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CATCH School Projects
The following school
project, is presented courtesy of the CATCH Texas Staff. Please
email us and tell us
what you think. Also, contact us if your
school conducts a campus event which gets the entire community involved.
We would love to share it with the CATCH Texas Community. Be sure
to check back to CATCH What's New. |
CATCH Family Fun Night is a family participation night
designed to increase family awareness of the CATCH behavioral outcomes
and reinforce healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among students.
The event can be planned and conducted by a single grade level or the
entire school as part of a PTA meeting, back to school night, or as a
specific CATCH event. As CATCH is a coordinated program, Family Fun Night
will be a coordinated event which showcases the four component areas of
the CATCH Program. However, it should not stop there! Family Fun Night
is a wonderful opportunity to include other health related activities
and services available at the school and throughout the community. Ultimately,
the CATCH Program is one part of the school’s coordinated health
program. Involving other community agencies and interested individuals
in CATCH Family Fun Night will extend environmental change into the greater
school community and ultimately influence children and adults to make
healthy choices in their lives.
| General
Description |
| It is best to create a “theme” for
Family Fun Night that can be based on stories from the Go
For Health Series, the Go,
Slow and Whoa nutritional theme, or designed to reflect a cultural
heritage within a specific holiday. A common and successful practice
is assigning physical activity and snack “booths” to specific
classrooms or grade levels. The booths would feature heart healthy
snacks, games, posters and recipes designed to reinforce messages
around CATCH the objectives. |
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| The main activity for the evening could be an
aerobic dance routine performed by the children, who have learned
the routine in physical education classes prior to the event. Parents
would be encouraged to participate with the kids during the cool-down
portion of the activity. Door prizes could be awarded at the conclusion
of the evening by drawing raffle tickets for attendance and participation
at the booths. Certificates could also be given to families who participate
as a team. |
| Long
Range Planning |
| The CATCH Committee will be responsible for planning
the event, with a specific member designated as Family Fun Night Coordinator
(Coordinator). At the initial meeting, a representative from the classroom,
physical education, cafeteria and parents volunteers would help develop
the theme of the Fun Night . Once a theme has been identified, and
activities, games, snacks and recipes selected and funding secured,
the Coordinator will contact all participating faculty, staff and
parent volunteers two to three months before the event to assign booth
activities, reserve the gym and/or cafeteria and assign tasks. Especially
important is coordinating the event with the Food Service Director
early enough to enlist their support in preparation and serving of
heart healthy food. |
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One of the Committee’s most important
tasks will be identification of funding. The Fun Night will cost
money. Prior to confirming the date for the event, arrangements
for paying for the event must be established.
The Coordinator will provide all participants
with the following information:
• Date, time and location of CATCH Family
Fun Night.
• Delivery time and location of food drop off in cafeteria/kitchen
for parents/volunteers.
• Responsibilities of each group for planning, conducting
and cleaning up after the event.
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| Teachers will promote Family Fun
Night in the classroom and coordinate the distribution of flyers
to be sent home with the children. Classroom teachers will also
be responsible, with the assistance of the Coordinator, for soliciting
parents to help run the class’s booth. Parents may also be
recruited to promote the event to other parents and business and
community contacts. |
| Short
Range Planning |
| The Coordinator will call designated contacts
from each group one week prior to the event date and confirm all preparations.
At that time, adjustments can be made that address implementation
problems. The Coordinator should make one final check no later than
48 hours prior to the evening of the event. |
| Sample
Theme - CATCH Strongheart Celebration Night |
| The CATCH Family Fun Night example is based on
the Stowaway to Planet Strongheart theme from the fourth grade curriculum.
Six game booths are arranged in the school gym or auditorium and students
and parents will be encouraged to visit each booth. Additional snack
booths (number to be determined based on available resources and contributions)
feature heart healthy foods. Each booth will reinforce CATCH primary
and secondary goals (i.e., reduced fat, increased complex carbohydrates,
increased physical activity). Games, posters, recipes, and food items
at each booth are also designed to reinforce positive messages about
healthy eating and physical activity habits. |
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| The main activity for the evening will be an aerobic
dance routine performed by the students who have learned the routine
in music and physical education classes. Parents will be encouraged
to participate during the activity. Door prizes will be awarded at
the end of the evening by a drawing of raffle tickets for attendance
and participation at the booths. Certificates will also be given out
to family teams who participate. |
| CATCH Strongheart Celebration
Schedule |
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6:30 – 7:15 p.m. Booths
7:15 - 7:30 p.m. Aerobic Dance Performance
7:30 – 7:45 p.m. Award Home Team Certificates
7:45 – 7:55 p.m. Drawings for Prizes |
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Upon arrival, participants will be greeted by
parent volunteers and teachers. The Strongheart Celebration Night
logo poster will identify the event and participants will receive
a CATCH nametag. |
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• Each participant will
receive raffle tickets for attendance.
• Aerobic dancers will receive a sticker at the door, identifying
their participation in the program.
• Booths will begin operating promptly at 6:30. Each time a
person participates, they receive a ticket.
• All dancers assemble at 7:05 for the aerobic dance routine
in the gym.
• Distribute Home Team certificates after the aerobic dance
routine.
• Draw and distribute prizes |
| Food
Snack Ideas |
| The food booths will present between
three and five snacks from the following list. Snacks chosen will
be site specific, depending on availability of ingredients and preference
for certain foods. |
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• Applesauce Cake, Chili Bean
Dip with Tortillas
• English Muffin Pizzas, Fig Bars
• Flavored, Unsalted Popcorn, Frozen Yogurt, Non- or Lowfat
• Fruited Juice Go Fruit Salad
• Marshmallow Treats,
Oat’n Fruit Bars
• Raspberry Streusel Bars with Glaze
Frosting
• Trail Mi, Yogurt Dip with Fresh Fruit |
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| Meal
of Fortune
The purpose of this game is to
reinforce heart healthy words and phrases that emphasize the importance
of Go Foods and Go Activities. Based on the Wheel of Fortune Game.
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| Go
Bingo
Original bingo cards with names
of Go foods are used in this fast-paced game that reinforces the
wide variety of Go foods. |
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| Dr.
A. Robics Go Time Quick Pick-Up
The games incorporates various
physical activity movements, both skill and health based, that emphasize
that movement can be enjoyable. |
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| Legume
Lagoon Bean Jar Guessing Game
Players guess the amount of beans in five different sized jars.
Information in the booth reinforces the need for more complex carbohydrates
in everyone’s diet.
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| "You
Ought-A-Be” In Pictures – Pictionary
Based on the TV Game Show, “Win,
Lose or Draw,” this activity reinforces the classroom and
home team curriculum. |
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| Greta’s
Great Food Toss Game
Participants decide if food packages
are Go, Slow or Whoa foods. The activity reinforces the “language
of CATCH,” and the concept of increasing Go foods and decreasing
Whoa foods in their diet. |
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