Try It. You’ll Like it.
On Wednesday, February 26th the Parent Association sponsored an assembly to promote healthy eating habits in our children. Health Barn USA, an organization which is based out of Abma’s Farm in Wyckoff, brought a program to The Village School called “Try It, You’ll Like It” which aimed to teach children about healthy foods – how they are grown, how they are prepared and most importantly how they taste! The presentation was given by Stacey Antine, a registered dietitian who founded Health Barn USA in response to the numerous lifestyle diseases (obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc.) she began to see many children facing in today’s processed food driven world. The Assembly was done in two parts. The first was a presentation given by Stacey on what healthy living means, based on the USDA’s “My Plate” campaign along with the need to move your body every day. Stacey emphasized the body needs both real food AND exercise in order to be truly healthy. Next, volunteers were chosen from the audience to be “expert taste testers” in the 4 different food groups – Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy, and Grains. The only rules to being chosen were that you had to chew and swallow each food you were given and then give a thumbs up or thumbs down to indicate your opinion on the food. The words “ew, yuck and gross” were not allowed. After the presentation was complete, all students were invited to visit stations and encouraged to become expert taste testers themselves. All food was provided by Whole Foods and served either raw or in as close to its natural form as possible. Students from Toddler to Middle School enjoyed the assembly and trying new flavors. Health Barn offers family events, classes and camps in addition to its school assemblies and all are based on teaching children about “real food.”
Slippers for Seuss
Though our students don slippers in the classroom on a daily basis, on the first Monday in March they are encouraged to complete the bedtime look. This seemingly odd tradition is actually one that our students look forward to each year as they celebrate National Read Across America Day and pay tribute to one of the most renowned children’s authors of all time, Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss whose birthday falls on March 2nd. Throughout the day students clad in pajamas read many Seuss classics and enjoy related activities, but the highlight of the day is a special visit from School Director, Marilyn Larkin who does a special reading of a chosen Seuss book. This year the students were treated to hearing either “Green Eggs and Ham” or “The Cat in the Hat Comes Back” as they clutched their stuffed toys and listened to the funny antics of the famous cat either in the gym or in their classrooms.
100 days and counting
After being pushed back day by day due to the snowy weather this winter, the much anticipated 100th day of school arrived for our students on Tuesday, March 4th. Though the elementary classes typically mark the day with a special project (this year they made their own constellations with 100 stars), the 100th day is really a big deal in our kindergarten program. If you ever happen to be in the school on this day, you will notice that what stands out is the amount of cards with numbers on them scattered randomly throughout the school. A hundred cards to be exact. Our kindergarteners, who have been keeping track of the days during the year, travel around the school looking very official with clipboards as they mark off each number they spot in a school-wide game of I-spy that culminates with finding the number 100 in director Marilyn Larkin’s office. 
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