PARIS — “Hannaford Helps Communities – FOODPLAY Tour,” an award-winning show that tackles childhood obesity will take place at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Paris Elementary School, 4 Hathaway Road.

Having trouble getting your kids to eat their fruits and veggies, get off the couch and turn off the computer games?

Thanks to a groundbreaking partnership with Hannaford Supermarkets, 58,000 children and family members at 35 schools throughout the Northeast will experience FOODPLAY, a national award-winning theater show featuring awesome feats of juggling, music, magic and audience participation to turn kids on to healthy eating and active living.

While there are countless efforts to combat the alarming rise of childhood obesity, none is as lively and child-friendly as FOODPLAY. Woven into the national touring performance are serious lessons that teach kids about the importance of healthy eating and active living, inspiring them to adopt nutritious diets and active lifestyles.

FOODPLAY makes good eating great fun, but its messages are serious. In the past 25 years, childhood obesity rates have doubles among elementary school children and tripled among teenagers. One in three children is overweight, and less than two percent of the nation’s youth are meeting their daily nutritional requirements. Kids are consuming more than 150 pounds of sugar a year, missing out on recommended levels of fruits, vegetables and whole grains needed for optimal health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over one-third of the nation’s youth will develop diabetes if current eating and exercise habits don’t improve.

Schools around the country are working to meet the challenge — by creating school-wide wellness policies, updating school lunch and breakfast menus to offer more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and incorporating more physical activity opportunities throughout the school day.