If selected to participate, each school will receive 200 gift packs to distribute to parents at an event. Each gift pack will include:

• Family-friendly product samples
• A copy of THRIVE!, our health and wellness focused digest and savings booklet which features tips and high value coupons.

In order to participate in the Happy Healthy School Kids program, you must have a school family event planned sometime between February 1 and March 31, 2012, at which you can distribute the packs to attending parents. This can be any type of event (doesn’t need to be health/wellness focused). There is no fee to participate and you’ll be notified, via email, by early January if your group has been selected.

This program is always a huge hit with parents so be sure to sign up early!

As you know, at PTO Today we are all about helping PTO and PTA leaders build community at their schools. We think that Kinect Family Game Night is a fabulous way to bring families at your school together for a night of feel-good fun that’s a blast for everyone! Kinect™ for Xbox 360 will get parents and kids alike up and off their feet for an energetic night of game playing and friendly competition!

Here’s how this family night works:

• Start by ordering your free downloadable kit materials, which include step-by-step planning guidelines and a reproducible invitation flyer. Hint: straightforward materials and instructions make finding a volunteer to run this night a snap!

• Families will jump at the chance to attend this action-packed night out at school! This new event features a fun evening of physical activity using Kinect™ for Xbox 360, where you are the controller, as well as traditional gym games that will get everyone up and moving! All these activities are spelled out in your kit materials.

To see a Kinect™ Family Game Night in action, view our video and photo gallery! Through videos and photos you’ll get a sense of the fun and energy this event brings to your school community!

Now here’s the really cool part: Order your free kit before 1/31/12 and your school parent group will be automatically entered into the exclusive PTO Today Kinect™ Family Game Night sweepstakes*! One lucky school parent group will win a Kinect™ for Xbox 360® Prize Pack, featuring an Xbox 360 console, Kinect Sensor, a set of games, and a 50” big screen TV! Plus, (3) first prize winners will each win a Kinect Sports and Kinect Sports: Season Two game!

Winter is coming.  What better time to promote a healthy, active lifestyle, and get families out and moving? Order your free kit now!

*No purchase necessary. Open only to school parent group leaders registered with PTO Today. Prizes will be awarded to the registered school parent group organization. Sweepstakes ends January 31, 2012. See Official Rules for full details.

Dress-up Days
Have a different theme for each day and ask students to dress accordingly. For Give Drugs the Boot Day, ask students to wear boots. Invite them to wear polka dots on Spot Me Being Drug-Free Day. Give participating students a small prize each day.

Balloon Launch
Prepare notes for students to sign and attach to red helium-filled balloons, then hold a ceremony where the balloons are released outdoors. In the note, include an email address for a teacher so that people who find the balloons can send encouraging notes to students.

Pep Rally
Ask high schoolers to help get the message across to younger students. Hold a pep rally and ask student groups from the high school to perform or speak at student assemblies. Invite representatives from the city government and police department, too.

Farm-to-Table Week

Kids at a farmers market enjoyed a scavenger hunt during the Barcroft Elementary PTA’s Farm-to-Table Week in Arlington, Va. More than 50 students participated in the June weekend event sponsored by the PTA, where they looked for foods in different colors and had to ask vendors questions about the food they sold.

The next week at school, students made their own pizzas and tasted vegetables straight from a garden. Several local chefs made presentations, including a White House pastry chef and a Top Chef finalist.

Family Fun Night

Parents and students learned together about nutritious foods at a free family night organized by the International Spanish Language Academy PTO in Minnetonka, Minn. Students from an after-school cooking class gave a healthy cooking demonstration. Attendees could meet local farmers, sample organic milk and ice cream, and get tips for starting a vegetable garden.

The evening had an environmental focus, as well. Families could learn about composting and agricultural pesticides and try their hand at making their own eco-friendly household cleaner.

Special Snacks

The PTO at Southeast Elementary in Mansfield Center, Conn., provided $800 to purchase healthy snacks for the entire school during National Nutrition Month in March. For three days each week, kids got to munch on strawberries, bananas, oranges, snow peas, carrots, and other fresh foods.

More healthy school kids resources

Here’s how it works:

• Once you’ve registered, start planning a Back to Football Friday celebration for Friday, September 9th! Invite your school community to get creative and show their NFL team spirit at the celebration… and get those cameras ready!
• After the celebration, submit 3-6 photos of your awesome event and answer the 3 questions in the entry form (each 100 words or less) to complete your submission before the contest closes on Thursday, September 22nd.
• Here’s the really cool part: the schools that showcase the most NFL pride have a chance to be one of 34 NFL PLAY 60 Super Schools. These grand prize winners will receive a $10,000 NFL PLAY 60 health and wellness grant* and an NFL team celebration that will include a NFL PLAY 60 ultimate gym class at your child’s school. Check out these photos of one of last year’s winning schools at their NFL team celebration.

