The Ideas for Action guide is meant to be a starting point - to encourage you, the students, to start conversations about healthy eating in your school and community.
Ideas for Action is a resource to get you, teachers, and your whole school community started in planning healthy eating activities in your school. This guide provides information about existing programs and resources, tips for getting started, things to consider, sources of support in Ontario, and a number of healthy eating activity ideas.
Each activity includes how-to instructions, supplies that are required, as well as ideas for getting more creative. If you are not sure that an activity is a good fit for your school, talk to a teacher or another member of your school community about how you might change the activity to make it a better fit your school community.
When selecting an activity, here are some things to think about:
- Who in your school do you want to talk to (for example, all students in the school or a smaller group or a specific grade)? Keep in mind that many of the activities in this guide can be adapted for different ages, experience levels, and group sizes.
- How many activities do you want to run (for example, several smaller activities or one large activity)?
- When do you want to run activities (for example, do you connect an activity to a key date like end of school, do you plan a month of activities leading up to end of school, or do you run one activity a month for the whole year)?
Why use Ideas for Action: Healthy Eating?
We want you to use this guide to encourage you, the students, to not only start conversations about healthy eating in your school, but also to get you making the best healthy eating choices. This could look very different in different schools. And that’s okay – it’s up to you!
It’s important that your plan fit your school. Things to think about include the following:
- Who in your school do you want to talk to? For example, do you want to communicate to all students, a specific grade, or a specific student group such as student council, a sports team, or a club?
- What teachers, school staff, or community members could you look to for support and partnership?
- How many activities do you want to run? For example, do you want to run several smaller activities or one large activity?
- When do you want to run activities? For example, do you want to connect an activity to a key date like end of school, plan a month of activities leading up to end of school, or perhaps run one activity a month for the whole year? Remember, the healthier you eat, the better you feel.