Are you up for the challenge?
Welcome to the Healthy Heroes Lunch Club!
You are now the most senior pupils in school - you have the power to influence the younger classes to become healthier. We want you to use this power to set up a committee in your school.
With great power comes great responsibility...
As a Healthy Hero, your mission is to
B organise lunchtime games and activities
B inspire good nutrition habits for the younger pupils.
How to set up your club...
Step 1: Set up a committee!
You might want to consider four or five different committees in your class, which would be in charge at different times of the year. This way everyone gets a chance to be a leader and be in charge. Your teacher can help with this, and we have given you some stickers that the new committee can wear each time they take over!
The aim of the committee is to organise healthy activities and set good example for good nutrition at
lunchtime for the younger children. And it’s up to you to figure out how to do that! It’s always good to have a specific aim for what your particular committee would like to achieve. For example, it can be as small as ‘more fruit in lunch boxes’, ‘healthier sandwiches’ or ‘more people playing ball games at break’! This is often called a ‘manifesto’ and helps you steer your ideas.
Manifesto: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives or views of its issuer.
Step 2: Where, When and How Often are you meeting?
At your meetings, you can discuss how you will organise and lead the lunchtime games, and what you will do to inspire good nutrition in the younger classes. You can review if your approaches are working and decide if you need new ideas. You will also decide how you will promote your work and share it with the rest of the school.
Step 3: Set up a Healthy Heroes Lunch Club noticeboard.
It is important to promote the Healthy Heroes mission to all of your school and a great way to achieve this is by creating a noticeboard. We have given your teacher a ‘Healthy Heroes’ banner to help set up the noticeboard. Here are some other things to consider:
B Choose a location in your school where the younger children can see it.
B Update it regularly. For example, monthly sandwich recipes, seasonal fruit and vegetables.
B Is your manifesto included? This will further promote the committee’s goal.
B Have you set up any competitions or extra activities? Make sure your school knows about it by posting it on the noticeboard.
One more thing! Each month we’ll be sending your teacher a video with a challenge for you! Make sure you ask your teacher to share the video with you each month.
There are some great ideas for activities in this e-book, but you can make up your own, or use your favourites! These activities are for you to organise for the younger children to play, so try to remember what you liked playing when you were their age! Games marked with (S) are a little bit more senior, so make sure you pick a game that’s the right level for the class you’re running the club with!
Fun food facts
The word “sandwich” was coined in 1762 by John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, who lived in Sandwich in Kent, England. He ordered meat between bread to eat while playing cards, without leaving the table or dirtying his fingers.
November 3rd is National Sandwich Day!
The potato was the first vegetable to be grown in space back in 1995!
Bananas, kiwis and cucumbers are actually classified as berries!
Orange peel is used by some gardeners as a slug repellent.
In 16th-18th Century Europe, pineapples were so rare and expensive that they were often displayed like fine works of art!
Garlic has been used as a traditional medicine since the time of Ancient Egypt.
Cutting an onion releases a gas which causes us to cry.
A pomegranate can contain up to 1,000 seeds.
Your turn!
Come up with 3 of your own fun food facts. Use the internet or library to help. Write them in the boxes below and share them with your classmates. Ask your teacher to make photocopies of this page so your lunch club can join in this challenge!
Broccoli can be purple as well as green!
Oranges are not always orange! If grown in exceptionally hot countries, they stay green or yellow even when they are fully ripe.
A pomegranate can contain up to 1,000 seeds.
Some people have a gene in their DNA that makes coriander taste like soap!
60 different varieties of apples are grown in Ireland and are one of the only fruits grown in Ireland that are available all year round.
What is a healthy lunch?
All meals should provide energy to meet a child’s needs during the day. A healthy meal should be rich in protein and high in starch and fibre. Studies show that lunchboxes today are deficient (lacking) in healthy foods. We need you to educate the younger children about what goes inside a healthy lunchbox and why is it so important.