What a fabulous way to start your school year out on a spirited note!

* Awarded in the form of a check made payable to the winning school.

For the list of the NFL Teams’ training facility or city center locations, please click here.

No Purchase Necessary to Enter. Registration starts 12:00:00 p.m. ET on 3/15/11, ends 2 weeks following the conclusion of the first 2011 NFL regular season game. Entry Period starts 9:00:00 a.m. ET on the day after the first 2011 NFL regular season game and ends 2 weeks following the conclusion of the first 2011 NFL regular season game. Must be a legal resident of the 50 U.S. or District of Columbia 18+ years and either a school Administrator, Teacher, PTA leader or PTO leader representing a public, state-accredited private school or vocational school with grades between Kindergarten and 8th. For the purposes of this Contest, a school Administrator is defined as a Principal, Vice-Principal, Dean, Superintendent or Health and Wellness Administrator. Void where prohibited. For complete details, click here for the Official Rules.
“NFL Team Celebration” prize consists of a visit to the school associated with the Grand Prize winning Entry for a portion of a school day by one or more cheerleader(s), mascot or NFL player(s).

Clever Names

A catchy name can go a long way in marketing an event. Many parent groups find inspiration from their school mascots. The Roaring Lion Run, held in Adamstown, Md., benefited the Carroll Manor Elementary PTA and featured an appearance by the lion mascot. A Sunbury, Ohio, race called the Big Nut Strut raised money for three PTOs in the Big Walnut Local School District. Texas runners could join the Cougar Prowl, organized by the Running Brushy Middle School PTA in Cedar Park, or the Hexter Howl, benefiting Hexter Elementary in Dallas.

Student Runners

It also helps to offer students some incentives to participate. A smoothie company sponsored the Roaring Lion Run at Carroll Manor Elementary. The PTA leveraged this sponsorship to encourage student involvement: The class with the highest rate of participation in the event won a free smoothie party.

The Wake County, N.C., PTA Council offered grants to PTAs at schools with the highest participation in its race, the Healthy Lifestyles 5K. It also gave away scholarships from a tutoring company that sponsored the event.

Interested in planning your own run/walk fundraiser? Read “Organizing a Fun Run” for tips.

The neat (no pun intended) thing is that by sharing this video you’ll be helping schools that are struggling financially get the cleaning supplies they need. Bounty is going to make a one-time donation of $200,000 worth of paper towels (retail value) to schools in need if they get 2,000,000 views by Jan. 31st (with distribution help by PTO Today). So we encourage you “to bring it” – share the video and help schools around the country. Kind of refreshing to see brands with a sense of humor and heart, isn’t it?

This is our second year for HSK, and it was one of our most popular offerings last year. If you’re having a family event anytime between January 19th and the end of March (especially if it’s an event with any kind of healthy or physical activity focus), then our HSK program can make that event even better with great giveaways for your parents.

Each family packet will include free samples of healthier family products as well as a copy of our “Thrive” mini-mag with great tips for healthier families and even more coupons and special offers for your parents. So many PTO and PTA groups these days are putting a greater emphasis on healthy living, whether it’s educating the kids on food choices, or emphasizing physical fitness, or holding fun, active family events as alternatives to TV watching. Our Healthy School Kids program is a perfect addition to those efforts. Hope your group and your parents can take advantage. (Note: Quantities are limited, so be sure to sign up right away.)

That link again is http://www.ptotoday.com/healthy-school-kids-samples.

Here’s where you can find the articles that Tim references:
http://www.ptotoday.com/healthy-school-kids

Here’s how to sign up for the Healthy School Kids program: http://www.ptotoday.com/healthy-school-kids-samples

Space is limited so be sure to jump on this today.

• Not only is a jog-a-thon a great fundraiser but it’s also a terrific way to encourage families to get moving and make healthy choices.
• Family Fun days are a excellent way to build community while showing parents how to make learning more fun.
• Never, ever give up. This parent group’s turn around story offers hope for groups with low involvement.
• Sometimes some of the most basic things require a parent group’s attention… in this case, a PTO rallied support for a walk-to-school program.
• Parent groups have an opportunity to influence their community in their green living habits. Kudos to this PTO for challenging families to go “garbage free.”
• Think beyond fundraising- think pink! This PTA organized a pink day to highlight breast cancer awareness.
• Always love coming across articles about events that were inspired by our PTO Today Magazine… this giant hay maze sounds like a fun, fall event!

Hope you found something to inspire you. Have a fabulous weekend. Don’t forget to send me a link to any articles about your parent group!