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Smart Picks, Inc., of Lakewood, Ohio was the winner of a Stevie Award for Best New Product of the Year in the 2009 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.
 Today's children are increasingly struggling with weight and nutrition issues.
Trying to get children to eat nutritional foods can be a daily challenge for
many parents. Getting children to understand the value of healthful eating can be
even more of a struggle. Children are becoming depressingly familiar with terms
such as diabetes, obesity, cholesterol, depression, and gastric bypass.
Kathleen Stefancin, a registered dietitian in Ohio, has taken an innovative approach to help deal with these nutritional issues. As a Raw Food Chef, her passion has been to re-direct children's focus about food to a more plant-based diet by introducing a line of books and games specifically about whole foods such as fruits and veggies.
She founded her company, Smart Picks, in 1996 and it has gone on to be recognized by such top names in the education and nutrition industries as Teacher's Choice, Parent’s Choice, Creative Child Magazine, the American Dietetic Association, Tillywig, and Dr. Toy.
On winning the Stevie Award for her Healthy Ideas for Hungry Minds Nutritional Program, Kathleen commented: “I was thrilled to receive the Stevie Award last year. It has been fourteen years of hard work and a lifetime passion to impact the health and wellness of children by offering fun ways to learn about healthful eating and whole foods. This recognition reinforces my passion to reach children with a message that could save their lives.”
One-Stop Shopping for Nutritional Education
Introduced in 2009, the Smart Picks Healthy Ideas for Hungry Minds Nutritional Program incorporates five of Smart Picks’ top-selling nutritional games and books for kids. The program is packed with everything a parent or educator needs to educate kids about whole-food nutrition. It is Smart Picks’ goal to be a one-stop shopping place for high-quality, high-learning, award-winning products for kids focusing on whole-food nutrition.
The five top-selling award-winning products in the Healthy Ideas for Hungry Minds Nutritional Program that are helping change the lives and eating habits of thousands of children are Food Pyramid Bingo, Fruit & Veggie Color Bingo, The Fruit Flies’ Picnic, The Fruit Flies’ Picnic Interactive CD-ROM, and The Fish Who Wished He Could Eat Fruit.
In 2009 Food Pyramid Bingo was hailed as Game of Year by Creative Child Magazine and was given four stars by the Family Review Center for offering a fun way to teach kids healthful eating habits. Fruit & Veggie Color Bingo was honored in 2009 with Tillywig's Brain Child Award, Dr Toy's Best Vacation Product Award, and Creative Child Magazine’s Preferred Choice Award. These amazing games can be used with up to 30 kids and educates them about whole-food nutrition in an interactive and playful way.
And the awards keep coming …The Fruit Flies’ Picnic and The Fish Who Wished He Could Eat Fruit books are also winners of the 2009 Brain Child Awards and Preferred Choice Awards. These enjoyable picture books are filled with adventure, excitement, and surprising endings about why we should eat our fruits and veggies. Finally, The Fruit Flies’ Picnic Interactive CD-ROM was chosen by Creative Child Magazine for their 2009 Media of the Year Award. It expands on the Fruit Flies’ Picnic book by adding animation and more fun facts about fruits and veggies. All of these award-winning products were reviewed by parents, teachers, and educators and deemed outstanding for concept, design, quality, and value.
New for 2010
More products are under way and will be included in the Healthy Ideas for
Hungry Minds Nutritional Program in 2010. Look for two more children’s’ books,
Molly the Monkey Finds a Pineapple (which came out in January 2010) and Chippy the ChubbySquirrel (coming soon). Smart Picks will also be adding a Green Smoothie Recipe Book as well as an animated cartoon and “Smart Charts” that will list healthy foods.
About Kathleen Stefancin
Kathleen Stefancin, M.S., R.D., founder of Smart Picks, is a Registered Dietitian and Raw Food Chef (graduate of the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute). She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Biology and Dietetics and a Master's Degree in Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University. Kathleen combines her nutrition knowledge with her love for creative writing, art, and healthy eating to create award-winning games and nutrition stories for kids. With the help of highly skilled graphic designers, her innovative products have received over 32 awards and continue to make a difference in the lives of children.
About Smart Picks
Smart Picks is a leader in developing high-quality, award-winning nutrition games and books for kids. It impacts thousands of kids by showing them the best food choices for their health. It was founded in 1996 by its President Kathleen Stefancin, a Raw Food Chef whose passion has been to redirect children's focus about food to a more plant-based diet by introducing a line of books and games specifically about fruits and veggies. Her most successful game, Food Pyramid Bingo, introduces whole-foods and has received national recognition. Smart Picks games and books are used in classrooms and by families throughout the United States. For more information go to www.smartpicks.com. |
