Get Stuffed, a comic opera about serious decisions, is one component of a school presentation which includes a study guide for teachers, a workshop for teachers and students, and a performance of the opera. Helping children make intelligent choices about foods is the central theme of the opera. The underlying objective is helping school boards reach a consensus about best teaching practices in the field of nutrition. By delivering the healthy eating message through music and drama, opera appeals, on an emotional level, to a diverse audience of children of all ages. The workshops enable teachers and students to engage fully with the performance. The study guide, website and future DVD will provide a continuing resource to the community.

While Get Stuffed is intended for children, it will also impact parents and teachers by showing new ways of motivating children to eat well. Children will be given the tools to learn how to choose foods wisely and to discern the difference between good health and glossy food packaging. Promoting healthy eating is challenging for teachers in the classroom. Get Stuffed provides the teachers with an innovative approach using story, drama, music, costume and imagination to teach nutrition. Parents can also be influenced when their inspired children are empowered to ask for and enjoy healthy choices at home.

Target audiences: Children SK to Grade 6, Family audiences, Educators

Get Stuffed is an original Canadian children’s comedic opera designed to make children want to make healthy choices about eating. Words in Motion has long felt that the way to discuss this important topic with children is not through dry and boring lectures on nutrition but rather through an emotionally charged colorful middle. Music and opera convey emotion more powerfully than any other art form and, as choosing what to eat is inextricably connected to our emotions, we felt opera would be the perfect vehicle. We were delighted to see this dream come true through a partnership with Tapestry Opera, who are one of the most significant arts organizations in Toronto and in the development of new opera, in the world.

As long-time participants in the fields of education and the arts, we at Words in Motion know there is no better way to get the messages of healthy eating, local food, and cooking at home across to children than through this multi-sensorial, vivid and humorous production. Vocalizing vegetables, dancing chocolate bars and the temptress French Fries along with her side-kick Cheeseburger, say, and sing, it all in just over half an hour.

Get Stuffed advocates for a change in behaviour by empowering children to make informed decisions about their food choices. Words in Motion has initiated the project to advocate for an innovative approach to teaching children about healthy eating. While music, vivid graphics, story and imagination are regularly used to sell less than healthy food products to children, these powerful elements are not used by educators to teach the benefits of choosing otherwise.

- Words in Motion

In April 2009 we kicked off the first leg of the Get Stuffed Provincial Tour with 36 sold out school performances over three weeks and will reach 10,000 students throughout the GTA and Hamilton.

"You capture the inner struggle of the heart through the middle of healthy food versus junk food with wonderful simplicity and true beauty; a refreshing approach to a subject beaten to death by nauseous lectures and television talk show topics. Bless you. My Grade 4 class was very focused."

- Grade 4 teacher, Dundas Public School

A French version of Get Stuffed was also created.

Get Stuffed - Study Guide