A healthy lunch can be divided into four main groups:
1. A protein rich sandwich
2. A portion of fresh seasonal fruit
3. A portion of fresh seasonal vegetables
4. A source of dairy food to provide calcium and protein
Why do I need protein?
Every single cell in the human body is partly made up of protein; you need protein in your diet to make new cells and repair old ones – they are essentially the building blocks of life. It’s also hugely important for growth and development. Examples of foods rich in protein include meat, milk, cheese, fish, eggs, soya, beans, nut butters and some grains like quinoa.
Why do I need fruit?
Fruit provides fibre and antioxidants (these help keep cells strong). It also provides some vitamins and minerals especially vitamin C and potassium. For example, oranges, kiwi and watermelons contain Vitamin C and bananas, apricots and prunes contain potassium and fresh Irish strawberries are rich in antioxidants.
Why do I need vegetables?
Vegetables can provide a range of vitamins and minerals including Vitamin A and Vitamin K, as well as fibre and important nutrients for healthy hair and skin. Try to include a different colour vegetable every day.
Why do I need dairy?
Milk and foods made from milk are called dairy foods. They are healthy sources of calcium, iodine, vitamin B2, vitamin B12 and vitamin D, which are needed for healthy bones and teeth. Dairy foods also provide a range of other vitamins and minerals as well as being a great source of protein.
Ideas for activities in the PE hall/playground
On the next few pages, you'll find loads of ideas for activities for you to run with the younger classes during your lunch clubs. Don't forget - you can also make up your own games! You are the leader. It is very important to make sure you include everyone, and to make sure everyone is able to play in a safe way.
Free the Beanbag
How
To Play:
Pupils move around the space with a beanbag or small cushion on their heads.
Pupils travel as the leader directs, for example:
B Walk
B Jog slowly
B Travel sideways
B Walk backwards
B Walk with your arms stretched out ahead
B Walk with your arms stretched out above you
If a beanbag falls off a pupils’ head, they must freeze!
The frozen pupil can only be freed if another pupil points at them and says a special phrase (the leader can make up the phrase, for example: “By the power of the Healthy Heroes, you are free!”).
Fruit Bowl
How To Play:
B Pupils stand in a circle, spaced apart.
B The leader assigns one of four different fruits to everyone in the group (for example, pear, apple, banana and orange).
B Each person must remember their assigned fruit.
B When the leader calls a fruit, for example ‘pears’, all the pupils who are that fruit (i.e. pears) should swap places with the other pears!
B The leader might call out two fruits together (for example, bananas and oranges) and then all the bananas and oranges have to move at once.
B If the leader calls ‘Fruit Bowl’ everyone must change position!
Tips: Challenge the players even further by calling unassigned fruits, and even foods that are not fruits at all. For example, sausages and carrots!
Shadow Tag
This game is like normal tag but with a twist!
How To Play:
B The leader chooses two players to be the chasers.
B They have to chase the other players.
B Instead of tagging by touching someone, you tag someone by standing on that person’s shadow!
B When a player is tagged, that pupil has to put one arm behind their back while moving.
B If a person is tagged a second time, they must hop around on one leg with their arm still behind their back.
B If a person is tagged a third time, they take the place of the chaser who tagged them.
*This game is best played outside on a sunny day
Hoopla
How To Play:
Follow the Leader
How To Play:
B The leader divides the group into smaller groups of 3 to 6 pupils, asking them to stand one behind another in a line.
B When the leader says “go”, the person at the front of the line must start doing an action, for example:
» Star jump
» Squat
» Clap high above your head
» Hop on one foot 3 times
» Pretend to pass a ball between your legs
B The next person in the line has to copy them and so on until everyone in the line has completed the action.
B When the person at the end of the line has done the action, they must run to the front of the line.
B It is then their turn to make up an action to be copied.
B To make it even trickier, the leader can change the move any time they choose!
B The leader assigns each group a section of the hall or playground to move around in.
