Making healthy choices, Stanley the bear shows children how healthful nutrition and exercise give the body the energy and strength to live a life full of fun and adventure. When Stanley goes on an eating binge and accidentally falls asleep in a camper, he suddenly awakes and finds himself far away from home and stranded at a drive-in - which appears to be "the life." However, after days of eating cookies and candy, sleeping and watching movies, Stanley realizes he is not living "the life." He is very overweight and feeling very tired. He doesn't have the energy to fish, run or climb trees anymore. In his effort to get his real life back, Stanley learns that eating healthy food makes him feel better and gives him the strength to do all of the fun things he really liked to do in the forest. "He thought about the food at the drive-in, the frightening chase in the forest, and the long journey home. Now Stanley stayed away from people and their cookies. He caught fish. He ate pine nuts and huckleberries. He felt healthy. He felt strong.

.  Stanley s "This Is the Life!" will help you:

• Promote healthy nutrition
• Introduce the right foods to give the body energy
• Emphasize why it's important to be active

Age Group: Grades K-4

Author Alyssa Chase Rebein

Illustrator Andra Chase

Key Concept: Health and wellness

Learn to address conflict in appropriate ways.
Early adolescence is a time of rapid and dramatic changes. Navigating the social and emotional complexities presented by daily life can be especially challenging during the teen years. Introducing this "call in" program, hosts Melissa and Randy discuss the emotion of anger and the complications that can arise when reacting to this powerful feeling. 

Managing anger is a skill that can be learned, and getting in touch with underlying unmet needs is at the core of this process. In the variety of scenarios presented, young teens find ideas that resonate with their own lives and learn techniques to developing a healthy approach to controlling anger. Providing guidance along the path to emotional maturity Straight Talk About Anger can help boys and girls improve personal insight and the ways they relate to others.

Learn to deal with social pressures.

Adolescent peer groups bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood, and friends can often facilitate what is sometimes a difficult stage of development. However, peer pressure can also be detrimental and lead teens into trouble. Straight Talk About Peer Pressure helps middle school students learn how to navigate through peer situations which conflict with feelings and values. Practical tips for self-reflection, coping mechanisms for maintaining friendships, and developing refusal skills are featured in this constructive presentation.

Boys have questions about their growing bodies during puberty. Straight Talk About Puberty - For Boys provides the answers with this fresh, modern take on the subject. Filmed with new 3D rendered anatomy illustrations, this program is perfect for your older students who are ready to learn more about puberty. Boys in this grade range will learn about:

-The male reproductive system

-Hygiene and good grooming

-The dangers of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs to growing bodies

-Emotional and physical changes of puberty

-Importance of exercise and good nutrition

-Self- Esteem

STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT PUBERTY For Boys will help answer many of those important, but often not asked, questions that maturing boys always have.

Girls have questions about their growing bodies during puberty. Straight Talk About Puberty- For Girls provides the answers with this fresh, modern take on the subject. Filmed with new 3D rendered anatomy illustrations, this program is perfect for your older students who are ready to learn more about puberty.Girls in this grade range will learn about:

-The female reproductive system

-Hygiene and good grooming

-The dangers of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs to growing bodies

Emotional and physical changes of puberty

-Importance of exercise and good nutrition

-Body Image

For a fresh modern take on this topic, with exciting new graphics and music by Rainmaker Bob Walkenhorst, you will find STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT PUBERTY very useful for class discussion.

Help students identify and maintain healthy relationships.

Early adolescence is a time of rapid and dramatic changes. Navigating the social and emotional complexities presented by daily life can be especially challenging during the teen years. Introducing this Straight Talk program, hosts Melissa and Randy present the concept of Self-Confidence, and show a group of students at a nearby junior high school talking about self-confidence and self-esteem with their guidance counselor.

Identifying seven basic concepts, the members of the group detail their personal experiences with a keener understanding of self-confidence. Providing guidance along the path to emotional maturity Straight Talk About Self-Confidence can help boys and girls improve personal insight and the ways they relate to others.

