May Top Star Newsletter newsletter

DAVIS • MORGAN • WEBER │ M AY 2 0 1 6

TOP Star N EWSLETTER Summer is right around the corner. The warm weather is heating up and so is our newsletter.

This month we will be celebrating Screen Free Week! Screen free week is during the week of May 2-8! Screen Free Week is an opportunity for you as child care providers to really utilize indoor and outdoor active play time for your kids. In this May issue we also have included some fun ideas for Mother’s day gifts and outdoor play. Keep reading to find these great ideas!

Smart Shopping TIPS Everyone wants to save money when shopping for food. The goal is to save money while buying foods that will meet all the nutritional requirements for the children in your care.

Here are some tips for healthy and economical food shopping: 

Planning meals in advance is the key to economical shopping. This makes it easier to compare brand prices, use coupons, and purchase the correct amount. Knowing what you need to buy also helps decrease excess purchasing.



Many packaged meals are high in fat and sodium and are often expensive.

Purchasing the meal components individually and preparing the meal from scratch is more cost-effective and creates a healthier meal for the children.

Contents: Smart Shopping Tips ..................... 1 Introducing: Potatoes .................... 2 Non-Food Gifts for Mother’s Day .................................... 3 Indoor or Outdoor Play................. 4 Weekly Meal Plan ............................ 5 Grocery List Template ................... 6



Plain frozen vegetables have less fat and salt than those in sauces or canned versions.



Choose enriched bread. Look for the words “whole wheat” or “whole grain” at the beginning of the ingredient list.



Half of the calories from chicken are in the skin. Buy skinless parts or remove the skin before cooking or eating.

For more information regarding shopping tips, visit the Child Care Council.

Page 1

TOP STAR | d avi s c ou n t yu t a h. g ov/ he a lt h • w e be r mo rg a n he a lt h .o rg

Introducing:

Potatoes

For the month of May, introduce your kids to potatoes and sweet potatoes. Show them the vegetables and teach them how they grow. Incorporate cooking potatoes and sweet potatoes into one of your lessons. Kids can help prepare potatoes and sweet potatoes by mashing or tossing chopped potatoes in olive oil and salt. They can also top the baked potatoes with yogurt, green onions, spices and other tasty toppings. Let them assist you as you make the yummy Sweet Potato Mash (see below). Making this yummy recipe will get them to use their fine motor and sensory skills.

Visit Harvest for Healthy Kids’ webpage (harvestforhealthykids.org) to download a free activity plan for introducing potatoes, a parent handout and family recipe to try at home, and to gather even

Sweet Potato Mash

more information about potatoes. 

2 lbs. sweet potatoes (4-6 medium)



3/4 tsp. salt



Black pepper (to taste)



2 Tbs butter or milk (optional)

1. Put a medium pot of water on to boil.

2. Scrub sweet potatoes and peel. Then cut the sweet potatoes into quarters.

3. When the water boils, add sweet potatoes to pot. Lower heat, and simmer sweet potatoes until tender.

4. Mash sweet potatoes with a fork. (You can also use a metal whisk with an up-and-down motion to mash as well.)

5. Add the butter or milk (if desired), and season with salt and pepper.

6. Enjoy!

Brought to you by: harvestforhealthykids.org

Page 2

DAVIS • MORGAN • WEBER │ M AY 2 0 1 6

Celebrate

MOTHER’S DAY

Rainbow Butterfly Footprint Artwork

National Screen Free Week (May 2-8) Participate in this year’s Screen Free Week from May 2—8. During this week children, families, schools, and communities unplug their TVs and relish in the joys of life beyond the screen. Show us the screen-free activities you and the kids are enjoying by snapping a few pictures and then posting them to the TOP Star Facebook page.

Participants will be entered into a drawing to be exclusively featured in our August newsletter. So get snapping!

You are My Sunshine

Hand Dotted Tumblers

For more information and activity ideas, visit www.screenfree.org.

Handprint Tote Bags

Mother’s Day Handprint Flower Pot Sunday, May 8, is Mother’s Day! Celebrate each child’s mother by helping your kids create a beautiful piece of art for them.

Supplies: Out door paint, paint brushes small flower pots, clear sealer/ protectant Directions: Have each child paint their hands the colors of the flowers they want. Then have them place their hands on the pot to leave hand prints. Help them paint stems, leaves, and grass. Then let each child paint the top rim of the pot. Finally, have them paint the clear sealer/protectant over the pot to prevent chipping.

For a finger print flower, have the older kids dip their finger in yellow paint and put a few spots on the pot. Then have them put their finger in the flower color paint and place their finger prints around the yellow print.

Idea from: we-made-that.com

Bright and Cheerful Card

Non-food

MOTHER’S DAY

GIFTS!

Page 3

TOP STAR | d avi s c ou n t yu t a h. g ov/ he a lt h • w e be r mo rg a n he a lt h .o rg

Indoor

OR Outdoor

Play

After the long winter months, it’s time plates on the floor or ground in any for kids to take all that built up

pattern they would like. Then have

energy and move outside.

them hop along the paper plates, one

Winter months can always be hard to find activities to get

to the next. Jumping if they need to.

