Healthy, active, and well-nourished children are more prepared and motivated to learn. Yet an alarming number of students throughout the United States are overweight, unfit, or both. These children and youth are developing serious health problems now and face dire consequences in the future.

Crawford’s Kids Health is a new dynamic educational curriculum designed specifically for students Pre-K through First Grade.  Delivered to school systems via the Internet or on CD-ROM, the Crawford’s Kids Health program of instruction will provide a unique multimedia curriculum that engages children, meets state requirements, and encompasses all National Health Education Standards (NHES).

The goal of the Crawford’s Kids Health cirriculum is to provide teachers with the kind of health, exercise and nutrition teaching aids that will truly capture kids’ attention and help reinforce the message of good health for kids. Crawford the Cat is an animated friend that will keep children focused and guide them through the lesson.

Crawford’s Kids Health includes an initial 39 lesson plans.  The lesson plans utilize a multimedia curriculum consisting of entertaining “How to” videos, fun Interactive Learning Games, Virtual Read-a-long “Books,” and engaging Activity Sheets. The curriculum also provides parents with a method to become involved in their child’s health education at home by incorporating lesson plan supplements that can be easily implemented.

The specific topics are still in development with educational advisors, but included below is a draft outline of the 39 lesson plans to illustrate the range and scope of the topics. Teachers can select the sequence of the lessons that they think are most appropriate for each week of the school year. 

Each lesson plan will include: 1) a Lesson Overview, 2) the Teaching Sequence, and 3) Assessment. The lesson summary and overview include a synopsis, key concepts, student skill goals, lesson objectives, summary of teaching steps, and a summary of the assessment process. Each lesson also includes a checklist of materials that may be required in the classroom, the suggested time required to present the lesson, and any additional background information that teachers may find helpful. Sections of each lesson plan also include suggestions for discussion with the children and ways to get them directly involved.

The assessment section of each lesson plan will vary depending upon the topic, but generally does not include Crawford video elements. This is where the teacher confirms how well the class or individual students have retained the information presented.

In some cases, the lessons may be designed to give teachers an assessment tool such as a computer game that asks children to have simple interactions with the lesson content. The plan also suggests an approach to assessment with specific questions or activities, along with criteria teachers can use to determine individual proficiencies.

Video Segments
	Each lesson will include a fun and informative, five-minute “How To” video featuring Crawford the Cat explaining the “what and why” of each topic, and then showing children how to do it.  (Online versions of the videos will be expandable to full-screen.)
Computer Games
	Each lesson plan includes a fun, online computer game that incorporates the topic and has a challenge level that is variable by the age of the student.
Virtual Mini “Books”
	Each lesson will includes an on-line virtual mini “book,” complete with turning pages, that reinforces the topic and concludes with a level-appropriate comprehension test.
Activity Sheets
	Coloring Pages and/or Activity Sheets supporting each lesson plan are included and are downloadable for printing via the internet or CD-ROM.
Crawford’s Kids Health Newsletter
	A regularly published Crawford’s Kids Health newsletter is included to be sent home with children.  Among healthy tips and simple recipes, the newsletter will present easy “do-together” activities allowing parents to become directly involved in their child’s health education at home.
Crawford School Room Posters
	A selection of posters showing Crawford engaged in different healthy activities is included with each Crawford’s Kids Health subscription.

LESSON PLANS
Nutrition & Science		Personal Health		Exercise
The Food Pyramid		Covering Your Mouth		Stretching
Feeding Your Body		Washing Your Hands		Healthy Hearts
Shopping For Healthy Food		Germs		Move It, Shake It
Healthy Snacks		Take Care of Your Skin		Sports are for Every Body
Let's Get Ready Eat!		Brushing Your Teeth		Jumping Jacks
Healthy Muscles & Bones		Flossing Your Teeth		Pretend to Ride Your Bike
Friendly Vegetables		A Trip to the Dentist		Touch Your Toes
Healthy Choice Game		Doctor Visits		Playing Outside
		Immunizations
Preventing Injury		Emotional Health
Riding in the Car		You're Special!
Buckle Your Seat Belt		Our Feelings
Safety on the Playground		How to Resolve Conflicts
Bicycle Safety		It's More Fun To Share
Choking		Making Friends
Getting Help		Respecting Others
Be Safe in Water		Expressing Yourself

To help schools afford these important teaching aids, we have formatted the materials for customized underwriting by local institutions, parent-teacher organizations, grants and agencies.

A pilot program for Crawford’s Kids Health will be available in 2011!

To request additional information as it becomes available, or if you would like to help test the pilot program, please let us know via our Contact Form.