The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM Campaign was launched by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in 2000. The Campaign encourages and teaches children, parents, and caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active everyday. Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM offers resources and tools to convey and reinforce healthy eating and lifestyle behaviors that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the MyPyramid Food Guidance System.  The Web site includes pages focused on Educators, Parents and Caregivers, and Kids.

The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM for Educators site is full of features with updated and new resources, ideas on how to use them, and ready-to-go tools to use in conjunction with Power Panther visits.  Click the following link to access the Educators section of the Web site:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardeducators/

The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM for Parents and Caregivers site is full of features with updated and new resources, ideas on how to use them, and ready-to-go tools to help you and your kids eat more healthfully and be more active every day.  Click on the following link to access the Parents and Caregivers section of the Web site:
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle

While you're there, be sure to check out the "Create Healthy, Active Celebrations" guide. It is full of ideas to help you and your family celebrate with festive food and fun games. It also includes tips for planning healthy, active parties, specific theme events with ideas for menus, activities, and decorations, as well as two-dozen recipes so your guests can "Eat Smart" at your celebration.

Click the link below to access this 46-page guide.
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle/QuickandEasy/celebrations.pdf

Kids will enjoy the The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM for Kids site, where they can explore a virtual town full of games, songs, activities, recipes, and reading to support them as they eat smarter and play harder. Click on the following link to access the Kids section of the Web site:
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardkids

More than ever, news headlines reinforce the rapidly growing trend of obesity and the decline of healthy and active lifestyles among this nation's youth. To address this epidemic, Get Kidz Fit, a free health and fitness festival for families throughout Dallas and Collin Counties, took place on Saturday, April 26, 2008. 

The inaugural Get Kidz Fit extravaganza showcased simple and fun ways families can incorporate physical activity and nutritious eating into day-to-day life. Families participated in healthy cooking demonstrations, learned to eat nutritiously and participated in many forms of entertainment the whole family could enjoy such as sports, rock climbing, dance, tennis, soccer, jump rope, martial arts and much more.

Various local sponsors and community organizations provided giveaway items and information to educate attendees on easy and convenient ways to incorporate physical activity and nutritious eating habits into the daily schedules. Prizes and awards were given to several of the participants.

"Dallas and Collin Counties are in great need of a community-wide event like this where our youth can become educated on ways to live a healthy lifestyle and have fun doing it," said Jon Bennett, committee chair for Get Kidz Fit.

Research shows that more than 35 percent of Texas school-aged children are considered either overweight or obese; a child that is overweight by age 12 has a 75 percent chance of being overweight as an adult; and the prevalence of obesity among Texas' 4th graders is one and a half times the national average.

Get Kidz Fit commenced as an idea by a group of members from the Dallas Area Coalition to Prevent Childhood Obesity (DACPCO), co-founded in January 2005 by Children's Medical Center Dallas and Community Council of Greater Dallas, whose vision was to promote healthy and active lifestyles among Texas youth.

DACPCO's membership currently includes more than 90 organizations from all segments of the community.  DACPCO's mission is to prevent childhood obesity by encouraging physical activity and optimal nutrition for children through collaborative community, corporate and educational efforts like Get Kidz Fit.

Want to figure out how to get more fresh fruits and vegetables into your family's diet? Check out these Web sites to learn more about these foods that are chock-full of natural vitamins and nutrients.