Mascots for the YOG - Lyo and Merly

Lyo (pronounced as "Leo"), the "Lion of the Youth Olympics", is a lion cub with a mane as fiery as his passion for life. Full of youthful energy, Lyo is always on the go, exploring and discovering new things and playing sports.

His favourite sport is basketball and he dreams of someday representing Singapore in international basketball tournaments.

Growing up in Singapore, the City-in-a-Garden, Lyo is no stranger to people. He enjoys making friends from all over the world and learning about their different cultures. He is fun-loving and wants to inspire youths to keep fit and enjoy sports.

Lyo's mane resembles the Flame of Passion of the Spirit of Youth, the emblem of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. It also calls to mind the Singapore 2010 tagline 'Blazing the Trail'. His paw is shaped like Singapore island.

Merly got her name from "mer" (meaning the sea) and "l y" for liveliness and youthfulness. She is a merlion cub who loves exploring the seas surrounding Singapore, and beyond. Although merlions are omnivorous by nature, Merly sticks to a vegetarian diet out of a deep respect for all living creatures. Her paw is shaped like a heart.

Merly is friendly and a great listener – when she becomes your friend, she is your friend for life! Always ready to join a good cause, Merly is especially passionate about protecting our environment (sadly, many of her friends have become ill as their homes have been polluted) Merly believes that every one of us can help create a sustainable future and works hard to spread that message.

Her dream is to become an environmental scientist one day, so that she can find more ways to help people live in harmony with Nature.

Healthy Sandwich Making with Fruittiekids

On Monday, 5th April, our Fruittiekids had a sandwich making session which helped them to learn more about healthy eating and food nutrition. After watching the teacher's demonstration, pupils were invited to try making the sandwiches on their own.

Wholemeal bread was used instead of plain white bread with the intention of educating the Fruittiekids on the wholesome benefits of whole-grains. Wholemeal bread has more vitamins and minerals as compared to ordinary white bread. More importantly, they contain more fibre and this keeps us full for longer periods of time. 

In order to become stronger and faster, athletes participating in the Olympics have dietitians (people who plan what these athletes eat) to ensure that they eat balanced and nutritious meals. Although we may not have dietitians to help us plan our meals, we can still enjoy the health benefits of a balanced diet by making sure that we consume food from the different food groups. 
 
Looking at the food pyramid, a big part of our diet should consist of food from the Rice & Alternatives group. Food from this group provides us with energy as they contain carbohydrates. In order to grow tall and strong, our bodies need vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. We should consume at least 2 servings of fruits and 2 servings of vegetables. Meat & Alternatives provide us with protein to develop strong muscles.  
We should consume less food from the Fats, Oils, Sugar & Salt group.