Happy Halloween
CONCEPT: Making Good Choices
BRIEF SUMMARY
Discuss low phe snacks at parties and how to decide which treats are good to eat. Compare different types of candy with a 'grab bag' activity. Complete a worksheet to practice healthy choices.
OBJECTIVES
After completing this activity, children will be able to:
- select low phe treats
- identify high phe treats that might be offered at Halloween
- explain their strategies for eating low phe treats
METHODS
Lead a discussion about Halloween:
- Who is going Trick or Treating?
- What are you going to dress up as?
- Who went Trick or Treating last year?
- What kinds of treats did you get?
- Were those high phe or low phe treats?
- Who went to a Halloween party?
- What did you eat? Was it high phe or low phe?
Discuss the options for choosing good snacks: (summarize their ideas on a chalkboard, if available)
- How did you decide what treats to eat last year?
- Do you have any rules at your house about Halloween candy?
- What could you do to make sure you only eat low phe treats?
- Choose low phe treats if there is a selection
- Refuse the treat if it is high in phe
- Sort through the treats with parents, keeping only the low phe treats--could give the high phe treats away or trade them for low phe
- What could you do at a party?--Plan ahead
- Eat nothing
- Eat only free foods
- Eat a small dinner and a few higher phe foods at the party--check with mom or dad first
Trick or Treat Grab Bag
"Now we're going to have a 'test'--I have a bag with Halloween treats, and it is up to you to decide if they are high or low phe treats."
Each child can pick a treat from the bag. Discuss whether it is a high or a low phe treat. When "no" foods are selected ask, "If somebody gave you this kind of treat, what could you say?" ( No thank you. Thank you, I'll give it to my mom/brother/sister.)
Happy Halloween Worksheet
Distribute the worksheet and a Food List to each participant. Allow time for the children to complete the worksheet individually. Discuss their answers together.
Give the children/parents a copy of the "Guidelines for a Happy, Healthy, Low Phe Halloween" to take home with them.
MATERIALS
- Bag with Halloween treats, such as: Lifesavers, peanuts, Snickers, apple, popcorn ball, Reeses Pieces, lollipop, Jolly Rancher candy
HOME ACTIVITIES
Help to reinforce what makes a good snack by having low phe snacks available at home.