Protected Under 18 U.S.C. 707

By now, you know there are three very important steps to building a POSITIVE YOU: eating well, being active, and finding ways to express your creative self. Each step depends on another. It's like a three-legged stool--take away one of the legs and the stool falls over.

Following are more ideas and activities for you to do to build a positive you. Keep a record of what you do in your 4-H journal. Over time, as you record the things you accomplish as part of the 4-H Wellness Project, you should be able to see how you have changed to become a healthier and more positive you.

• Plan a day's worth of meals for your family (over the weekend) to get the recommended servings from the Food Guide Pyramid. Remember that the number of servings you need may be different from what other members of your family may need. Review Level 2-1 of your 4-H Wellness Education Project to identify the number of servings of each food group that members of your family will need for the day. Record your menu in your 4-H journal.
• Go grocery shopping with your parents to help them make healthy food selections.
• Go to a roadside "you pick" vegetable or fruit farm, gather your own food, and help your family prepare these foods for a meal.
• Visit your local grocery store and gather information on the source (where they come from) and cost of various fruits and vegetables. Which are the highest? Where are they grown? Which are the least expensive? Where are they grown?
• Find a recipe and make a dish that looks good, tastes good, and is good for you.
• Go on a multicultural scavenger hunt in your kitchen to see how many multicultural foods you can locate.
• Identify animal sources of milk at the grocery store. Cows are not the only milk-producing animals. Others include water buffaloes, camels, goats, horses, donkeys, and yaks.
• Visit a neighbor's house and interview an older member of his or her family. Ask them, "What are common foods eaten in your house?" Compare the food eaten in this family for differences and similarities to what your family eats. Write in your 4-H journal what you have discovered.
• Observe meal preparation time at your house and record what happened in your 4-H journal. Were all of the food safety guidelines followed?
• Play "The Big Spill." Everybody gets a paper cup full of water. One at a time with cups in hand, players jump into a turning jump rope and must complete three consecutive skips before jumping out. When everyone has finished, players hold up their cups. The one with the most water left wins.
• Play "Thread the Needle." Gather a couple of friends or members of your family and join hands in a circle with a hula-hoop hanging from one person's arm. When play begins, the person with the hoop must step through it and pass it to a neighboring player without letting go of his or her teammates' hands. The next player then does the same thing. See how long it takes you.
• Make a list of all of the accomplishments you are most proud of. Write your list in your 4-H journal. Think about your list and appreciate yourself for all of your hard work. Have your parents do the same thing. Find out what they are most proud of--one of the things is probably you!
• Do something you love today.
• Many people make themselves miserable by choosing to focus on what's wrong in their lives instead of focusing on what's right. Think about what's working in your life each day and write it in your 4-H journal.
• Make a "want-to-do" list that includes things you wish to do. This is your wish list; it can be anything.
• Do your homework outside.

For more information, contact your county Extension office. Visit http://www.aces.edu/counties or look in your telephone directory under your county's name to find contact information.

Published by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University), an equal opportunity educator and employer.

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