Guidance for Let's Move! Institutions

Click here to preview the Let’s Move! Museums & Gardens quarterly tracking survey to learn more about how to report on your programs and activities. Please note that this link is just for previewing; participating institutions will receive an e-mail with a link to the live survey.

Priority #1: Eat healthy, get active exhibits

Goal: Each year, 200 million visits will be made to Let’s Move! Museums and Let’s Move! Gardens that have committed to offering interactive experiences that promote healthy eating and physical activity.

Ideas for interactive exhibits:

Museums and gardens create exhibits and spaces where families can be physically active, while learning about the appropriate amount of daily screen time.
Museums and gardens develop programs or exhibits that help families learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy food choices and the impact those choices can make.
Museums and gardens cultivate organic food/vegetable gardens, provide assistance for school and community gardens and offer related programs.
Museums and gardens provide inside and outside spaces and programs that use principles of universal design to create experiences that enable children and adults of all abilities to actively engage in exhibits and programs.
Museums and gardens create exhibits and/or host forums or discussions for the community considering the local impact of built environment policies and regulations on human health.
Museums and gardens, many in urban locations, have or build safe and accessible parks and playgrounds on museum/garden grounds and off-site, in other locations.
Provide outdoor opportunities for children to enjoy recreation activities, including walking, hiking and free play on or off museum/garden grounds.
Museums and gardens work with local government to provide space for children’s indoor and outdoor recreation.
Museums and gardens create exhibits, web experiences or apps that utilize technology to encourage physical activity in ways that are fun and interactive.

Example: At the Children’s Museum of Houston’s (TX) PowerPlay exhibit, kids get active on a light-up dance floor and see how this activity affects their heart rate.

Priority #2: Learning about Healthy Choices through afterschool, summer and other programs

Goal: Each year, 20 million participants will engage in programming that includes healthy food choices and physical activity with emphasis on afterschool, summer and school-based programs.

Ideas for programs:

Museums and gardens develop programs or exhibits that help families learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy food choices and the impact those choices can make.
Museums and gardens provide professional development opportunities for teachers on nutrition (may or may not be integrated with gardening).
Afterschool programs at museums and gardens offer nutritious snacks and promote good nutrition at home.
Museum and garden restaurants and cafes offer and promote healthy foods; provide only healthy foods in classes, programs or camps.
Museums and gardens offer programs for children and families on how to grow, harvest and cook healthy, organic food.
Museums and gardens provide outreach programming to schools that trains faculty in fun ways to offer recess that promote physical activity and social skill development.
Museums and gardens serve as community partners providing afterschool programs that offer and enhance physical activity.
Museums and gardens create exhibits and/or host forums or discussions for the community considering the local impact of built environment policies and regulations on human health.
Museums and gardens, many in urban locations, have or build safe and accessible parks and playgrounds on museum/garden grounds and off-site, in other locations.
Provide outdoor opportunities for children to enjoy recreation activities, including walking, hiking and free play on or off museum/garden grounds.

Example: Through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (NY) is adapting NIH’s We Can! materials to communicate messages about healthy eating habits, balancing food intake and increasing physical activity to parents of young children living in the Bronx.

Priority #3: Healthy food service

Goal: Each year, 90% of Let’s Move! Museums and Let’s Move! Gardens that offer food service will already offer or will change their menu to offer food options that reflect healthy choices (for example, the Centers for Disease Control guidance on procurement pages 19 – 21).

Ideas for food service:

Museum and garden restaurants and cafes offer and promote healthy choices for all ages.
Museums and gardens cultivate organic food/vegetable gardens, provide assistance for school and community gardens and offer related programs.
Museums and gardens provide space for local farmers to sell fruits and vegetables. Museums and gardens connect families to farmers through programs.
Museum and garden restaurants and cafes offer and promote healthy foods; provide only healthy foods in classes, programs or camps.
Museums and gardens pressure food service providers to develop healthy choices that are appealing to children and young people.

Priority #4: Learning about healthy food choices and physical activity using food service operation

Goal: Each year 90% of Let’s Move! Museums and Let’s Move! Gardens that offer food service will incorporate interpretation about healthy food choices.

Learning ideas:

Museums and gardens create exhibits that help families learn the difference between advertising for healthy and unhealthy food.
Museums and gardens develop programs or exhibits that help families learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy food choices and the impact those choices can make.

Example: Atlanta Botanical Garden (GA) opened an edible garden, which includes a green wall made from herbs and an onsite Outdoor Kitchen, featuring ‘Grow it and eat it’ cooking demonstrations.