CATCH Early Childhood (CEC) is designed to nurture a love of physical activity, provide an introduction to classroom-based gardening and nutrition, and encourage healthy eating in children ages 3-5. Modeled after the nationally recognized CATCH Program, CEC provides an environment where physical activity, health education, gardening and
healthy eating behaviors are valued and taught. Little ones are motivated to walk, run, jump, dance and move their whole bodies while playing and having fun!
- Tools to successfully develop and implement a fun nutrition and PE/activity program
- Convenient and flexible lesson plans featured in a manual with removable pages for easy duplication and sharing
- A sample schedule to aid in lesson planning
- Over 400 activity cards that promote moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)
- Relaxation and stretching exercises to assist with cool-downs and transition back to the classroom
- A music CD that keeps the class motivated, moving, and having fun
- Parent Tip Sheets to take home that encourage family involvement
- Games and activities that foster a love of exercise
- The opportunity to refine developing locomotor, non-locomotor and manipulative skills
- Knowledge to identify basic healthy food choices
- Music to sing and dance along to
- Hands-on gardening experiments
- Snack activities for hungry bellies
- Hand puppets and cartoon characters that make learning fun
- 9 nutrition-based and 10 gardening-based classroom lessons to encourage healthy eating behaviors
- Over 400 activity cards with music aimed at promoting physical activity
- Parent Tip Sheets that provide a coloring activity, additional nutrition and physical activity information, and recipe ideas for parents
- Extension Activities aimed at promoting repetition of nutrition messages
- Curriculum Connectors to extend lessons into other learning centers such as language, math, and science
- An adaptive learning component to meet the needs of children with physical or learning disabilities
- A list of Spanish and French translations of “key words” from lesson plans to expand children’s knowledge and facilitate instruction in bilingual classrooms
The CATCH Early Childhood program is unique because the classroom curriculum includes stories with puppets and activities that really resonate with 3, 4 and 5 year old children. Lessons share important nutrition concepts and are crafted so that they can be used in any preschool learning center. Children have fun as they learn about healthy eating; and the PE activities, which come with music, keep kids and teachers moving and singing.
Shreela Sharma, PhD, RD, LD
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Assistant Director, Dietetic Internship Program, Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, The University of Texas, School of Public Health
