Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5611 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Susan Wingard

County Extension Coordinator

April 12, 2011

Helping Preschoolers Develop Healthy Habits

Our office has had the opportunity to work with some children’s programs recently to encourage eating a variety of colorful foods and being physically active.  As adults, here are some ideas from mypyramid.gov of things we can do to help young children develop healthy habits:

-Keep in mind that children take their lead from you.  Make healthy choices and your children will too.  Offering a variety of foods helps children get the nutrients they need.  As a family, eat together whenever possible. Talk about fun and happy things at mealtime.  Turn off the television and take phone calls later.  Let your children see you enjoying fruits, vegetables and whole grains at meals and snacks at home and on the go.  Try cooking together.  Children love helping in the kitchen. They will learn skills they will use for life.  A two year old may help by wiping tables, tearing lettuce, or rinsing vegetables or fruit.  Some activities a three year old could possibly do are add ingredients, stir pancake batter, shape dough and help assemble a pizza. A four year old child may be able to peel some fruits such as bananas and oranges, set the table, help measure dry ingredients and help make sandwiches and salads. Be sure your children learn to wash their hands before helping with any kitchen activities. 

-You can help children try new foods.  Children do not always take to new foods right away. Offer new foods many times.  Give them a small taste at first and be patient with them.  Serve something that you know your child likes along with the new food.  Offering too many new foods all at once could be overwhelming.

-Remember that picky eating is usually temporary.  Patience works better than pressure.  Let your child choose how much to eat.  Children are more likely to enjoy a food when eating it is their own choice.  Rather than ask “Do you want broccoli for dinner?” ask “Which would you like for dinner:  broccoli or cauliflower?”

-Encourage children to play actively every day.  Physical activity is important because it helps your child stay healthy, helps your child learn good habits early in life, and gives them an outlet for their natural energy.  Make physical activity fun for the whole family.  It includes anything that gets your child moving both inside and outside the house.  Walk, run, and play with your child rather than sitting on the sidelines.  Focus on fun and not performance.  Not all children are athletes but all can make activity a lifetime habit.

Special Thanks To Our Volunteers

April is volunteer appreciation month.  The Baldwin County Extension Office would like to thank all the volunteers in the Baldwin County Master Gardener Program, Master Environmental Education Program, 4-H Youth Development Program, Extension Advisory Council members and the volunteers that assist with special programs and events.  We appreciate all you do to help us provide Extension educational programs in Baldwin County!

Master Environmental Educator Program

Are you concerned about our environment?  If so, come join us.  We are seeking volunteers to teach environmental awareness in Baldwin County.  Previous teaching experience or environmental knowledge is not required.  We will provide you with the information and resource materials you will need to present educational programs.  The Master Environmental Education (MEE) Program has a two-day training session scheduled for volunteers on August 18 and 19 at the Gulf Coast Regional Research and Extension Center in Fairhope.  

     Volunteers will be trained on topics including:  aquatic nuisance species, backyard wildlife habitat, energy, groundwater pollution, invasive plant species, nonpoint source pollution, recycling, and the water cycle.  Once trained, the Master Environmental Educators are asked to give back 20 hours of volunteer time per year to the community.  Master Environmental Educator applications are on our website at www.aces.edu/counties/Baldwin or by calling the Baldwin County Extension Office at 937-7176 or 943-5061/928-0860, extension 2222.                             

Email address: swingard@aces.edu

Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5611, 928-0860, ext. 2222

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.