First Lady reads to children about eating healthy
January 21, 2015 |06:50 PM
In a demonstration of the Obama administration’s continuing commitment to promoting healthier eating, First Lady Michelle Obama today invited school children to the White House where she read to them about “staying healthy” from a new version of a Dr. Seuss book.
The book, part of Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat Learning Library, is titled “Oh, The Things You Can DO That Are Good For You: All about Staying Healthy.”
The book has been published by Random House Children’s Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises with support from the Partnership for Healthier America, the private sector organization set up to back the first lady’s Let’s Move! campaign.
“Now it’s time to step up to my Rainbow Buffet,” the first lady read.
First Lady Michelle Obama reads to children at the White House this morning. (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)
“There are lots to choose from and their power is great. Veggies and fruit should fill half the plate. Add fish, nuts, or beans or a piece of lean meat. Then brown rice or pasta made from whole-grain wheat. Next reach for some water. It’s delicious to drink. You can fill your own bottle from a fountain or sink! Or drink low-fat milk — that’s what I like to do. It helps build strong bones and has vitamins too!”
The first lady also read from sections that advise eating in the morning and three full meals.
And if “you want something to munch,” the first lady read, “Grab healthy snacks. They may be what you need. Try fresh berries or carrots or shelled pumpkin seeds.”
The book also advises children to move an hour a day, wash their hands and brush their teeth. The first lady also told the children “Sleep is as important as what you eat.”
The children, who were seated on the floor of the East Room, came from Seaton, Kendall Demonstration and Drew Elementary schools in Washington. They were initially entertained by “Thing One” and “Thing Two” characters from the Seuss classic “Cat in the Hat.”
Deb Eschmeyer, the new executive director of the first lady’s Let’s Move! campaign and White House nutrition adviser, welcomes the students. (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)
Deb Eschmeyer, the new executive director of the first lady’s Let’s Move! campaign against childhood obesity and the White House nutrition adviser, welcomed the children and introduced Tristan McFadden, a Kendall Demonstration School student who used sign language to introduce the first lady.
Obama noted that the president had seen the book this morning. Of the contents of the book, she said, “I love it. This is so creative. It rhymes.”
After the reading the first lady asked the children what they had learned.
One child responded “eat your dairy” and another said “eat your vegetables.”
The first lady then asked the children if they knew how much of their plates should be filled with fruits and vegetables and a child responded “half.”
She also pointed out that “walking your dog is exercise” as the children and the first lady began a series of exercise that included the limbo, with the first lady holding the pole.
The book also contains recipes, and a table was set up at one end of the East Room with healthy snacks such as “tutti frutti rollups” and “cheese and apple steckels.”
The event today was a part of Let’s Read!, Let’s Move!, an administration-wide effort launched in 2010 by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps and other service programs.
The program was set up to highlight the importance of high-quality early learning programs for pre-schoolers, and also encourages youth participation and community service.
Left: Tristan McFadden, a Kendall Demonstration School student, uses sign language to introduce the first lady. Right: Children visiting the White House get some exercise after the reading of “Oh, The Things You Can DO That Are Good For You: All about Staying Healthy.” (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)
The book, part of Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat Learning Library, is titled “Oh, The Things You Can DO That Are Good For You: All about Staying Healthy.”
The book has been published by Random House Children’s Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises with support from the Partnership for Healthier America, the private sector organization set up to back the first lady’s Let’s Move! campaign.
“Now it’s time to step up to my Rainbow Buffet,” the first lady read.
“There are lots to choose from and their power is great. Veggies and fruit should fill half the plate. Add fish, nuts, or beans or a piece of lean meat. Then brown rice or pasta made from whole-grain wheat. Next reach for some water. It’s delicious to drink. You can fill your own bottle from a fountain or sink! Or drink low-fat milk — that’s what I like to do. It helps build strong bones and has vitamins too!”
The first lady also read from sections that advise eating in the morning and three full meals.
And if “you want something to munch,” the first lady read, “Grab healthy snacks. They may be what you need. Try fresh berries or carrots or shelled pumpkin seeds.”
The book also advises children to move an hour a day, wash their hands and brush their teeth. The first lady also told the children “Sleep is as important as what you eat.”
The children, who were seated on the floor of the East Room, came from Seaton, Kendall Demonstration and Drew Elementary schools in Washington. They were initially entertained by “Thing One” and “Thing Two” characters from the Seuss classic “Cat in the Hat.”
Deb Eschmeyer, the new executive director of the first lady’s Let’s Move! campaign against childhood obesity and the White House nutrition adviser, welcomed the children and introduced Tristan McFadden, a Kendall Demonstration School student who used sign language to introduce the first lady.
Obama noted that the president had seen the book this morning. Of the contents of the book, she said, “I love it. This is so creative. It rhymes.”
After the reading the first lady asked the children what they had learned.
One child responded “eat your dairy” and another said “eat your vegetables.”
The first lady then asked the children if they knew how much of their plates should be filled with fruits and vegetables and a child responded “half.”
She also pointed out that “walking your dog is exercise” as the children and the first lady began a series of exercise that included the limbo, with the first lady holding the pole.
The book also contains recipes, and a table was set up at one end of the East Room with healthy snacks such as “tutti frutti rollups” and “cheese and apple steckels.”
The event today was a part of Let’s Read!, Let’s Move!, an administration-wide effort launched in 2010 by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps and other service programs.
The program was set up to highlight the importance of high-quality early learning programs for pre-schoolers, and also encourages youth participation and community service.
Left: Tristan McFadden, a Kendall Demonstration School student, uses sign language to introduce the first lady. Right: Children visiting the White House get some exercise after the reading of “Oh, The Things You Can DO That Are Good For You: All about Staying Healthy.” (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)
