From November to January, child- friendly MyPlate's were given to each Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten (TK), and Kindergarten class enrolled in the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program to place in their dramatic play area and use in their classrooms. In the dramatic play area there is usually a kitchen set up with plastic foods and items for dress up and dramatization. 

MyPlate in use in Mrs. Tinoco's Pre-K classroom at Calwa Elementary

It's inevitable, growing kids are going to snack. Snacking can help kids maintain their energy, provide fuel for school activities and fill nutrition gaps in their diets. Encourage your child to develop healthy eating habits early on by setting an example in your home. Your child can't reach for cookies, chips or candy bars if you don't have them on hand. Model healthy eating by choosing nutritious snacks for yourself, too!

For more snack ideas and tips, visit choosemyplate.gov!

Fresno County's UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program has a long standing partnership with the Fresno State Dietetic Internship Program. This blog post is part of our Intern Reflections Series.

I began this rotation not really knowing what to expect, or what was in store for me. I remember meeting Brittanny and Shawna at our internship orientation where we learned a little about the UC Cooperative Extension, reviewed My Plate, and played a really fun and physically active version of nutrition jeopardy. I was excited to see the application of similar lessons in a classroom setting in order to learn more about all that they do at the UC Cooperative Extension.

My first day was at Kratt Elementary where I was able to see different types of nutrition activities that are done with grades pre-school through 2^nd grade. We started at the pre-school level and went around to the different classes where we did a MyPlate review and then a nutrition lesson with the kids. I observed the first few and then took a turn doing the MyPlate review. I was feeling kind of nervous, but it was fun seeing the kids' reactions. I really enjoyed observing the way that my preceptor, Shawna Rogers, interacted with the kids. She had all of their attention and was very engaging. It was a neat experience, and I feel like I learned a lot from observing her teaching style. I really like how she used hand motions for all the food groups on MyPlate to help the kids remember and to allow them to participate. I learned a lot about how to talk to kids and what types of things they respond well to. They LOVE to be asked questions AND to take turns, so activities were huge! As dietetic interns, we work mostly with adults, so this rotation was extremely beneficial to get a chance to observe and experience working with kids.

I was very fortunate to attend Farm and Nutrition Day at the Fresno County Fairgrounds. It was my first time visiting the fairgrounds and my first time attending a farm and nutrition day, so it was a memorable experience! The event consisted of 3^rd grade classes from Fresno County schools coming on buses to the fairgrounds to interact and learn from different exhibits teaching about farming, agriculture, and nutrition. It is a really neat concept, and I think they should offer events like this in more areas. I had the unique opportunity to become an orange for the day (yes, an orange), and be part of the UC CalFresh “Healthy Crew.” As a member of the “Healthy Crew,” I was able to participate in 4 showings of a nutrition play focused on "sometimes" foods versus "anytime" foods, and practice demonstrating the MyPlate food groups during each performance. Dressed as Miss Orange, I became a celebrity for the day and even signed my first autograph! The kids loved the play and loved our costumes even more. I had no idea what was in store for my on Farm and Nutrition Day, but it ended up being a lot of fun and I hope I have the chance to attend again in the future.

During this rotation I also learned about different adult classes that are taught by the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program. I attended several classes taught for the Jobs and Beyond Program, where participants learned about reading labels, meal planning, calories and sugar in sweetened beverages, physical activity, BMI, daily calorie requirements and much more! Each lesson was accompanied by a tasty and simple food demonstration that included a sample and a recipe to take home. This is a really fun way to teach new ideas for healthy eating, and it increased participation in the class. It was very educational learning from each presenter's teaching style and classroom dynamic. They all had great real world examples and easy to understand ways of explaining things that engaged the class and provoked discussion. Teaching is definitely an area that I need to gain more experience, so this rotation was really helpful to break me out of my comfort zone and allow me to experience working with a variety of age groups. In my down time I was able to help with some game development for kids, assemble tasting bags for youth food tastings, and enter important data for the UC CalFresh Food Tasting Tool and the EFNEP program. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time visiting classrooms, providing adult education, attending off-site events and meetings, and assisting with food tastings and data entry. The UC Cooperative Extension is a busy place with many efforts to encourage healthy eating through nutrition education for all ages. 

Kids spend the majority of their time at school. This makes school the ideal environment in which children can forge healthy habits at a young age. Healthy habits that stress the importance of a balanced diet, foods from MyPlate, and physical activity set our children up for academic and lifelong success!

Vang Pao Elementary School teacher, Mrs. Garcia, spent a week dedicated to teaching her Transitional Kindergarten students about nutrition. During this week-long nutrition immersion, students enhanced their understanding of MyPlate by categorizing common foods into their respective food groups. 

Students further reinforced their knowledge by interacting with MyPlate. The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education program provided enrolled teachers (Pre-Kindergarten to Kindergarten teachers) with a child's MyPlate to encourage and enhance the nutrition education in the classroom.

Mrs. Garcia has her students organize foods into the correct food groups.

Students also showcase their artwork by creating MyPlate collages. 

Students can identify their favorite foods!

Moderation is key to a healthy lifestyle, so learning which foods are healthy or "anytime" versus "sometimes" is critical to making the best food choices.

What better way to teach important life skills such as...shopping, handling money (planning/selection, buying, and budgeting) than a TK Market, of course!

Students are encouraged to select and purchase healthy food items!

Beautiful work, Mrs. Garcia's TK class! Your hard work will inspire and help others to make healthy choices! Go all-stars! 

 Let's inspire future healthy all-stars! If you have a success story, share it with us by commenting below. We can also be reached on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.