Healthy Eagles food and fun this February half term
Palace for Life Foundation run Holiday Food and Fun Camp for south Londoner's in February half term.
The first half term period of the New Year saw another successful week for the Palace for Life Foundation Holiday Food & Fun programme.
Palace for Life Foundation hosted a Healthy Eagles Half Term Club at Heaver’s Farm Primary School and the Salvation Army where our health coaches delivered four days of health workshops, good food and physical activity for children and parents in south London. The free program allowed 62 children aged 5-15 to play and learn while also providing an opportunity for kids to socialize with each other. One participant enjoyed being able to meet other peers in her community, saying: “It was really fun…I got to know a few more people today. I want to see them tomorrow.” – Olayinka, 10
The holiday programme gave children the chance to stay active as opposed to being at home during the holiday week. One health coach, Jermaine, expressed the importance of the programme to parents who were working during the week: “The holiday programme is something very vital, especially for parents who don’t have a lot of time and may still be working. It allows parents who are working not to worry about their children at home watching TV.”
We had to discuss what was a healthy and what was an unhealthy trigger. I think it was important to discuss it because it can help me in knowing what’s good for me and what’s bad for me.
Jannah, 11
The activities included football, hockey, archery, dodgeball, pool, table tennis, and various board games. The programme also provided children with healthy meals throughout the day. Well balanced lunches as well as fruit, vegetables and hummus were also provided to ensure that participants got their 5 a day. Combined with the food workshops, the food provided to the children seemed to have a positive impact on their choices, one parent said of her children: “They are both coming home and saying positive things like ‘Can I have a banana rather than a chocolate’. I thought that was a really good thing because it’s obviously going in.”
The health workshops are a staple of the holiday programme as it allowed children and parents alike to learn about some of the factors related to our overall health and wellbeing. Coaches covered topics such as promoting physical activity, the importance of being healthy and promoting a positive body image, environmental & lifestyle triggers, understanding food labels and cooking techniques to reduce fat.
Our healthy eagles programme give young people the chance to learn more about positive health choices. You can find out more about our Healthy Eagles programme here.