Celebrating Soy! FOODPLAY: Coming to a Maryland school near you!

SALISBURY, MD, USA, April 21, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Maryland Soybean Board (MSB) is making a difference in the health and wellness of the children in their community! MSB has partnered with FoodPlay Productions to bring FOODPLAY, a national award-winning theater show that inspires and empowers children to make healthy choices, to Maryland schools.

Thanks to MSB, FOODPLAY will bring its cast of colorful performers, amazing feats of juggling, motivating messages, music, magic, and audience participation to celebrate April as National Soyfoods Month to 10 Maryland schools.

Maryland soybean farmers, with their soybean checkoff, are bringing the FOODPLAY program to help celebrate National Soyfoods Month. In response to the nation’s alarming childhood obesity epidemic and the need for accessible nutrition education, the Celebrating Soy! – FOODPLAY tour will reach up to 16,000 children and their family members. The FOODPLAY program, which follows USDA Guidelines and has been updated with an interactive MyPlate scene, makes nutrition come alive for students, families and communities.

FOODPLAY makes good eating great fun, but its messages are serious. In the last 25 years, childhood obesity rates have doubled among elementary school children and tripled among teenagers. One in three children is overweight, and less than two percent of the nation’s youth are meeting their daily nutritional requirements. Kids on average are drinking more than 600 cans of soda and consuming more
than 150 pounds of sugars a year, missing out on recommended levels of fruits, vegetables and whole grains needed for optimal health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over one-third of the nation’s youth will develop diabetes if current eating and exercise habits don’t improve.

During the fun-filled performance, children follow the antics of Johnny the Juggler, who dreams of becoming a juggling star but keeps dropping the balls. The problem? — his unhealthy diet! With the help of the “Coach” and the children in the audience, Johnny learns how to juggle the foods he eats to wind up with a balanced diet.

As part of the Celebrating Soy!–FOODPLAY tour, FOODPLAY’s live theater assembly will be presented to children (grades K-5), and schools will be given a comprehensive resource kit to keep the nutrition and health messages alive at home and in school all year long. Follow-up materials are provided for teachers, students, parents, school food service, and health staff to help everyone work together to create healthy schools and healthy communities. According to USDA-sponsored evaluations, FOODPLAY programs produce dramatic improvements in students’ eating and exercise habits and trigger community-wide interest in building healthy environments.

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Maryland Soybean Board (MSB) www.mdsoy.com: The mission of the Maryland Soybean Board is to maximize the profitability of Maryland soybean producers by investing Maryland checkoff funds in research, promotion and communication projects.
In all aspects of work the board is committed to these fundamental principles:

• To provide leadership to the regional soybean industry.
• To evaluate all Maryland Soybean Board activities and opportunities.
• To ensure that the general public is informed regarding the critical contribution Maryland soybean producers make to the quality of life and the state economy.

Founded in 1982 by Emmy Award-winning nutritionist Barbara Storper, MS, RD, a leader in the field of children’s nutrition, FoodPlay Productions has spread its message of good health to over four million schoolchildren across the country. According to US Department of Agriculture-sponsored evaluations, FoodPlay has been shown to dramatically improve children’s eating and exercise habits. With its traveling theater shows and media campaigns, FoodPlay Productions has been using the power of live theater to promote healthy eating and exercise habits to the nation’s youth for over 25 years. For fun food tips, activities, and free nutrition handouts.



Note: High-resolution images and digital press releases are downloadable from: www.foodplay.com/news/press.html

Regina Diemand
FoodPlay Productions
800-366-3752
email us here