Valentine Lesson Plans

Northborough health initiative to expand with grant

Bolstered by a nearly $60,000 grant, Northborough is in the planning stages of a second phase of an initiative to fight childhood obesity.

Called Building a Healthy Northborough, the effort began in 2008 with a grant from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation. With the help of a consultant, the town established "Take 10," a classroom activity that integrates movement with learning, at the Zeh School.

It also established the Catch Kids Club, a physical activity and nutrition education program for kids in the Northborough Extended Day Program.

"We tend to forget that not all kids are interested in organized sports," Town Planner Kathy Joubert said. "These two programs allow us to incorporate physical activity throughout the day to kids who might not play sports."

The town also used the money to build community gardens on Valentine Road as well as at a few schools. Teachers incorporate information about growing healthy foods into their lesson plans, Joubert said, and parent volunteers maintain the gardens over the summer.

The latest grant, also from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation, will allow the town to begin a second phase. Joubert said the town will take "Take 10" to other schools in town and build 10 more community gardens on Valentine Road.

The after-school program and the Recreation Department will also develop nutrition and physical activity policies that will guide future program offerings, she said.

A School Health Advisory Subcommittee - made up of teachers, parents, school nurses and residents - will also make recommendations to the Northborough School Committee for possible additions to the schools' wellness policy.

This fall, the Board of Health will begin asking local restaurants to make nutrition content available on their menus and to also increase the healthy food choices they offer, Joubert said.

Joubert said Building a Healthy Northborough is a collaboration between her office, the Board of Health, Family & Youth Services and the Recreation Department that came about after she and Board of Health Agent Jamie Terry went to a conference on strategies to help kids increase exercise.

"This is a nationwide problem," Joubert said. "We've become a very obese nation and a very sedentary nation, and we as a community are trying to address that."

Joubert said the reaction from parents - and kids especially - has been positive.

Kindergarten Lesson Plans for Valentine?s Day

Lesson plans should teach children about holidays and they should be fun and interactive for kids. Kindergarten lesson plans should focus on learning and creativity, and Valentine’s Day is a great theme for creating fun lesson plans. This article will discuss in detail two fun kindergarten lesson plans for Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day Colors and Shapes Cards

Making fun Valentine’s Day cards are a great way to incorporate colors and shapes into a lesson plan for kindergarteners. The objective of this lesson plan is to learn about colors associated with this holiday and shapes and how to use them to create other shapes. For this lesson plan you will need pink, red, purple, and white construction paper, scissors, crayons, and glue.

Start by helping kindergarteners to fold a piece of paper in half. Let them choose the colors they use and make sure they can recognize the different colors. Next help the children to cut a circle and a square out of another piece of paper. Help the kindergarten children cut the circles in half and glue the half circles to the sides of the square to create a heart shape. Remember to address and discuss all the shapes used during this lesson plan. Allow the kids to color on the inside with the crayons, and hold up the cards at the end of the lesson plan and help kids identify the shapes and colors used. The kindergarten kids can then give away their cards or bring them home to their parents.

Counting Heart Garland

Counting is an important skill for children to learn in kindergarten, and making a counting heart garland encompasses the Valentine’s Day spirit while having fun with a holiday lesson plan. The objective of this lesson plan is to teach kindergarten children about numbers and counting. For this lesson plan you will need glue, construction paper in Valentine’s Day colors, scissors, a stapler, staples, and markers.

Help kindergarten children begin this project by cutting strips of paper out of the construction paper; instruct them on how to cut a heart as well. This may be easier if you start by folding a square in half and making a J shape; you may want to provide kindergarten kids with a stencil or a premade heart shape. Next go around the room giving each child a number, and help them write the number on the heart. Next allow kindergarten children to glue the heart to the strip of paper. Bend the strip of paper on the heart labeled number 1 into a loop and staple it closed. Loop the 2nd heart through the first loop and staple it shut. Make sure to face the hearts all in the same direction, and continue with this process until all the hearts are on the garland. Hang the garland somewhere in the classroom, and have students count the hearts together as a group. This lesson plan is a fun and festive kindergarten craft for Valentine’s Day.

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