|
 Halting
the trend toward child obesity is a challenge, but some schools
are meeting that challenge with more than food that is nutritionally
balanced. They are using technological tools and nutrition
curriculum to help students make wise choices about what they
eat.
If it seems that your students are only interested in fast
food fare, don’t blame them; take aim at American culture.
Our love affair with quick and not-so-healthy meals is tainting
the way [children] look at food, says Dr. Antonia Demas, president
and founder of the Food Studies Institute [in New York].
“There are many obstacles to children’s good
nutrition today, including advertising efforts of the fast
food industry that are aimed at children,” Demas explained.
“Food in school is not often linked to education and
frequently mimics the foods in the fast food culture.”
Demas has designed a food curriculum for pre-K students through
eighth grade called Food Is Elementary and serves
as a consultant who conducts talks, trains food educators,
and orchestrates new research in this area.
Schools can improve the nutrition of their students, Demas
says, by
• making food literacy an educational priority.
• realizing that food affects not only the physical
health of the student, but also behavior and academic performance.
• integrating school meals with the educational curriculum
of the school so that food is given the importance it deserves
and so school meals reflect contemporary knowledge about nutrition.
• supporting food service through classroom education.
“There is a perception that kids will not eat healthy
foods, but they will if they receive positive education that
is hands-on and sensory-based,” she explained. In her
lessons, students are active participants who use their five
senses to study whole foods, and cook, create art, plant seeds,
write in journals, and more.
“When students take part in hands-on experiences with
foods, they become familiar with the foods and knowledgeable
about their history, growing conditions, nutrients, and sensory
properties,” said Demas. “Kids have positive,
pleasant experiences and taste foods that they prepare which
look, smell, and taste good. They take pride in what they
create. They also understand how these foods promote health
rather than disease.”
Many students understand good nutrition and strive to make
good choices, but they are pressed for time to consume their
selections while they socialize during rushed lunch periods.
Penny McConnell presents a rainbow of fruits and vegetables
to entice her clientele!
Colorful fruit and vegetable characters appear on the menu
and flyers that are posted at the serving lines on special
days in the Fairfax County Public Schools [in Virginia], where
McConnell is director of Food and Nutrition Services. The
operating philosophy is “We Talk Nutrition, We Serve
Nutrition, and We Teach Nutrition.”
“We are known for our very colorful fruit and vegetable
trays,” said McConnell. “I think students select
food with their eyes, so I think the colorful choices help
to promote vegetable and fruit consumption.
“Knowing the research shows that families, especially
children, do not consume at least five servings of fruits
and vegetables each day, I came up with our own Five A Day
logo, and it was Give Me 5!” recalled McConnell.
“Every month we highlighted different fruits and vegetables
and tried to incorporate new ones.
“… we have a great opportunity to add excitement
to our program by developing a variety of nutrition-related
monthly promotions,” explained McConnell. “I developed
fruit and vegetable trivia on our web site so teachers could
use that information in the classroom.”
The original theme was updated this year to Give Me 5!
Colors That Jive! McConnell and her team have designed
K-6 nutrition education classes that reach at least 300 classrooms
per year. The activities include nutritional tic-tac-toe and
Give Me 5! BINGO, an alphabet booklet, puzzles, an
Energy Zone Derby, and a kids cooking session.
“We prepare different foods or snacks, we give students
Give Me 5! pencils and fruit erasers, and we provide
colorful activity sheets that students complete and take home
to share with their families,” added McConnell. “That
takes the message home.”
“I always look for new materials to incorporate into
my health program,” Gregory Mott told Education
World. “I came across Hungry Red Planet on the
internet when I was looking for new ideas. I thought that
this would be great since it incorporated technology into
the curriculum. This program not only increases students’
knowledge of nutrition, but math and reading skills are necessary
to complete the software.”
Mott, a health and physical education teacher, uses the program
during his health classes at Smalley School in Bound Brook,
New Jersey. His students were excited about it from the very
beginning because of its “game” format. Soon they
discovered that they were learning as they played.
“My students have told me that they have changed some
of the things they eat because now they know how much fat
and cholesterol certain foods have,” Mott stated. “A
few parents have told me that their children have asked them
to change certain things they eat. The parents were very pleased
with the enjoyment and learning their children are getting.
“It is very easy for the students to bring the information
they learn from the program to their home life,” said
Mott. “I think that this program would be beneficial
for anyone who uses it.”
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