Fuel Tag

• Safety: Allow enough space to move freely and minimize collisions. Determine boundaries that are a safe distance from obstacles and walls.
• Ensure equipment and materials are properly cleaned. 
• Determine how you will group learners, using best practice guidelines from the Effective Strategies for Grouping Learners Blog. 
• Be prepared to demonstrate fitBoost activity and fitFlow yoga.

Begin with a fitBoost.

Say: Show your choice for each “Would you rather?” question.

1. Would you rather eat a carrot or an apple? Do squats or reach low for picking carrots or jump or reach high as if picking an apple from a tree branch.
   
   
2. Would you rather have a lot of energy and move as fast as a cheetah or little energy and move slow as a snail? Raise your hands quickly for the cheetah or in slow motion for the snail.
   
   
3.  If you were a rocket, would you want your fuel to give you a powerful blastoff or a weak blastoff? Flex and show off your muscles for a powerful blastoff or move loosely like a noodle for a weak blastoff.

Did you know that when you eat and drink, you are fueling your body and your brain?

Think of your body as a race car or a rocket. If you fill up with weak fuel, like sweets and sugary beverages, you will travel slowly. However, if you choose strong fuel, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, milk, and water, you will have great energy and move quickly.

The number one thing you need to know is that nutritious food choices are the best kinds of fuel for your body and brain!

Today’s activity will help you learn about the food and beverage choices that are the best fuel for your body and brain.

1. Provide cue reminders for correct performance of the skill. Be prepared to change the movement when new taggers are selected.
   
   
2. Review safety considerations for the activity. Remind learners about boundaries and the personal space of others.
   
   
3. Select three or more volunteers to be taggers. Taggers represent foods with low nutritional value. Hand out the flag belts to the other learners. For those chosen to be taggers or "flag grabbers," designate the tagger as soda, donuts, chips, and/or candy. Their goal is to tag - or grab flags. If you do not have flag belts, you can use scarves and tuck them into the waistline of learners' clothing.
   
   
4. Taggers stand in the middle of the play area. The other learners wearing flag belts or using scarves stand at the start line and try to cross to other side without getting their flag taken.
   
   
5. To begin play, announce a locomotor movement for players to use as they attempt to cross from one side of the activity area to the other, without being tagged or having their flag removed.
   
   
6. If tagged, the learner goes to the garden to make a nutritious food choice, then returns to the starting point. Option: Print enough Fuel Tag cards and have learners draw a card for their garden activity.
   
    • Carrots: Do 10 squats or move arms to dig carrots. (Seated exercise: reach down 10 times)
    • Spinach: Do 10 push-ups (on the ground or against a wall) to pick spinach leaves. (Seated exercise: do 10 upward shoulder raises.)
    • Apples: Jump or reach as high as you can to pick 10 apples. (Seated exercise: reach as high as you can 10 times.)
    • Water: Do 10 jumps with a jump rope. (Seated exercise: move your arms as if pulling a hose to the garden 10 times.) 
   
   
7. When a learner reaches the other side, they go down the fit sideline path and return to start. They may go as quickly or slowly as they like down the path as long as they keep moving forward. Encourage learners to make a mental note of how many times they cross the play area and go down the safe sideline path.
   
   
8. After 1 to 3 minutes of play, assign new taggers. Challenge participants to improve their individual scores (successful number of times they pass the taggers) each round.

1. Partner learners.
   
   
2. Select a fitFlow card and complete the poses.
   
   
3. While stretching, discuss nutritious food and drink choices for snacks and meals. What are the learners’ favorite nutritious foods?
   
   
4. Reflect upon the game with the following questions:
   
   Q: What do nutritious food choices do for your body?
   A: Nutritious food choices give you the best nutrition and fuel to go, grow, and know!
   
   Q: Name some nutritious food choices.
   A: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, milk, and water.
   
   Q: How would you explain nutritious food choices to a family member?
   A: fit food choices give you the best nutrition and fuel to go, grow, and know. Choices include fruits, vegetables, whole grain, protein, milk, and water.
   
   
   

What is a nutritious food choice you will make after school today?