Oct 15, 2012 05:20 ET

No More Cupcakes In The Classroom! What's A Mom To Do?

Dairy Council of California Offers Healthy Classroom Celebration Ideas

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – Recent research published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that when schools take an integrated approach to wellness—from teaching nutrition to adopting healthier snack guidelines in the classroom —they can reduce students' intake of less healthy foods and beverages by 30 percent. If cupcakes, sweets and other treats are off the menu in your child's classroom or school, try these healthy celebration ideas from Dairy Council of California (CA).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121015/DC91884LOGO )

"Classroom celebrations and snacks are a wonderful opportunity for teachers and parents to be partners in healthy eating to reinforce and extend classroom nutrition lessons," said Registered Dietitian Tracy Witmer, Territory Manager with Dairy Council of CA.  "However, this movement toward healthier choices does not have to mean the end of fun and enjoyment for students. Nutrient-rich food choices can be just as tasty and fun as previous classroom treats."

In addition to providing K-12 nutrition education curriculum featuring lesson plans customized for each grade level, Dairy Council of CA also shares healthy snack ideas on its blog at HealthyEating.org and on Pinterest. Following are some of the more popular ideas that ensure kids will get valuable nutrients while they're having fun, too. Each snack provides foods from multiple food groups: Milk & Milk Products; Vegetables; Fruits; Grains; and Meat & Beans.

Five Food Group "Fares"

Whether tasting unusual foods in a game-show style format called Flavor Factor or exploring different food combinations with My Very Own Pizza, Five Food Group Fares are healthy classroom party ideas that include foods from each food group. Eat the Alphabet features foods from A to Z, and the Five Food Group Fiesta features individualized tacos, nachos or burritos and a mixed-fruit salad. Outlines and food suggestions for each of these Five Food Group Fares are available on the blog at HealthyEating.org.

Healthy Halloween

Keep Halloween celebrations healthy with Banana Yogurt Ghosts (Boo-Nanas). Dip half of a peeled banana in low-fat vanilla yogurt, add mini chocolate chip eyes and freeze for a spooktacular snack. Draw jack-o'-lantern faces on clementines or oranges and serve with low-fat chocolate milk, The Official Drink of Halloween . With milk's irreplaceable package of nine essential nutrients plus scientifically-proven health benefits, there's no trick to this healthy treat.

Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving is all about coming together as a community, ask each student to contribute a vegetable, meat or container of broth and hold a Stone Soup classroom activity. For a healthy snack, try Gobbling Turkey Apples, featuring pretzel kabob "feathers" made with raisins, cranberries, popcorn, cheese, cereal o's, grapes and other fun foods. See more at MakeandTakes.com/Gobbling-Turkey-Apples. 

Birthdays

Consider non-food celebrations for birthdays. Surprise kids with fun pencil and eraser sets or let birthday boys or girls choose a favorite book for story time. 

Winter Holidays

Chop a banana into round sections and dress with raisin or chocolate chip eyes and buttons, pretzel arms and apple or cheese triangle hats to make a healthy snowman snack. Pair this healthy snack with hot cocoa made with low-fat milk. Milk is an essential part of a healthy diet and can be enjoyed in so many different ways!  

Valentine's Day

There's even room for sweets in healthy classroom celebrations. Mix plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt with chopped strawberries and top with granola for perfect parfaits.

"Whether choosing something simple, like baby carrots and ranch dip with cartons of milk, or one of the more elaborate snack ideas available on Pinterest, it's easy to offer fun and healthy classroom snacks that fit within the five food groups," said Witmer. "When classroom treats reinforce the healthy messages being taught at home and at school with a formal nutrition education program, children build healthy habits that can last a lifetime."  

Be sure to visit the blog on HealthyEating.org for more classroom snack ideas to Eat Better, Eat Together for Healthier Students.

About Dairy Council of CA

Dairy Council of CA serves as the dairy industry's contribution to community health by creating science-based nutrition education curricula and resources that help children and families improve their eating habits and make nutrient-rich choices from all food groups. For nearly a century, Dairy Council of CA has partnered with schools, health professionals and community leaders to offer California families simple steps for making balanced food choices while conveying the irreplaceable role that milk and milk products play in a balanced diet. Healthy Eating Made Easier®

On the Net: 
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity:  IJBNPA.org/content/9/1/80
Dairy Council of CA Blog: HealthyEating.org/Blog
Dairy Council of CA on Pinterest: Pinterest.com/DairyCouncilCA/
Make and Takes Gobbling Turkey Apples: MakeandTakes.com/Gobbling-Turkey-Apples

August 02, 2012 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

Blogglebeans Launches New One-to-One Animated Online Experience That Makes Grandparents ‘Cool’ Again

Quirky characters of Bloggleton keep grandkids engaged with grandma and grandpa

OMAHA, Neb.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Passionate grandparents who feel they don’t spend enough time with their grandchildren due to distance or busy schedules now have an edge – thanks to the newly launched Blogglebeans. Blogglebeans, a one-to-one animated experience that grandparents build for their grandchildren, keeps grandchildren engaged with grandma and grandpa through irresistible characters, original storylines, brilliant design and interactive play.

