What's New?

In celebration of the release of Barbara Storper's new children's book, Janey Junkfood's Fresh Adventure!, and the 25th anniversary of FoodPlay Productions, please join us at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. (directions) See FOODPLAY, a national award-winning theater show with juggling, colorful characters, music, and magic makes good eating great fun! Shows are at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Seating is limited. First come, first served. Book signing and snack tasting (of snacks featured in the book) will follow each show. Free with museum admission. More information: Press release FOODPLAY Day flyer (color) (black and white version)

New Children's Book is Here:
Janey Junkfood's Fresh Adventure!

Finally—a fun way to help kids get off the junk food track and make healthy eating a fun-filled fresh adventure! Barbara Storper's enchanting new children's book is filled with everything kids need to take charge of growing up healthy and fit. Available now on our website and in stores. Details and reviews about the book Order now Free downloads: Teacher's Guide and more Press Kit

Join our National FOODPLAY Tour!

We’re thrilled to announce a national FOODPLAY tour in Spring 2008. Starting in March—National Nutrition Month—our national tour will bring FOODPLAY to schools and communities across the country.

We have openings in our schedule! This is a wonderful opportunity to bring FOODPLAY, our national award-winning nutrition theater show, to your schools and special events.

Join Coach and his star student, Janey (or Johnny) Junkfood as they hit the open road, teaching kids to make healthier eating and exercise choices.

Call us at 1-800-FOODPLAY (1-800-366-3752), or send us an email to see when we’ll be in your area! Or check out our schedule by state/town.

 

FoodPlay Productions is pleased to announce its third year tour of our groundbreaking partnership with Hannaford Brothers Supermarkets to promote healthy eating and exercise habits to an additional 30,000 children throughout the Northeast. The "Fresh Adventures at Hannaford-FOODPLAY Tour!" brings the "Gift of FOODPLAY" to an additional 75 elementary schools in 2008 in order to promote healthy eating and exercise habits and counter the nation's alarming epidemic of childhood obesity.

As part of the "Fresh Adventures at Hannaford-FOODPLAY Tour," selected schools throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, will receive the FOODPLAY Program—a school-wide assembly performance along with a comprehensive set of follow-up materials for everyone involved. Each school will receive a FOODPLAY Follow-Up School Resource Kit with materials to keep the nutrition message alive all year long for teachers, students, parents, school food service, and health staff. Each teacher will also receive the FOODPLAY Teachers' Activity Guidebook, a 60-page resource filled with reproducible activity sheets and lesson plans to help teachers integrate nutrition into core subject areas.

We at FoodPlay Productions are very excited about partnering with Hannaford Supermarkets. "It takes a healthy village to raise a healthy child and it takes all sectors of society to work together to create that healthy village," said FoodPlay Productions Executive Director, Barbara Storper, MS, RD. "We are so pleased that Hannaford has stepped up to the plate, bringing our special brand of nutrition education to so many children and their families throughout the region."

To find out where we'll be performing in your area, please check our schedule, email us or call 1-800-FOODPLAY (1-800-366-3752).

Hannaford Bros. Co., based in Scarborough, ME, operates 156 supermarkets and food and drug combination stores in ME, NH, VT, NY, and MA.   The company is owned by Delhaize Group of Brussels, Belgium.

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DON'T MISS our Newest Production:
Lil' Red Ridin' Thru 'Da Hood

Lil' Red Ridin' Thru 'Da Hood - Now available for schools and special events in urban areas throughout the country and on tour throughout Philadelphia's Public Schools!  

FoodPlay Productions is bringing its new production, Lil' Red Riding Thru 'Da Hood to schools throughout the School District of Philadelphia this Winter and Spring to RAVE REVIEWS, thanks to the EAT.RIGHT.NOW. Nutrition Education Program and funding from the USDA Food Stamp Program. Lil' Red Ridin' Thru 'Da Hood is an exciting, colorful performance designed specifically for urban youth, featuring live theater, hip-hop music, stepping, and audience participation. See a clip of the show!

