School Food and Nutrition Services is proud to announce the annual Get Moving Manchester program, a 4-week nutrition and physical activity school based program for students in grades 3-5. The program begins on Monday, March 18 and ends on Friday, April 12. Teachers, please check your email for more details to come!

Get Moving Manchester demonstrates how parents, guardians and teachers can play a major role in influencing the overall health and wellness of our children/students. By making smart choices together, parents and teachers can set an example for a healthy lifestyle. Research shows that children’s behaviors are learned through the observation of others.

Here are some tips for making a positive impact on your students’ lifestyle habits:

  • Review the importance of eating regularly scheduled meals and snacks.
  • Bring in a healthy snack to share with the students.
  • Show children the impact of advertising on their food choices.
  • Have a healthy snack or classroom party list for parents/guardians.
  • Bring students on a field trip that involves healthy foods such as an orchards or farms.
  • Have food related experiments in the classroom or a windowsill herb garden.
  • Have a guest athlete in the classroom to talk about nutrition, growing food or cooking.

Here’s how the program works:

Students who decide to participate can fill out the spaces on the log provided by following the 5-2-1-0 guidelines and trying a new healthy goal each week. Progress is tracked each day. At the end of the week, students who complete the log will be entered into a raffle for prizes. At the end of the month, students who complete all 4 weeks of the log will be entered into a raffle for a bicycle from Bike Barn. Schools can also win the Get Moving Manchester school trophy for the two schools with the most participation!

What are the 5-2-1-0 goals for a healthy lifestyle?

  • Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and veggies daily.
  • Spend 2 hours or less watching television, movies, playing computer games, or texting.
  • Get at least 1 hour of physical activity throughout the day every day.
  • Have 0 soda or sweetened drinks each day. Drink low fat or nonfat milk or water instead.

This program is made possible by our sponsors: Manchester School Food and Nutrition Services, Catholic Medical Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Manchester, Anthem, Anagnost Inc., Palace Theatre, Fisher Cats and Bike Barn.

For more information on Get Moving Manchester 2019, visit this weekly blog at http://msdnutrition.blogspot.com for nutrition tips or visit https://www.healthynh.com/index.php/5210-goes-to-school.html for ideas in the classroom.

Questions about the program can be addressed to Sue Sheehy at ssheehy@mansd.org. Please note: This is an optional program for students.