"The Communicator" Article Melinda Re June 10, 1999 "A Grade" Project # 1 - Spring

Making Nutrition Fun

"Mrs. Janzen, are we going to play a game today?" she squealed as she came running down the hall to greet us. She is one of the second and third graders participating in the seven-week food and nutrition class at the Hill City School. Joy Janzen, Nutrition Education Assistant (NEA), teaches the class. Joy has worked with the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program out of the Aitkin County Extension Office for eight years.

This is the third year that the program has been offered in Mrs. Halter's and Mrs. South's classrooms. The first five weeks the children study the Food Guide Pyramid through a variety of learning activities and games. As part of the lesson on grains the children conduct the Moldy Bread Experiment. They also study the labels on cereal boxes and bread wrappers for the Nutrition Facts and the list of ingredients. The study of fruits and vegetables includes an introduction to the Fruit and Vegetable Buddies. The kids learn about the different parts of the plants that provide us with food. The dairy lesson includes taste-testing the different kinds of milk and cheese for identification and MOOO Jeopardy. Learning about the meat group includes Name That Bean and identifying the source of meat using the Different Kinds of Meat activity.

Food safety activities include the use of the Food Safety At Home materials, the proper washing of produce and the handling of meat. The Are You A Couch Potato? Survey helps the kids learn about physical activity. They talk about the care of their bodies such as the digestive system and the importance of water. Food preparation techniques are woven into each lesson and a healthy snack is included.

The sixth week is review and includes a game of Food Guide Pyramid Bingo. Week seven, the children design, construct, and race their creations in the Fruit and Vegetable Derby. The derby culminates the nutrition series and the kids are energized about food and fun.

Joy uses materials from a variety of sources. She has found "The Youth Sourcebook Curriculum", University of Wisconsin Extension, and the Dairy Council particularly valuable resources.

Joy, Mrs. Halter, Mrs. South and I discussed how the nutrition lessons assist them in the delivery of the Graduation Standards as they relate to personal health and fitness. As part of this learning profile, the students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of nutrition, care of the body and physical activity. The teachers indicate that the students develop this understanding by participating in the lessons provided by Joy.

This partnership has been so successful that each of the NEAs in the Cluster 9 program began working with elementary teachers to provide these lessons in needy communities. Behavior outcomes indicate that a majority of the children improve their ability to make healthy food choices and use good food safety practices. This is a perfect example of making nutrition fun!

-- Anonymous, June 10, 1999