Sample Activities
The following are some sample activities from the Colour It Up Program. Rather than simply providing nutrition information, the Colour It Up Program engages participants in discussions and activities that are based on behaviour change strategies. The interactive modules include behaviour change principles such as self-monitoring and goal setting; reinforcement and reward of positive behaviours with small rewards/incentives as well as social support and knowledge exchange opportunities including informal discussion and taste testing of new recipes. All components work together to increase vegetable and fruit consumption.
Colour It Up 19-50:
Colour It Up 50+:
- Talking Myself Into Eating Vegetables and Fruit (Sandra's Story)
- The Pros and Cons of Eating More Vegetables and Fruit (Angela's Story)
- More Vegetables and Fruit Are Only Minutes Away! (Louise's Story)
Colour It Up 19-50 »
My Experiences with Vegetables and Fruit
Vegetable and Fruit Experiences (from Session One)
PDF - My Experiences with Vegetables and Fruit
- Ask participants to think of a vegetable and fruit that fits each experience. Allow a few minutes for participants to complete this activity.
- Pass around vegetable and fruit food model cards or pictures to help participants think of memories, feelings and experiences.
- Encourage participants to share their answers. Record a few answers to each question on the overhead.
- Reflection - Help women explore the reasons behind their answers. Allow them to reflect on the influences and experiences that led to their beliefs and attitudes. Ask if they feel that their attitudes have an influence on their family. Here are some questions to help with the discussion:
- What makes you love one vegetable or fruit?
- What makes you dislike one vegetable or fruit?
- Can you think of a memory related to the vegetable or fruit you loved as a child?
- What has prevented you from tasting certain vegetables and fruit?
- What are the reasons you buy certain vegetables or fruit?
Talking Myself Into Eating Vegetables and Fruit
Warm-Up Activity (from Session 3)
PDF - Talking Myself Into Eating Vegetables and Fruit
- Ask participants to refer to the take-home activity: "Talking Myself into Eating Vegetables and Fruit"
- Ask women to talk about the change they wanted to make, and how they talked themselves into or out of making this change.
- How often were they able to talk themselves into or out of making the change? How often did they make the change they said they would?
How am I Doing? Progress so far...
How am I Doing? Progress so Far (from Session 5)
PDF - How am I Doing?
- Ask participants to review the goals they have set over the past four weeks. Have participants list their goals on the form.
- Self-reflection - To show women how to use this form, go through the example. Explain how to use the rating scales. For example, if a person has been successful reaching their goal only some of the time, she would circle '3' for sometimes. If a person is very sure that one day they will reach their goal, they would circle '5 (sure)' under the last column.
- Give participants a few minutes to answer the questions on the form. Encourage women to talk to each other about how they are doing.
- If possible, visit individually with participants to help them fill in the form and to discuss their progress so far.
How Do I Get My Family To Go For More?
How Do I Get My Family To Go For More? (from Session 4)
PDF - Kid's Activity Page - Vegetable and Fruit Crossword Puzzle
- Distribute the children's activity handouts to anyone activities who is interested. Encourage participants to have fun completing these activities with their children.
Colour It Up 50+ »
Talking Myself Into Eating Vegetables and Fruit (Sandra's Story)
- Use Overhead 2a (Sandra's Story) to present an example of someone with many barriers to change. Ask participants to identify this person's barriers. Discuss how this person might use these barriers to talk herself out of eating more vegetables and fruit.
- Use Overhead 3a (How Sandra talked herself out of change) to review this discussion. Discuss how this person might find solutions to these barriers to talk herself into eating more vegetables and fruit.
- Use Overhead 4a (How Sandra talked herself into change) to review this discussion.
The Pros and Cons of Eating More Vegetables and Fruit (Angela's Story)
- Use Overhead 2b (Angela's Story) to lead a discussion on the PROS and CONS of making change. Read the story to the group. Review the facts of the story. Ask participants to suggest what the person in the story might see as the PROS and CONS of eating more vegetables and fruit.
- Use Overhead 3b (Angela's Pros and Cons) to go over the PROS and CONS. Ask participants if they have other ideas to add to the lists. Explain that when people believe that the advantages of making a change outweigh the disadvantages, they will be able to make the change.
More Vegetables and Fruit Are Only Minutes Away! (Louise's Story)
- Break participants into three or small groups. Give each group a worksheet. Ask participants to read the short story and think of preparation and/or recipe ideas which include the vegetables and fruit in the story.
- Encourage them to think of preparation methods and recipes that are convenient, tasty and suitable for one or two. Ask one person in each group to record their ideas on the worksheet.
- When women have completed the activity, ask each group to present their ideas. Encourage discussion.
