Thank you, Brownsville Middle School!

Today the Ask, Listen, Learn team was with Congresswoman Frederica Wilson in Miami, Florida for an event at Brownsville Middle School.

We'd like to thank the school administration for hosting us and the students for participating and playing our Xavix game. We hope you learned a lot about the benefits of saying YES to a healthy lifestyle, and NO to underage drinking!

March is National Nutrition Month

It's the middle of March- have you been thinking about your family's diet and nutrition? To get in to the spirit of St. Patrick's Day this weekend, why not try to get everyone to eat more colors out of the rainbow?

The theme for National Nutrition Month with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietics is “Get your plate in Shape.” We think one of the best and easiest ways to get more vitamins and nutrients pumping through your body is by adding a greater variety of colors to your plate! According to the CDC, fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that may help protect you from chronic diseases. People who eat more generous amounts of fruits and veggies as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of stroke, other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.

If you're looking down at bowl of pasta with butter, take a moment to read over the benefits of all the colors of fruits and veggies to inspire yourself to “Get your plate in shape!”...

Attention teachers: big contest coming soon!

Could you use $1,000 in PE equipment for your class?  How about a visit from an Ask, Listen, Learn Ambassador to your school?   If so, we encourage you to team up with your students and enter the 2012 Ask, Listen, Learn Challenge! 

The contest is open to teachers grades 5-7 who are current users of the Ask, Listen, Learn interactive game.  You still have time to request your free game, please contact us no later than March 21, 2012. Games will be shipped on a first come first serve basis and while supplies last.

 Additional details on the Ask, Listen, Learn Challenge and the participant's registration form will be available starting on April 1^st at www.asklistenlearn.com.  Join the challenge and help your students say “Yes” to a healthy lifestyle, and “No” to underage drinking!

Power Play!

Today, America's First Lady Michelle Obama is joining Samantha Cameron, wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron and some of our nation's finest Olympic athletes at American University. The Olympic-themed event is part of Michelle Obama's Let's Move Initiative and will celebrate the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London. Students from MacFarland Middle School in Washington, D.C.; Manor View Elementary School in Maryland and Arlington Science Focus School in Virginia get a chance to meet and play with U.S. Olympic athletes such as Lisa Leslie, Lori Lindsey, Becky Sauerbrunn and Dan O'Brien and US Paralympians Kortney Clemons and April Holmes.

The Century Council recognizes that healthy lifestyles help to prevent underage drinking and improve the health of our nation's children. That's why we have teamed up with a group of Olympic and Paralympic champions and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). We are working together to develop and support programs that will increase physical activity among our nation's youth.

The Century Council will be at Arlington Science Focus School on April 12 with Olympian Steve Lopez for the school's annual "Choose to Refuse" event.  Steve will speak with the students about healthy lifestyle choices and we'll play the Ask, Listen, Learn interactive game with all of the fourth graders throughout the day.  For more information on The Century Council's campaign, visit www.asklistenlearn.com

Happy 100th Birthday, Girl Scouts!

Today is the 100^th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America. Girl Scouts pride themselves on building girls of courage, confidence and character to make the world a better place. These are all leadership qualities we respect and admire, along with living a healthy lifestyle.

According to the Girl Scout's website, the Girl Scouts started in Savannah, Georgia with the goal of bringing girls out of isolated home environments and into community service and the open air. Much like the girl scouts of today, the founding troop played basketball, went on camping trips, learned how to tell time by the stars, and studied first aid...

Thank you, Van Wyck Jr. High

The Ask, Listen, Learn team would like to send a special thank you out to Van Wyck Junior High in Wappingers Falls, New York for hosting us on Friday. We hope you enjoyed your time with Congresswoman Nan Hayworth and had fun answering questions and winning prizes along with our interactive Xavix game!

We hope you always remember to say YES to a healthy lifestyle, and NO to underage drinking, and look out for more pictures to be uploaded to our flikr soon!

What we were up to yesterday...

If you were following us on twitter yesterday, you know we were in snowy St. Paul, Minnesota. And while it was freezing outside, we started off the morning early with 2 of our Superstars in their bathing suits!...

Dare to trade up your chicken noodle for coconut?

Soup on a cold day is a beautiful thing. Why not change up your soup menu, and try one of the recipes below? We've chosen them because they are simple to make and are packed with healthy ingredients for the whole family...

Happy Birthday, and thank you, Dr. Seuss!

Today is National Read Across America Day, in celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday. Schools and libraries across the country are celebrating the importance of reading and the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss.

Dr. Seuss wrote more than 44 children's books, translated into more than 15 languages with over 200 million copies sold around the world.  His works motivated 11 children's television specials, a Broadway musical and movies in theaters. His honors include two Academy awards, two Emmy awards, a Peabody award and the Pulitzer Prize.

That said, many of us had our childhoods touched by the inspirational words of Dr. Seuss .Though his books may be useful for young children learning how to read, the messages can teach all of us important life lessons...