B The leader will need to place a hoop in the middle of each playing space.
B Each pupil is given their own beanbag.
B When the leader says “go”, pupils must jog around their assigned space, holding their beanbag in their hand until the leader says “Hoopla”.
B All pupils freeze on the spot.
B Then one at a time, pupils take turns aiming and throwing their beanbags into the hoop in their playing space.
Bowling (S)
How To Play:
B Collect plastic bottles that are all roughly the same size.
B Optional: Remove the labels from the bottles, so that you can paint them with any design you like.
B Include a number from 1-10 on each bottle.
B Once your pins are ready, set them up in a triangle shape, in random order in the playground. Decide how many rounds you would like to play.
B Stand back from the pins, and use a small ball (tennis ball, etc.) to aim for the pins.
B Each player has 2 tries per turn to try and knock over the pins. At the end of your turn, check which pins you have knocked down and add up their numbers. For example, if you knocked down pins 1, 3 ,5 ,7 and 9, then your score would be 25.
B Once you’ve completed all the rounds, the player with the highest number of points wins the game!
Tips: If children are finding it difficult to hit the bottles with the small ball, use a larger ball, like a basketball. To make it more of challenge, try to multiply all the numbers rather than adding!
Classroom Olympics (S)
Have your own classroom Olympic Games!
How To Play:
B Pick your team and create your ‘country name’. You can be a real country, or make up your own name!
B Choose which games you’d like to include in your Olympics. You can use traditional games like football or basketball, or get creative and come up with some new ones yourselves!
B Each team plays each other at each sport. This activity can last a few breaktimes, and its important to keep score as you go!
B Decide how many points a team gets for winning, drawing and losing. Maybe 2 points for a win, 1 point each for a draw and 0 points for a loss.
B At the end, the team with the highest overall score are the Olympic Champions!
Hold Hop Relay
How To Play:
B Divide the players into teams and ask each team to stand in a line at the start.
B Give each team a beanbag or basketball (basketball for older players).
B When the leader says “Go” the first person must put their beanbag/ basketball between their knees and hop to the finish line, where they deposit the beanbag/ basketball into their hoop and run back to the start.
B The next person runs down and collects the beanbag/ basketball, hopping back to the start line with their beanbag/ basketball between their knees.
B Continue on again with the next player. The first team to have all players back to the start wins.
Jungle Run
How To Play:
Invite the children to run through the ‘jungle’ as they face different obstacles and animals that they need to get away from. The leader gives appropriate commands, and the children must carry out a suitable action.
B Jump over logs
B Duck under branches
B High knees through quicksand
B Run from the tiger
B Tiptoe past the snake
B Talk to the monkeys
B Hop on the lily pads
B Balance on the rocks in the river
Tips: Come up with commands to suit different settings. For example, Library Run - tiptoe past the librarian, hop over the bags, dodge the falling books.
Guess Who
How To Play:
B Ask each player to sit in a circle, on the floor or on a rug.
B Ask one pupil to stand separate from the group to be ‘the detective’.
B Assign one pupil to be the ‘leader’.
B The leader will start doing an action with their body (i.e., clapping, jumping, jogging on the spot, etc.) and the whole class will follow.
B Bring the detective to the centre of the circle.
B The ‘leader’ will do different actions and the whole class will follow.
B The detective has to guess who the leader is!
B Once they guess correctly, they will join the circle and the old leader will become the detective and a new leader is chosen.
Copy Cat!
How To Play:
B Each player finds a partner.
B The pairs all stand up and face each other.
B One partner starts doing different actions of their choice, such as hopping on one foot, moving their arms, etc.
B The other partner must copy these actions.
B The goal of the game is to mirror each other.
B Players can take turns being the copycat.
*This is a fun activity to play at home with a member of your family. If there are more people in your household, invite them to play and guess who is copying who!
