Americans were consuming fewer sugary drinks. That progress has now stopped. Children and adults now consume about the same number of calories from soda, sports drinks, and other sugary drinks as they did in 2009-2010. From the Washington Post:

“The amount of sugar that children in particular consume is still astounding,” said Rachel Johnson, a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. “We recommend that children drink soda once a week or less. We’re seeing that two-thirds drink it on a daily basis.”

How many sugary drinks do you and your students drink each day? Take a poll to find out. Have students keep track of their sugary drink intake each day. As a class, resolve to reduce that number over the next month. In a month, take another poll and graph the results. Has the class reduced its sugary drink intake?

What else can you do in the classroom to promote healthy habits? If you're looking to add active lessons to your classroom day, Walkabouts can help! Walkabouts are pre-K to second grade web-based lessons that integrate movement with language arts, reading, and math content.

Want to find out more about moving and learning with Walkabouts?