FoodPlay Productions: Healthy lessons for your students!

Photo: Characters “Coach” and Johnny from FoodPlay talk about reading food labels

In this day and age, it is almost impossible to entertain a child that watches TV and plays computer/ipad/video games on a regular basis. The old tricks such as reading to kids, sending them outside to play, or simply having a conversation- tend not to work as well on this generation of children, used to the fast flashes of color before their eyes that screens provide.

And while it is hard to entertain them, it can be even harder to get a message across!

FoodPlay productions does just that and much more.

FoodPlay is an organization started by Barbara Storper in 1982. FoodPlay combines comedy with nutrition and healthy lifestyle lessons.

Photo: Showing what happens to your teeth when you drink soda

This past week FoodPlay came to Boulder, Colorado with their act and I sat and watched the entire 45 minute long performance, eyes glued to the stage. By the end of the show I was not only ready to give up soda for life, I also planned on joining a sports team and learning how to juggle!

Photo: Telling students about the website with the healthy “Meal Wheel” in the background

The two actors that put on the entire show grab your attention and do not let it go. They make eating junk food seem ridiculous with their “McGreasy’s” skit – placing all the brown fries, buns, and “apple pie” up on the food wheel and alerting the audience to the lack of color. They then pull out lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, making fresh foods sound much more appealing. They show you just how much sugar is in a can of soda and talk about how much money we are spending on soda a year “Wouldn’t you rather keep that $1 per can in your pocket?” They cover a vast variety of subjects including the importance of breakfast, avoiding un-pronounceable chemicals in food, healthy snacking, and more.

FoodPlay does the impossible by keeping students attention for almost an hour, talking about a healthy lifestyle. Students come away empowered to change their lives for themselves and want to bring their families along for the ride!

Photo: The whole audience gets in on the fun!

Find out more about FoodPlay at http://foodplay.com and consider bringing the team to your community.

By: Sunny Young