AVI Fresh Quarterly Newsletter Encouraging Kids to

Be Physically ActiveAs a parent, your job is to keep kids healthy and physically active. This isn’t an easy task, so here are some tips to encourage kids to lead an active lifestyle and help them prioritize health.

Keep It Simple Many kids spend their time after school playing video games, watching TV or sitting in front of their computers, which isn’t entirely wrong. Kids, like adults, need to unwind. However, children need about an hour of physical activity each day to stay healthy. Remember that simplicity is often the best avenue. Whether it’s jogging, biking, shooting some hoops or just playing outside with friends, there’s something for everyone.

Breaking It Up Into Parts With school, home-work, and extracurricular activities, kids’ schedules can often fill up quickly, so 60 consecutive minutes of exer-cise is not always easy or plausible. To simplify things, make sure your kids are accumulating 60 minutes over the course of the entire day. Breaking things up into smaller increments ensures that your kids get enough exercise without interrupting their normal schedules.

Get Involved As a parent, you are the role model. If you lead an active life, your kids are sure to follow suit. Even better, you should try to get involved in your child’s physical activities. Something as simple as a walk in the morning or evening is enough to impact a child and push him or her to stay active.

Going from Point A to Point B If you are like any other modern family, chances are you get to places by car, which makes sense. However, when time isn’t as much of an issue, schedule to walk or bike on various errands. Walking, biking, or roller blading will save you some money and help benefit the environment.

Monitors and Limits The best way to encourage kids to stay active is to closely monitor the time they spend doing sedentary activities. Sedentary activities are perfectly fine for those times when your mind and body are just too pooped out, but experts suggest no more than two hours a day of TV and video games. Try not to be too restrictive or domineering, but make sure your kids understand the importance of physical activity.

NEW EXCITEMENT EVERY MONTH! Each month in the Elementary Schools, the students will embark on a culinary journey with our “From The Farm” promotional series and in the Middle and High Schools, the “Make It Count” promotional series that will educate and inspire your student. Both introduce your child to creative and new menu items featuring a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

MARCHHow yummy does Roasted Carrots or Carrot Muffins sound? The featured vegetable for March is the Carrot. Not only is it tasty but they are good for your

eyes, as well. Did you know? Carrots are the 2nd most popular vegetable and

they don’t have to be orange; they can be white, yellow, red, or purple.

Check your elementary student’s back pack for awesome recipes that the whole family can enjoy!

APRILOur featured dishes will be centered around Broccoli such as Roasted Broccoli Grilled Cheese and Cheese and Broccoli Avocado Quesadillas. Did you know? Broccoli is related to the cauliflower and the cabbage and gives you calcium to build stronger bones. It also does not grow well in the summer.

MAYStrawberries will be the special ingredient of the month. The students will enjoy a healthy Chicken and Strawberry Salad and Strawberry Scones, Muffins, Pancakes and French Toast. Did you know? Strawberries need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day to grow and can grow to be as large as an apple. Strawberries are also the first fruit to ripen in the spring.

Spring Tasty Meals