They will master it in no time. So

your kids moving. But today challenge them by telling them to only we have an activity that

jump on the “orange” plate or only

can be done year round.

jump on the “green” plates. And then

Jamie with Hands On: As

ask them how they can line them up differently. The possibilities are

we Grow has a fun activity called Hop, Skip, & Jump. This

To discover even more indoor or

is a super simple activity for toddlers and preschoolers. All you need is some room and some paper plates. Make sure you have different

endless! outdoor play ideas go visit the Hands On: As We Grow webpage (handsonaswegrow.com).

colored plates. Have each child set the

Spy Game Hunt

SCREEN FREE

All you need for this Spy Game Hunt is tape, and pom-poms.

To set up you just string up tape n a hallway from one wall to the next, this will create a spy adventure through a sneaky “alarm system.” The point of the game is to get from the beginning to the end and pick up as many pom-poms as they can along the way. And if they knock down a piece of tape they have to go back to the beginning and start over.

You can make it a little easier for them by giving them bags so that they can more easily hold the pom-poms as they move sneakily.

Brought to you by: Hands on: As We Grow

Page 4

DID YOU KNOW?

17% of American Children are obese?

DAVIS • MORGAN • WEBER │ M AY 2 0 1 6

CACFP Reimbursable Serving Sizes

Weekly Meal Plan

Ages 1 & 2: PINK Ages 3-5: BLUE Ages 6-12: GREEN

BREAKFAST

M

Milk—1% or Skim (½ c, ¾ c, 1 c) Frozen Raspberries (¼ c, ½ c, ½ c) Granola (⅛ c, ⅛ c, ¼ c)

LUNCH/DINNER Milk—1% or Skim (½ c, ¾ c, 1 c) Watermelon (⅛ c, ¼ c, ¼ c) Peas (⅛ c, ¼ c, ⅜ c) Spaghetti Whole Grain Noodles (¼ c, ¼ c, ½ c) Pasta Sauce with Meat (⅛ c, ¼ c, ½ c)

SNACK Pineapple (½ c, ½ c, ¾ c) Graham Cracker (¼ c, ¼ c, ½ c)

Milk—1% or Skim (½ c, ¾ c, 1 c)

T W T

Milk—1% or Skim (½ c, ¾ c, 1 c)

Strawberries (⅛ c, ¼ c, ¼ c)

Cantaloupe (½ c, ½ c, ¾ c)

Blueberries (¼ c, ½ c, ½ c)

Celery (⅛ c, ¼ c, ⅜ c) Chicken Quesadilla Quesadilla (½ slice, ½ slice, 1 slice) Chicken (1 oz, 1.5 oz, 2 oz)

Scrambled Egg (½ egg, ½ egg, ½ egg)

Cream of wheat (¼ c, ¼ c, ½ c)

Milk—1% or Skim (½ c, ¾ c, 1 c) Sliced Grapes (¼ c, ½ c, ½ c) Cheerios (¼ c, ⅓ c, ¾ c)

Milk—1% or Skim (½ c, ¾ c, 1 c) Avocado (⅛ c, ¼ c, ¼ c) Zucchini (⅛ c, ¼ c, ⅜ c) Brown Rice (¼ c, ¼ c, ½ c) Quinoa Chicken Nuggets Chicken (1 oz, 1.5 oz, 2 oz)

Bell Peppers (½ c, ½ c, ¾ c) Whole Wheat Gold Fish Crackers (¼ c, ¼ c, ½ c)

Milk—1% or Skim (½ c, ¾ c, 1 c) Milk—1% or Skim (½ c, ¾ c, 1 c) Diced Pear (¼ c, ½ c, ½ c) Whole Grain English Muffin (½ muffin, ½ muffin, 1 muffin)

Mango (⅛ c, ¼ c, ¼ c) Grilled Cheese with Spinach Toast (½ slice, ½ slice, 1 slice) Spinach (⅛ c, ¼ c, ⅜ c) Cheese (1 oz, 1.5 oz, 2 oz)

Blueberries (½ c, ½ c, ¾ c) Yogurt (¼ c, ¼ c, ½ c)

Milk—1% or Skim (½ c, ¾ c, 1 c)

F

Milk—1% or Skim (½ c, ¾ c, 1 c)

Blackberries (⅛ c, ¼ c, ¼ c)

Orange Wedges (¼ c, ½ c, ½ c)

Carrots/Cauliflower (⅛ c, ¼ c, ⅜ c)

Waffle with Applesauce (½ waffle, ½ waffle, 1 waffle)

Hummus on Whole Wheat Toast Toast (½ slice, ½ slice, 1 slice) Hummus (1 oz, 1.5 oz, 2 oz)

Whole Grain Pretzels (¼ c, ¼ c, ½ c) Cucumber (½ c, ½ c, ¾ c)

Page 5

TOP STAR | d avi s c ou n t yu t a h. g ov/ he a lt h • w e be r mo rg a n he a lt h .o rg

G R O C E R Y

Page 6

{list}

Fresh Produce

Dairy & Eggs

Meat/Poultry/Fish

Breads & Grains

Canned Food

Frozen Food