Ideas for activities in the classroom
The Bean Game
How To Play:
Making sure everyone is properly distanced, the leader calls out a type of bean and the rest of the players carry out the required action.
B Runner bean – run on the spot
B Jumping bean – jump on the spot
B Broad bean – make themselves as wide as they can
B String bean – make themselves as tall as they can
B Jelly bean – wriggle and wobble like jelly
B Frozen bean – shiver and make “Brrrr” sounds
B Baked bean – curl up in a ball
B Beans on toast – lie spread out on the floor
B French bean – pose and say “Oh la la”
Make it even more fun by adding your own ‘beans’ as well!
*If there are two or more people in your home, you can play this at home too!
On the Road
How To Play:
B Have children stand at their chairs.
B Ask them to listen as the leader calls out different words connected with being on the road. Then ask them to do the following actions when each of the words is called out:
» Green light – Jog on the spot
» Red light – Stop
» Orange light – Jump up
» Roundabout – Turn around on the spot
» Traffic jam – Squat down and tip the ground and then stand up
» Motorway – Run on the spot
Luck of the Draw
How To Play:
B The leader asks pupils as a class to contribute ideas for simple exercises, for example:
» Jump in and out, bringing your legs together and apart
» Jump in and out diagonally
» Squat down and up
» Walk sideways and tap your head
» Do a full turn with your hands on your hips
B The leader writes down 10 of these ideas.
B Pop all the ideas into a pot (or a suitable container).
B In a second pot, pop in 11 pieces of paper, each with one of the following numbers5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.
B The leader shuffles around the pieces of paper in the first pot until someone says ‘stop’ and they pull out the exercise they have in their hand.
B Do the same for the second pot.
B The whole class has to do whichever exercise was chosen, repeating it the number of times chosen – but it’s all the luck of the draw!
B The leader keeps pulling out new activities for the class until all 10 are done!
Ideas for activities in the classroom or the PE Hall/playground
Move to the Groove
How To Play:
B Ask each player to name various ways they can move their hands, feet, arms and bodies, such as:
» stomp or tap their feet
» move their arms up, down, out straight, or around
» snap, pat, or clap their hands
» move their bodies by bending, stretching, jumping, etc.
B Divide the class into their groups and ask them to make up a pattern to do over and over such as: two claps and three stamps; snap, tap, clap – snap, tap, clap. Or, they could use arm and hand motions such as arms up, hands on hips, arms up and arms down at sides.
B Ask each group to preform their arrangement for the other children who then join in and follow their lead. Have the groups start very slowly and gradually increase their speed as they continue to lead their pattern.
B A variation is ask them to create a chant to go with their movements. For example, “Bend to the left, bend to the right, then clap your hands with all your might”.
Healthy Heroes Says
How To Play:
B The leader stands in front of the other players and tells them what to do. For example,
» Clap your hands
» Pretend you are hoola hooping
» Jump up high
» Jazz hands
» Jog on the spot
B But! The players should only respond to commands that begin with the words “Healthy Heroes says…”.
B If the leader says “Healthy Heroes says jump up high”, the players should jump.
B But if the leader simply says “Jump”, the players must not jump.
B If anyone jumps, they’re out of the game!
Opposite Moves
How To Play:
B One pupil is assigned to be the leader.
B When the leader says GO – all players must freeze in place.
B When the leader says STOP – all players must move around the space either walking, jumping or running.
B When the leader says UP – all players must sit or lay down.
B When the leader says DOWN – all players must stand up and stretch their arms up toward the ceiling.
B Any player who does the wrong action is out.
B Continue until there is only one player left and then start again!
*You can also play this game at home with family members.
All Sit Down
How To Play:
B Pupils stand in small groups.
B The leader calls out different physical activity instructions e.g. Touch your toes, do 3 jumping jacks, hop 6 times.
B The players have to listen carefully to the leader because as soon as the leader calls out “All sit down” the players must sit down on the ground.
B The first group to have all members sitting down wins!
