- Author: Angelica Perez
Madera Unified School District is in the second year of the Carol M. White Physical Education Program Grant, and continues to provide quality physical education in all schools. Some of the major goals of this grant are to help students in improving physical fitness and encouraging healthy eating habits. Other items include also providing the physical education teachers with more approaches to teach physical education and nutrition. The wellness committee is heavily involved in the promotion of student health. Several agencies who focus on community nutrition education joined forces to help meet the grant's goals. UC CalFresh, Dairy Council of California and the Local Public Health Department partner and provide nutrition education resources to MUSD physical education teachers. Together these agencies collaborate to provide trainings, such as basic nutrition, curriculum implementation and will continue to support teachers throughout the year.
Presenters: Phoebe Copp, Dairy Council of California (left) and Angelica Perez, UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program (right) providing one of the first nutrition trainings to Madera Unified Physical Education Teachers.
UC CalFresh is taking part by providing nutrition resources for 6th-grade students and has begun training sessions with their physical education teachers using the Eat Fit Curriculum. The curriculum will allow the students to create goals intended to help in the improvement of eating and fitness lifestyle choices. Aligning goals with our partners is key for success. The students will reap the benefits of the Madera Unified School District (MUSD) Wellness Committee.
- Author: Hannah Lee
As the school year picks up and we head into fall, we have another opportunity to reset our habits and embrace some healthier choices. This month, Storey Elementary's Nutrition Corner was updated with a "Harvest Healthy Habits" theme, encouraging Storey staff to make healthy choices as the season turns. Check out the picture below and read on for more details.
Choose water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages! While these drinks are fine in moderation, water is always the best choice for our body. Make sure you're staying hydrated even as the weather cools down.
Read the Nutrition Facts label! It contains so much helpful information, including serving sizes, sugar, protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals. If you've never checked one out before, take a look and compare some foods next time you're in the grocery store.
Be active! It is recommended that children get 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Adults need 2.5 hours of aerobic activity, such as walking or soccer every week, along with doing strength training exercise twice a week.
Add fruits and vegetables to your favorite dishes! From blueberries in your waffles to sweet potatoes in your enchiladas, there are so many ways to increase our fruit and veggie intake. Click here for recipes and ideas!
Wash your hands often! Washing our hands is one of the easiest and effective ways to reduce the spread of germs. Be sure to wash your hands after school, coming home from errands, after playing outside or with pets, and before cooking or eating.
Set achievable goals! Goal setting can be challenging, but it's much more manageable when we set realistic expectations. It's much easier to make a change slowly, instead of all at once.
Cover your cough! Colds are all too common in the colder seasons. Be sure to cover your cough to keep those around you from getting sick.
Portion your holiday treats! Although delicious, many of our favorite holiday treats are high in calories, sugar, and fat. Practice moderation and be mindful of how much of them you eat at a time.
Try these tips as we enter the cooler seasons and let us know how you and your family stay healthy!
- Author: Hannah Lee
Easterby Elementary kindly invited UC CalFresh to join their Spring Carnival on May 12th this year! UC CalFresh Nutrition staff, Hannah and Maira, spent a sunny evening sharing nutrition education and physical activity with Easterby students and their parents. Take a look at the pictures below to get a glimpse of the fun!
Miss Strawberry is ready to share MyPlate!
UC CalFresh incorporated physical activity with a Tic-Tac-Toe toss, and had a station for students and their families to create healthy meals using MyPlates and food pictures.
Maira discusses the benefits of physical activity with an Easterby Tiger.
Thank you to everyone at Easterby for welcoming us to their campus and giving us a chance to share our work with the Easterby community!
- Author: Hannah Lee
In March, students receiving nutrition education from UC CalFresh were able to try a juicy, tart grapefruit! For many students, it was their first time trying it, and we received a lot of feedback from them. Mrs. Stearns' transitional kindergarten class at Easterby Elementary School reflected on their tasting by turning it into art. Take a look at their creative artwork and opinions in the pictures below!
"I like it because it has seeds."
"I don't like it because it has the white part I don't like."
"I like grapefruit because it is sour."
As we can see from their artwork, grapefruits were a hit with some students, while others weren't a big fan. Whether students liked it or not, it's wonderful to see that they were all willing to try it! Teaching children to be open to new foods is such an important part of creating a healthy diet, and Mrs. Stearns' kiddos are off to a great start!
- Author: Hannah Lee
Over the past few months, UC CalFresh's garden group has teamed up with the wonderful staff and faculty at Ayer Elementary to launch the Ayer Garden Project. This project will give students and their parents, as well as Ayer teachers, the opportunity to garden together and build a healthier community. On Tuesday, May 23rd, the UC CalFresh garden group hosted Adopt-a-Bed, where teachers had a chance to "adopt" one of the garden beds that have been sitting unused for the past few years. The collective vision is that students, parents, Ayer staff, and the surrounding community will find joy, health, and a whole wealth of knowledge in the garden next year.
UC CalFresh garden team members Nancy, Hannah, and Kristi are ready to share the joy of gardening with teachers!
Hannah discusses garden logistics with the enthusiastic kindergarten team.
"Orange you tired of not having a garden?"
Ayer's lead Nutrition Educator, Hannah, is excited to see how the garden grows next year! Be sure to stay tuned and check back in the fall for more Ayer Garden Project updates!
