Food Relay

Introduction

Q: Which is the better choice: eat an orange or drink a glass of orange juice?
A: You are better off eating an orange and drinking a glass of water because you consume more fiber and less sugar from the fruit versus the juice. The same goes for apples, pears, cherries, or any kind of fruit!

Have you thought about the moments in your day when you make food choices?

• Sometimes you want a “treat” to feel better. Moving is a better choice.
• Sometimes you eat because you are tired. Recharge your energy instead.
• Sometimes you really are hungry, so go ahead and make green-light food or beverage choice!

This activity is about your mood and food choices. First, we will do a relay with scooters to select Food Activity Cards. Then, we will see which teams have the most green-light food cards and talk about mood and food choices.

Activity Instructions

1. Divide kids into small groups (3-4 per group) then have them form vertical (front to back) lines.
2. While waiting for their turn, team members march in place (or another leader-selected movement) and cheer for each other.
3. Give each team 1 scooter (or towel).
4. Shout, "Go!"
5. The kid at the front of the line shouts, “I will make a fit choice!” and scoots from the start line to the opposite end, turns around the cone, then starts the return trip back to their group. On their way back, they grab a Food Activity Card that has been placed face down (without looking at it) and return to the start line.
6. Next, they pass the scooter (or towel) to the next kid in line, and go to the back of the line with the card.
7. The next kid in line shouts, “I will make a fit choice!” then begins to scoot and grab a card.
8. When all Food Activity Cards have been collected, each team member looks at the food pictures on the cards and sorts them by the color of the words (green, yellow, red). Let the kids know that the color of the word indicates whether the food is a green-light food, a yellow-light food, or a red-light food.
9. Each team sorts their cards and determines which stoplight color they have the most of (green, yellow, red). Teams stand for green word cards, kneel for yellow word cards, and sit with legs crossed for red cards. If there is a tie, half of the team does the action for one color (green, yellow, or red) and the other half of the team does the action for the other color.
10. Repeat activity and challenge each group to see if they can collect more green-light cards than they did in the first round.

Reflections

Q: You get home from school and it's two hours until dinner. You are really hungry! Name some nutritious food choices you can make. 
A: Answers can vary. Correct responses are a green-light food, water, or milk.

Q: You get home from school and are feeling bored. Is eating a green-light food a healthy choice? 
A: Trick question! Before looking in the cupboard, check your mood. Green-light foods are great when you are hungry, but if you are bored it is better to move or do a relaxing activity.

Check your mood before you grab a snack!

Challenge

When looking in the cupboard for a snack check your mood first. Ask yourself if you really are hungry.