- Author: Nancy Zumkeller
- Editor: Emily Harris
Healthy food and fun physical activity was on the menu for Anthony preschool students and their families. Mrs. Ojeda's AM and PM classes joined together with the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education team for a morning of exercise through the MyPlate Obstacle Course on May 10th. Students gained reinforcement of the messages they have learned all year about the MyPlate model and shared that knowledge with their families. Everyone worked together through 6 stations, such as the Fruit Hoops Bean Bag Toss, the Dairy Dunes Hurdles, and the Vegetable Vertical Climbers, to name a few. Connecting physical activity to the classroom messages about the importance of MyPlate gave these preschoolers a memorable and fun experience that was shared with their parents and younger siblings. Mrs. Ojeda stated that everyone was so excited for this event that parents brought healthy snacks for a healthy party in the classroom after the obstacle course. 
The UC CalFresh Fruits and Vegetables were the local celebrities on campus as many preschoolers wanted their individual photo taken with them!
UC CalFresh Nutrition Educator, Hannah Lee, takes a water break with her group at the Hydration Station, where she reads them a story about the importance of drinking water.
The Whole Grain Hops had students practicing their motor skills.
The Dairy Dunes Hurdles had students jumping for joy!
Parents and students build muscle with the Protein Parachute!
Anthony Preschool families gather for a group photo after a morning of physical activity before heading into the classroom to share some healthy snacks!
This event provided families with first-hand experience on how simple exercises done together can not only be fun, but instill positive exercise habits for their young students. Mrs. Ojeda's wish is to make this a yearly event for her preschoolers and possibly for all preschoolers throughout Fresno Unified School District.
- Author: Consuelo Cid
I spy something with fun booths, games, family entertainment, and outstanding school teachers and staff.
Did you guess school carnivals? If so, you hit the nail on the head!
I attended Winchell Elementary's School Carnival on May 19th with a couple of my UC CalFresh team members.
As a nutrition educator, one of my most anticipated school events are the school carnivals. Students also look forward to these yearly events. The students are eager to return to campus and enjoy the lively music, games, and entertainment with their friends and families.
Are school carnivals an appropriate avenue to reinforce the nutrition concepts that students learn in the classroom?
Of course! Here at UC CalFresh we make learning fun, and we use every opportunity to create healthier communities!
Just watch how this Winchell Elementary student tests his aim. Will it land on an anytime or sometimes dairy food? The uncertainty is keeping us all on edge.
Games are fun, but what delighted me was seeing how students also took an interest in the interactive "Milk is For Me" display. Their creative and bright minds went right to work as they recalled why low-fat milk was a drink of choice.
"Dairy gives me strong bones and strong teeth!"
Parents, too, were eager to have their dairy related questions answered. Did you know that students are great teachers?!?! With the help of students, we talked about the the importance of consuming low-fat dairy products!
What a fun way to reign in another school year. As summer approaches, we want to remind all students to choose and consume foods from all five food groups and to get moderate physical activity for at least 60 minutes each summer day, and every day. Visit ChooseMyPlate.gov to learn more!
UC CalFresh is excited to kick-start another healthy school year this upcoming fall!
- Author: Tacu Vang
- Editor: Emily Harris
"What did you bring for us to try today?"
This is the question I'm asked by my students in every class that I teach nutrition lessons. Tastings are brought throughout the school year for students to try new, healthy foods. It is the goal of UC CalFresh to give different types of tastings that come from the five food group on MyPlate for the students to sample. During the school year, I would always reference MyPlate with the tastings that the students were getting for that month. This gives them an idea which food group each tasting belongs to. 
Many teachers created nutrition corners based on the different tastings the students tried during this school year. One of the teachers who did so was Mrs. Thao at Bakman Elementary. Mrs. Thao went over the tastings with the students and then posted pictures of each tasting on the nutrition corner to remind the students of the great foods they were able to try through the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program. Each time I visited Mrs. Thao's classroom, the students would remind me of what food they tasted, and tell me how much they enjoyed it or didn't enjoy it. Of course, all of the feedback from the students is great to help us improve our tastings for them to try in the future.
I've enjoyed talking with my students this year about the foods they were able to try. It's always exciting to see students try new foods, which leaves me with my own question:
"What will we bring for them to try next time?"
- Author: Nora Lopez
- Editor: Emily Harris
“Visit a nutrition booth at an event? No. They'll just lecture me. I know I'm not healthy.“
"Stop by the nutrition booth? No. I don't have time. Plus, that's boring."
These are some comments the public might have when it comes to nutrition booths. Because we want to change these comments and incorporate more physical activity, we are trying new carnival-type games when we provide nutrition booths at school and community events.
At one of my school's Open House events, I put together this fun and easy educational game. Since I was teaching the “Building Strong Teeth” lesson, I used the "sometimes" and "anytime" dairy pictures, bean bags, and Frisbees to create an activity for all of our participants (parents and students). During our visit, we reviewed good sources of calcium in order to have strong teeth and bones.
- Author: Hannah Lee
The wonderful staff at Ayer Elementary School invited the UC CalFresh team to be part of the fun at their Spring Carnival! Schools hold so many wonderful events throughout the year, and this carnival was a great opportunity to add some nutrition education and physical activity to the fun!
We set up a colorful and interactive booth so parents, students, and Ayer staff could learn more about eating healthy and staying active.
This student planned a delicious, balanced meal with UC CalFresh Nutrition Educator Hannah, using a MyPlate and food models.
Nutrition Educator Elizabeth helped students sort food models into MyPlate hula hoops. The kids got quite a kick out of running back and forth, and teaching each other what food group the models belonged to.
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Over 100 students and parents came to visit us and learn more about healthy eating and staying active. To learn more for yourself, check out ChooseMyPlate.gov and keep an eye out for UC CalFresh at events near you!
