauce (preferably low-sodium)
12 oz. low-fat mozzarella cheese
Optional: Add other vegetables for toppings
Supplies
Baking sheet
Cutting boards
Knife
Can opener
Spoons
Measuring spoons
Grater
Pot holders
Wax paper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Shred low-fat cheese on wax paper, and set aside.
Open tomato sauce.
Wash pepper. Remove stem and seeds, and chop into small pieces.
Peel onion and chop into small pieces.
Steps
Demonstrate steps before having children do them.
Have each child:
° Place a muffin half onbaking sheet.
° Spoon and spread 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce on each half.
° Put chopped peppers and onions on muffin half, as desired.
° Sprinkle 3 tablespoons shredded cheese on each half.
Put baking sheet in oven, and bake for 15 minutes.
Enjoy.
4 Eat Well Play Hard News, Fall 2010
Eat Well Play Hard News
Family Spotlight: Eunice Williams
Mango and Black-Eyed Pea Salsa
Parent Page
Eunice Williams, grandmother of four-year-old Gabriella, who attends the Starlight
Day Care Center in Queens, recently took part in all six Eat Well Play Hard nutrition
workshops. Ms. Williams learned about eating healthfully and has tried many
workshop recipes. She and her family especially like the Mango and Black-Eyed
Pea Salsa. (See recipe below.)
Tips for Reducing Screen Time and Getting Kids Active
Time spent watching TV or videos cuts into time when
kids can be active. It can reduce a child’s natural desire to
play, be creative and interact with others. Active play is
important for a child’s development. It helps kids learn
how to get along with others, explore, create and make
choices. It also helps develop bones and muscles, and
improves sleep. Spring’s National TV Turnoff Week is a
great opportunity to encourage your kids to turn off the TV
and get active. Here are some fun, screen-free activities:
Indoors
Make an obstacle course using pillows, boxes and
hula-hoops. Go over, through and around obstacles.
Ingredients
1 (15½-ounce) can black-eyed
peas, drained and rinsed
1½ tomatoes
1 mango
2 green onions
1-tablespoon vegetable oil
1-tablespoon white vinegar
½ lime
1-teaspoon ground cumin
½-teaspoon garlic powder
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serving size: ½ cup
Makes 10 servings
Spring 2011
Have your child help with simple household chores,
like dusting or picking up toys.
Make healthy snacks together, or put on music and
dance.
Make musical instruments out of items around the
house, like pots, pans and empty cans and bottles,
and create a marching band.
Outdoors
Visit the zoo or a local farm.
Walk through the local park and play on the
playground.
Blow bubbles.
Play hopscotch or freeze-tag.
1. Wash tomatoes, mango and green onions.
2. Peel mango.
3. Chop tomatoes, mango and green onions into tiny pieces.
4. Drain and rinse peas.
5. Squeeze juice out of lime.
6. Combine ingredients in large bowl and mix well.
7. Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate up to four hours so flavors
mix.
8. Serve with baked pita or corn chips. Enjoy.
Have your child help with the bold steps.
Healthy Snack Idea
Eat Well Play Hard News, Fall 2010 5