KET/EncycloMedia Resources to Promote

Physical Activity and Healthy Lifestyles

KET EncycloMedia
K-2
*Jack the Apple: Getting Active. (1999) (3 segments) Extols the benefits of staying active,
more walking, less TV. An animated apple encourages a young boy.

K-2
*Blue Dragons: Building Bodies. (2004) (6 segments) Very cute cartoon series for children
explaining the importance of exercise, rest, and nutrition.

K-4
*Food and Nutrition: Part 1. (12 segments) Via a tour of a grocery, a boy learns about all parts
of the food pyramid, along with info about reading labels for sugars. Uses the old pyramid
model. Not very engaging but informative. Also, “Abby, the Apple” adds cute, animated
information.

K-5
**Food Smarts. (2006) (8 segments) Current, uses new food pyramid model. Videos
emphasize eating properly and exercise in a “camp” situation. Good info about the importance
of breakfast and the trouble with sugar in food. (Teachers’ Guide)

K-8
**Fit Kids Classroom Workout. (3 segments; KET ED On Demand has complete series)
Funky, contemporary, 5-minute workout videos. One segment, in particular, uses African
Dance. Cool.

K-8
**Dancing Threads. (2 programs; KET ED On Demand has complete series) KET-produced
series about folk dances and playparty games. Each of the four programs includes complete
instructions and demonstrations of the featured folk dance.

3-5
The Magic School Bus: Works Out. (Scholastic, 1996) Discovery Education

3-8
*Food and Nutrition: Part 2. (2000) (8 segments) Energy Man (superhero, of sorts) explains
the importance of healthy eating and describes the food pyramid and shows how to read labels.
Fairly entertaining.

6-8
***Managing Your Health: Weight Control. (2004) (7 segments) Learn the toll obesity takes
on health. Discover how fats and sugars contribute to weight, the danger of diet aids, and the
benefits of good old-fashioned exercise. One of the best for students: current, informative,
engaging.
6-8
Live Right, Grow Right: It’s the Only Body You’ve Got! (1999) (12 segments) Surprisingly
good for such an old series. Two teens narrate the series and give basic info enriched by video
clips.

6-8
How Exercise Affects the Health of the Heart and Circulatory System. (Cochran, 1989)
Discovery Education

6-8
**Why Exercise? (2002) (10 segments) Discusses the history of exercise before explaining its
benefits for the heart and muscles. Other segments cover nutrition. Pretty good series for
students.

6-8
Feel Good, Think Sharp, Look Your Best. (2002) (8 segments) Shows how to adopt healthful
daily routines--with the emphasis on exercise--to prevent the onset of diseases normally
associated with sedentary lifestyles. Good information, current, but narrator drones. More
informative than inspiring.

6-12
**Reality Matters: Obesity and Nutrition. (2005) (9 segments) Good quality; current; moves
quickly, much like a TV news magazine segment. Directly addresses teen nutrition issues and
obesity. Great for schools.

6-12
Behind the News: Your Body. (2005) This series, a Discovery program, uses a news format to
discuss healthy eating, exercise, and obesity. The only drawback: It addresses Australian
teens.

6-12
Reality Matters: Obesity and Nutrition. (Discovery Education, 2005). Discovery Education:

9-12
Nutrition and Exercise: Teen Wellness. (1996) (12 segments) Somewhat dated and corny.
Encourages teens to look and feel good inside and outside by eating right and getting enough
exercise and rest.

9-12
***My Pyramid: Simple Steps to Healthy Living. (2006) (12 segments) Very good quality but
better suited to grades 6-8. Best one on the pyramid and nutrition. No exercise segments.

9-12
**Skills for Healty Living: Setting Goals for Healthy Living. (2006) (18 segments) News mag
format. Each segment shows a different teen with a different healthy goal. Great quality;
informative; engaging.

9-16/PD
Lily Series: Childhood Obesity, Lily Faces a Problem. (1999) (8 segments) Great for
parents and teachers. A very sensitive look at childhood obesity and how to avoid/correct it from
the perspective of a mother who notices her daughter is gaining weight. Offers strategies, too.
Very good, but somewhat dated and not for classrooms.

Professional Development
*Active Me, Healthy Me Series (2005) (6 segments) Child care providers are the target
audience, but the series would work great for parents and teachers, too. Very good quality but
not really for student audiences.

Lastly…
A segment from Your Genes Your Future titled “Obesity in America”, a 30–minute, very candid
documentary about the stereotypes, struggles, health risks, and costs of obesity to Americans.
This clip is an eye-opener, but I would be sensitive about showing in a classroom with any very
obese kids. Feelings would be hurt.

KET ED On Demand (www.ket.org/keted)

Primary
Well, Well, Well with Slim Goodbody. Helps young students understand concept of
“wellness,” learn ways of caring for the mind and body, and develop self-respect. Topics include
nutrition, exercise, hygiene, etc.

K-6
Fit Kids Classroom Workout. Fun, contemporary dance routines that can be used in any
school space, any time, any day. Includes four 5-minute and two 10-minute workouts, plus a
brief “healthy message” at the end of each exercise segment. Two 10-minute choreographed
workouts link moves taught in shorter workouts. Includes variety of genre: funk, African, Latin,
and aerobic.

K-8
**Dancing Threads. KET-produced series about folk dances and playparty games from
Appalachian, African American, and Native American cultures. Each of the four programs
includes complete instructions and demonstrations of the featured folk dance.

4-8
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind. 18-part series emphasizes importance of building a healthy body
and healthy mind. Topics include good nutrition and value of exercise.

Coming Up

Born To Soon: A KET Special Report

New KET special examines high rates and devastating effects of preterm birth in Kentucky. For
more information, visit the program website: http://www.ket.org/health/born-too-soon.htm

Broadcast schedule:
Tuesday, February 2, at 9:00/8:00 pm CT on KET
Tuesday, February 9, at 8:00/7:00 pm CT on KET2