Loosely following the storyline of the beloved fairy tale, the new show features "Lil Red," a young urban school child on her way to her grandmother's house, her friend "Big Boy," a neighborhood pal and jokester, and her grandmother, Gran'ma Jackson, a retired teacher and awesome cook. A hip and high energy nutrition and fitness adventure ensues when Lil Red, Big Boy, and Gran'ma set out to teach each other some valuable and memorable lessons to shape up their eating and exercise habits.   Follow-Up Activity Booklets will be distributed to all children and teachers to extend Lil' Red's messages in the classroom.

Written by Caree Jackson, MS, RD, LD, a nutrition PhD candidate at the University of Georgia, the show is being produced by FoodPlay Productions and directed by Bruce Robinson, founder and director of Fresh Visions Youth Theater Company in Philadelphia to address the major nutrition and health issues affecting urban school children.   

To bring Lil' Red to your school district or special event, contact us at 1-800-FOODPLAY (1-800-366-3752) or email us.

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Recent Awards

"2006 National Excellence Award" from the Produce for Better Health Foundation

FoodPlay Productions won the 2006 National Excellence Award given by the Produce for Better Health Foundation for the ground-breaking partnership, The "Fresh Adventures at Hannaford – FOODPLAY Tour." The tour brought live FOODPLAY theater shows to 200 schools throughout the Northeast, reaching over 80,000 children and their families.

There were 11 winners nationally. Barbara accepted the award at the PBH Awards Luncheon in San Francisco on March 17th. Read the press release for more information about the National Excellence Award and its 2006 winners.

The "Fresh Adventures at Hannaford-FOODPLAY Tour" is just one of many successful initiatives designed to bring powerful nutrition and health messaging into schools, homes, businesses, communities and the media, while creating exceptional community outreach, media coverage, and customer loyalty for our partners. The FoodPlay Passport to Fresh Adventures! will be available for purchase and for co-branding opportunities as part of future partnerships.

 

“2006 Distinguished Alumni Award” from Columbia University Teachers College

Our Executive Director, Barbara Storper, MS, RD, was just honored with the Columbia University Teachers College 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award at an awards dinner held on October 16th by Susan H. Fuhrman, President of the College. According to The Alumni Council, this award "honors the College's most extraordinary alumni each year who have distinguished themselves in their fields and have earned high respect among their colleagues and the general community." Teachers College's 90,000 graduates include leading educators, psychologists, administrators, and other professionals. Congratulations, Barbara!

“Public Health Nutrition Division Program Award” from the Society for Nutrition Education

FoodPlay Productions received this award at the Society for Nutrition Education Conference for our “Healthy Schools, Healthy Children Project: Fighting Childhood Obesity in Massachusetts.” This statewide collaboration between FPP and the Massachusetts Public Health Association, brought the power of live theater to provide nutrition education shows to over 90,000 children, parents, and teachers in over 250 elementary and middle schools throughout Massachusetts in 2003-2005. The enthusiasm and media coverage generated by FoodPlay performances and materials was used to catalyze parents, school professionals, business leaders, and administrators into Children’s Nutrition Action Networks. These networks continue to advocate for effective school wellness policies and institutional reform to improve the nutrition environments in schools and communities.

"Outstanding Nutrition Entrepreneur in the Country Award" from the American Dietetic Association

Barbara received this award for her “leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit impacting the health of the nation's children.” The Award was presented by the Nutrition Entrepreneurs Division of the American Dietetic Association at their national conference held in October ‘05 in Anaheim, CA.

Finalist for the Eileen Fisher 20th Anniversary Award

Barbara was selected as a finalist for the “Woman in Business” Award and had the opportunity to meet many of the wonderful staff of this socially conscious clothing company. Check them out at eileenfisher.com!

 

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Now on DVD!
Janey JunkFood's Fresh Adventure! Video Kit (VHS or DVD)
Grades K–6