It’s The Giving Season! At HealthBarn USA we are all about giving the gift of learning about living a healthy lifestyle to children and families and we do this by providing a fun and entertaining experience.  As you get bombarded with emails about special offers on electronics, clothing and toys, please consider giving an experience!  We asked our HealthBarn USA families to share their top picks for gifts and spending time with friends and family topped the list.  Here are some ideas that get everyone involved:

• Cooking classes. Research fun cooking (naturally, nutritious of course!) classes or workshops to do as a family or for adults only (it’s a great way to get dads cooking, too).
• What’s Your Fun Activity? Plan lessons or an outing for skiing, golf, surfing, fishing, camping or yoga for who has the interest and be part of enjoying his/her activity, too.
• Interact with Art. Take classes in painting, sculpture or photography at a local art studio.  One of the HealthBarn USA kids attends weekly painting classes with her dad as a way to spend time together — and they both enjoy it!
• Go music!
  

  Appetite for Life Excited Kids to be Healthy!

  Interested in playing an instrument or going to a musical event?  This is a really cool way of learning a new skill or take the whole family to a fun event such as the Montreal and Newport Jazz festivals!

• The Giving Table:  Set up a year-round giving table, where family and visitors give something they love to the table and in return they receive something new and exciting!  It’s a wonderful way to cut down on stuff and teach children to give freely with no attachments!
• Can’t Get to the Barn?  Now you can have the HealthBarn USA experience at home with my first book Appetite for Life: The Thumbs-Up, No-Yucks Guide to Get Your Kid to be a Great Eater, HarperOne in hardcover, paperback and as an ebook at amazon.com.  Many kids and parents are reading, cooking and gardening with Appetite for Life together!

The family and friend memories from the gift of an experience will last a lifetime.  Your time is valuable and these feel-good activities help reduce stress and further add to living a healthy lifestyle.  Happy holidays!

What experience are you giving this holiday season?

– Stacey Antine, MS, RD, author, Appetite for Life, founder, HealthBarn USA, co-host, Family Food Expert Internet Radio Show, and recognized as top 10 dietitians nationally by Today’s Dietitian magazine for her work with HealthBarn USA.