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 Healthy habits got a boost recently at Spring City Elementary School as the first and second grade students enjoyed a Puppets Pizzazz show.
Giggles filled the room as Peter the Peanut Butter puppet, shaped like a slice of bread spread with peanut butter, introduced the program and clued the children to the rules for the assembly.
Soon children were clapping along as Princess Pizzazz sang her first number. “Good nutrition plus good exercise plus good hygiene equals a healthy you,” the children were told, with the explanation that hygiene simply means “keeping you body clean.”
Children learned the importance of a balanced diet, eating foods in all the different food groups. A good diet includes grains, fruits and vegetables, milk and yogurt, and meat and fish. “And don’t forget to drink lots of water,” the children were reminded.
To reinforce the need for three to five servings of vegetables and three to five servings of fruit every day, the children were asked a riddle: What did the baby corn say to the mommy corn? Where’s Popcorn (which, by the way, is a healthy snack).
Four vegetable puppets – broccoli, corn, carrot and pepper – sang “Vegilicious,” touting the vitamins each can provide, as well as stressing that the veggies are “tasty, tasty.”
In response to the question of which is the most important meal of the day, the children quickly called out “breakfast.” The puppets reminded the children that a good breakfast means “more energy, better brains and really good thinkers.”
The puppets also stressed the importance of going outside to play and getting lots of exercise all year-round, even in winter. To reinforce the concept, the puppets sang a silly snowman song, and the children learned that even laughter is good exercise.
Children learned they should exercise at least one hour every day, and the best way to do that is to turn off the television and computer after school and get outside and play. They were told that when they exercise and have fun, the brain releases chemicals called endorphins “that make you feel good.”
The puppets also mentioned the importance of sleep, and that exercise can combat a feeling of tiredness.
The hygiene helpers – shampoo, toothbrush and soap – sang “Health Necessities,” telling the children, “We clean off germs that make disease.”
As the children walked back to class after the 45-minute show, they could be heard telling one another, “That was so cool. I loved it.”
The show was sponsored by the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation.
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