Resources

Bullying Prevention Program

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program now has trainers available to SD schools. This program is a model program that has been effective at reducing bullying behaviors in schools. To stop bullying, the issue needs to be addressed at all levels of the student’s experience. This means that it is addressed at the school wide, classroom, individual, and community levels. Because bullying has such wide-ranging effects, this program is designed for all students.

The goal of the program is to change the norms around bullying behavior and to restructure the school setting itself so that bullying is less likely to occur or be rewarded. The implementation of the program needs to be seen as a long-term effort – not something that is “completed” in a year. More complete information on this program can be found at www.clemson.edu/olweus.

For more information on setting up the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program within your school, contact Melinda Olson at SE Prevention Resource Center at 605-335-6474 or m.olson@voa-dakotas.org; or Dodi Haug at the NE Prevention Resource Center at 605-884-3516 dodih@humanserviceagency.org.

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SD Healthy Kids Web-Based Training Modules Available in the Fall 2008

In an effort to combat childhood obesity in South Dakota, modules for improving nutrition and physical activity policy in schools and outside-of-school time (OST) programs will be available this fall on the states’ Healthy SD website under the Schools Tab (www.healthysd.gov). Module topics will include implementing nutrition and physical activity strategies, creating and sustaining effective polices tools & resources, and developing partnerships and advocacy for improved nutrition and physical activity among our youth.

This project is a joint partnership of the health department’s Healthy South Dakota Program, Coordinated School Health Program and Child and Adult Nutrition Services utilizing grant funds from the National Governor’s Association (NGA). Schools and OST programs are encouraged to access these web-based modules for use with school and agency staff during in-services, meetings with parents and community members, and regional trainings. For more information, contact Colleen Reinert, SD Dept. of Health, 773-6189.

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Lesson For Promoting Fruits And Veggies

Teaching materials and tips called the “More Matters Resource Manual” have been
developed by the Florida Department of Health, www.Florida.WIC.org.  A section on Worksite Wellness suggests conducting a healthy snacks workshop for employees, promoting a fruit or vegetable of the month, coordinating a contest or challenge, and including motivating messages at meetings and events.

Preschool and early elementary teachers may find “Things to Remember When Teaching Young Children” to be helpful. Tips emphasize being a role model, children love to repeat things, emphasize positive ways of talking and acting, increase opportunities to listen, see, and do, teach children new things with what they already know, gradually introduce new words and concepts, and build self-esteem and pride. Lessons are provided for preschool, elementary, teens, adults, and older adults.

Some engaging activities are:

• The Garden Game (children sit in a circle and are given fruit or vegetable names, they switch places when a leader calls out two fruits or vegetables, or all switch when “tossed salad” is called)

• Make a Garden in a Glove (place damp cotton balls in the fingers of a plastic glove, place several seeds in each finger, place in a window to sprout, cut the tips of the glove to remove sprouted seeds for transplanting)

• Who Influences My Fruit and Vegetable Intake? (list influences, are they negative, can it be changed to positive)

• Write Your Own Fruit and Veggie Song or Rap. (use a familiar tune such as “Jingle Bells” or “This Old Man” to create a rhyme, song, or cheer)

• Salad Contest (teams make salad from 5 fruits or 5 vegetables for judging as most colorful, most creative, etc.)

• What Does 4 or 5 Cups Look Like? (demonstrate with models or actual food, place 4-5 cups on several plates to show food throughout a day)

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Kids Gardening

Encouraging children to garden increases their curiosity about tasting what they grow and their openness to eating more fruits and vegetables. In addition to encouraging healthful eating, schools are using gardens to educate on science, math, language arts, and social studies concepts. Gardening lessons can cross all age groups from preschool to older adults.

The KidsGardening.com   website provides resources on gardening skills, how-to’s, lesson plans and projects to help children learn from the garden. Educators sign up for the Kids Garden Newsletter and others at www.garden.org/home. Sections of the Kids Gardening website include classroom projects, thematic units, classroom stories, activities, school greenhouse guide, a school garden registry, parent’s primer, photo contests, grants, and more.

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Sun Safety

CDC provides leadership for nationwide efforts to reduce illness and death caused by skin cancer. The focus of CDC's efforts is education and prevention. When in the sun, seek shade, cover up, get a hat, wear sunglasses, and use sunscreen. Click here for more information http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/.

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Physical Education In The U.S.

Due to a high number of requests- Dr. Howell Wechsler's presentation "Physical Education in the U.S.: A Status Report from the CDC 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study" given at the 2008 NASPE General Session in Ft. Worth, Texas, is now posted on the NASPE website. Please visit www.naspeinfo.org and look under Hot News Items to download. Dr. Howell Wechsler is the director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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