BLOOMINGTON -- When CHOOSY talks, children at Heartland Head Start do more than listen. They stretch, march, twist, throw, catch, sing, dance and learn about healthier food choices.
"For them, it's fun," said Deb O'Connell, child health and development content leader at Head Start, 206 Stillwell St., Bloomington.
But when the character CHOOSY (Choose Healthy Options Often and Start Young) sings to the 3- to 5-year-olds in recordings that encourage movement and healthy eating, the children are doing physical activity while learning about the importance of movement and healthful eating.
"CHOOSY eats one cookie," JaMarcus Lackey, 4, said at Head Start following a recent activity.
"He eats vegetables," said Amarius Bellamy, 4.
"We spin and march. I do exercise like this," Lackey said as he did a pushup. "I do CHOOSY things at home: jump and play basketball."
CHOOSY is the centerpiece of "I Am Moving, I Am Learning," a program at Head Start to fight childhood obesity by increasing physical activity during daily routines and promoting healthy nutrition.
All 332 Head Start children at six centers in McLean and Livingston counties are involved in the program. The number of children exposed to the program -- or a similar one -- may increase in the coming months.