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Educational Tools
Energizers for Simply Good Eating
Need a short activity that gets people — young and old alike — moving that can tie into your nutrition and/or health education lesson as needed? Looking for a quick activity idea to refresh your participants during a conference or business meeting? The Energizers for Simply Good Eating are for you!
These activities can be adapted for your audience as needed and are great for use in school classrooms, nursing homes, community groups, and more. Each includes guidance on the target audience, preparation needed, how to run the activity, making adaptations, and using the energizer with other health and nutrition-related lesson plans.
Print or download one or more of these activities and get energized today!
Before downloading any energizers:
The Energizers
Print all energizers (8.1 MB PDF) — This document is designed to be printed 2-sided and 3-hole punched. Place the printed document in a 3-ring binder to maximize use.
Improve Intake of Low-fat or Fat-free Calcium Rich Foods and Beverages
- Bowl Me Over (175 K PDF)
- Calcium Rescue (175 K PDF)
- Calcium Smart (179 K PDF)
- Heart Smart (179 K PDF)
- Milk Cap Toss (175 K PDF)
Make Wise Food Shopping Choices
- Label Moves (179 K PDF)
- Stop and Read the Label (175 K PDF)
Increase Intake of Fruits and Vegetables*
- Air Writing (179 K PDF)
- Apples to Oranges Relay (174 K PDF)
- Berry Adventures (175 K PDF)
- Fruit and Vegetable Line (174 K PDF)
- Garden Groove (250 K PDF)
- Mix it Up Salad (174 K PDF)
- Monkey Says (175 K PDF)
- Silent Signs (175 K PDF)
- Stop and List (174 K PDF)
- Twelve Days of Produce (175 K PDF)
*Use these energizers with the Go Wild with Fruits & Veggies! program.
Become More Physically Active Everyday as Part of a Healthy Lifestyle
- As If (174 K PDF)
- Food Fitness (174 K PDF)
- Hit the Deck (175 K PDF)
- Minnesota Living (175 K PDF)
- Musical Pedometer (174 K PDF)
- Passport to Fitness (175 K PDF)
- Polka (180 K PDF)
- Stretch Band Relief (245 K PDF)
Improve Intake of Whole Grains
- Kernels in the Popper (180 K PDF)
- Toe and Ankle Stretches (174 K PDF)
- Whole Grain Relay (174 K PDF)
- Whole Grain Smart (Calcium Smart variation) (245 K PDF)
Use MyPlate (formerly MyPyramid) Healthy Eating Plan
- Food Group Movement (175 K PDF)
- Food Group Wiggles (174 K PDF)
- Gallop (174 K PDF)
- Hot Potato! (253 K PDF)
- MyPlate Pokey (175 K PDF)
- MyPlate Relay (174 K PDF)
- MyPlate Servings (174 K PDF)
- Stop and Scribble (174 K PDF)
- Unpack the Groceries (174 K PDF)
- What’s for Dinner (174 K PDF)
- Work It Out UNO (MyPlate) Style (175 K PDF)
Practice Safe Food Preparation Techniques
- Cool or Not (175 K PDF)
- Kitchen Heat (174 K PDF)
- Pass the Salmonella, Please (175 K PDF)
Limit Added Sugars or Caloric Sweeteners
- Go Bananas (174 K PDF)
Increase Frequency of Eating Breakfast
- For Your Breakfast (179 K PDF)
OTHER NON USDA CATEGORIES
Farm to Table
- Explore Minnesota Foods (175 K PDF)
- On the Farm (250 K PDF)
General
- Bowling (174 K PDF)
- Freeze That Food (180 K PDF)
- Frozen Food Groups (175 K PDF)
- It’s a Kitchen in Here (175 K PDF)
- Nutrient Rap (175 K PDF)
- Stop, Drop, and Roll (174 K PDF)
- Water Measure Relay (175 K PDF)
Energizers for Simply Good Eating was developed by Simply Good Eating staff from the University of Minnesota Extension in July 2011. It was adapted with permission from the Energizers Classroom-based Physical Activities program developed by East Carolina University’s Activity Promotion Laboratory, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina Healthy Schools, and Be Active North Carolina.
Related Resources
Classroom Energizers — Training on evidence-based intervention proven to increase K-5 student physical activity levels.
Active Living — Keep your body moving daily in big and small ways to maintain or improve your health.
Healthy & Fit on the Go — Great ideas to stay healthy and fit when away from home.
Healthy Schools — Resources for creating a healthy food environment at your school.