A dramatically different approach to puberty education. Please note that the working title for this video was Straight Talk about Mental Health. In this second Straight Talk program, hosts Lisa and Jason tackle issues that affect the mental well-being of young people:

• More about hormones and emotions
• Interacting responsibly with others
• Developing a healthy body image
• Making decisions based on facts
• Recognizing and resisting commercial pressures • Identifying, understanding, and expressing emotions
• Constructing a strong personal identity The question and answer format will help students sort out their conflicting thoughts, beliefs, and emotions and come to terms with themselves and their bodies. Straight Talk About Self-Image and Identity will help boys and girls approach maturity with grace and confidence.

Learn to interpret media messages.

In the tradition of the Straight Talk series, practical ways for students to gain media literacy are outlined in this timely new video. Analyzing the purposes of media messages and interpreting hidden agendas is a vital skill for young teens under barrage from high-pressure marketing. FromStraight Talk About Sex, Gender, and Media, students will begin to develop a healthy critical approach to the many different forms the media takes, and to make more informed decisions regarding their own choices with regard to sexuality. This video raises the awareness of young people and promotes abstinence from risky behavior.

Straight Talk presents a dramatically different approach to puberty education. Please note that the working title for this video was Straight Talk About Sexual Health. The two young hosts, Lisa and Jason, begin with an informative overview of the male and female reproductive systems, then turn to their young viewers with the real-life problems that growing up presents. With a format your students will recognize, this firstStraight Talk video provides valuable insights in the following areas:

• Healthy relationships
• Peer pressure and decision-making
• Hormones and emotions
• Pregnancy and STDs
• Values and decision-making
• Abstinence - the best decision

Growing up is about more than biology. It's about decision-making and accountability. Straight Talk About Sexual Choices and Consequenceswill help boys and girls to react responsibly to the challenges maturity brings.

Annie Funelli and the Funsters show students how to have fun, stay healthy and take good care of themselves.

Annie becomes a one-man band to introduce the Funsters to the world of hearing and demonstrates in her own whimsical style how our ears provide enjoyment, help us learn and communicate, and alert us to events and hazards throughout the day.

Annie explains some common ear problems, including blockage, infection, and hearing impairment. She helps kids recognize symptoms of these conditions and, with the help of the Funsters, demonstrates what to expect on a visit to the doctor’s office.

Annie stresses the first principle of ear safety: Don’t put anything in your ears smaller than your elbow! She also warns against too much loud noise or music, blowing in someone’s ear, or rough play that might damage ears. 

Annie also talks to Funsters about how children with serious hearing impairment communicate, learn and play.

Annie Funelli and the Funsters show students how to have fun, stay healthy and take good care of themselves.

Annie turns out the lights and invites the Funsters — and your students — to explore the magic of vision. She draws from her bag of tricks to demonstrate how sight delivers a wealth of information, alerts us to danger, and adds to life’s pleasure.

Annie shows youngsters how to be on the lookout for signs of eye problems, from temporary conditions like pink eye, to long-term focusing difficulties. Annie explains how a nurse or doctor may diagnose and treat eye problems, and she explains ways to avoid eye injuries.

Annie shows how eyes are examined and vision tested, and she helps seeing youngsters understand some of the ways children cope with serious loss of sight.

Annie Funelli and the Funsters show students how to have fun, stay healthy and take good care of themselves.

Annie zips into Annie's Place on her silver scooter — fully protected by her safety gear — including her new mouth guard to protect her beautiful teeth. After all, as she tells the Funsters, teeth are very important — for eating, speaking, and overall appearance and good health.

Annie begins by explaining the transition from baby to permanent teeth and then explains how Funsters can keep those permanent teeth through a lifetime program of good habits and safe behaviors — careful brushing and flossing, avoidance of sugary snacks, and common sense precautions to protect teeth from accidental injury.