“Parents don’t allow unsupervised adult-to-child interaction offline, and we believe they shouldn’t settle for less online”

“The first few years of a child’s life, the grandparent-grandchild connection is strong. Grandparents are the center of a grandchild’s world,” said Betsy Pérez, co-founder of Blogglebeans. “But as a child grows older, the bond with grandparents can be harder to maintain when friends, events and activities enter the picture. That’s why we created Blogglebeans – because we believe in this important relationship and want to do everything we can to give grandparents an advantage in keeping it active and strong.”

Blogglebeans offers grandchildren ages 6+ the ability to play and share with grandparents through fun, quirky characters like Zonk, Toggle, Lolly, Hanlon and Doug. The child’s experience is fueled by the characters of Bloggleton and the grandparent’s activity, while overseen by a parent through a special monitoring account. Through Blogglebeans, grandparents and grandchildren enjoy:

Gifts
Gifts in the Blogglebeans experience are digital illustrations and animations featuring Blogglebeans characters that grandparents and grandchildren can send to one another. These fun, quirky gifts are for all occasions and can be played and shared over and over again.

Games
Both grandparents and grandchildren will enjoy a variety of Blogglebeans-themed games designed for all abilities and age levels.

Messages
Grandparents and grandchildren can send personalized messages back and forth within the Blogglebeans experience. Grandchildren will also receive playful messages from the Blogglebeans characters.

Personalized Calendar
A personalized calendaring system allows parents to keep grandparents updated about grandchildren’s upcoming events (sports, spelling bees, birthdays, etc.), so grandparents can recognize the events with messages or gifts.

Safety & Security
For parents, Blogglebeans offers a worry-free online experience for children. The company’s goal throughout development was to exceed the expectations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) through thoughtful processes and technology that keep kids safe.

“Parents don’t allow unsupervised adult-to-child interaction offline, and we believe they shouldn’t settle for less online,” said Pérez. “Blogglebeans was created by moms who put child safety before all other aspects of development. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Pricing
The Blogglebeans grandparent membership is free and includes one grandchild connection. More grandchildren can be added to a grandparent membership anytime for a one-time fee of $9.99 per child. A standard library of gifts, games and activities is available for both the grandparent and grandchild to share. Additional gifts, games and activities are available for the grandparent to purchase. Once a grandparent purchases an item, it is unlocked in their library and can be shared with every grandchild who is added to the account. 

Research Shows 80% of Schools Are Giving Students Access to Educational Technology at Home

July 26, 2012 11:32 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

Logging in from Home Encourages Learning Out of Classroom and During School Breaks

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Archipelago Learning, a PLATO Learning company, found 80% of schools are giving students access to its educational technology, Study Island, from home. The results from Archipelago’s Study Island 2011 year-end customer survey also reported two-thirds of schools consider giving students access to learning technology from home as a “high-impact” consideration in determining what solutions to purchase.

“We’re seeing schools provide access to tools like Study Island so students can practice with engaging content when they are not in school”

As summer homework raises the question of whether schools should work to prevent “brain drain,” schools and districts are countering by putting solutions in place to give students the option, and potentially the desire, to keep learning outside of the classroom.

“We’re seeing schools provide access to tools like Study Island so students can practice with engaging content when they are not in school,” said Andy Frost, PLATO vice president, product management. “Kids, who are already spending time online when they’re out of school, can continue to practice and reinforce academic concepts through the same channels they’re seeking entertainment and connecting socially. Additionally, educators can easily monitor what’s been completed during these ‘off’ months.”

Compared to other options available to educators such as print-based materials and software, Study Island is easy to implement and only requires an Internet connection. Students have 24/7 access to dynamic and animated content built from state and Common Core Standards.

About Archipelago Learning

Archipelago Learning, a PLATO Learning company, is a leading subscription-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of education products used by approximately 14 million students in nearly 38,700 schools throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our comprehensive digital supplemental product suite uses technology to transform education. We make rigorous learning fun, engaging, accessible and affordable. For more information, please visit us at www.archipelagolearning.com.

About Study Island

Study Island is a fully-digital rigorous supplemental solution that supports teachers as they assist K-12 students master grade-level academic standards in a fun and engaging manner. For more information, please visit us at www.studyisland.com.