- Author: Consuelo Cid
- Contributor: Emily Harris
Promoting MyPlate and
Physical Activity is what
UC CalFresh does best!
UC CalFresh has a long withstanding partnership with Fresno Unified School District; this partnership makes promoting healthy eating habits and physical activity, at a critical time period in these students' lives, possible.
UC CalFresh Staff are ready to get students moving.
UC CalFresh supported Vang Pao Elementary during their school wide Jog-a-Thon event on November 10, 2016 by providing a MyPlate Obstacle Course. The Vang Pao Jog-a-Thon was a success where students raised $2,800 for their school!
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What is a MyPlate Obstacle Course?
Glad you asked! A MyPlate obstacle course is a great stand alone physical activity motivator or in Vang Pao's case, a fun warm-up.
Vang Pao students warmed up their muscles and hit the track with a bang! The obstacle featured 5 main stations named after our beloved food groups, of course. It also featured in-between activities to keep students moving as they transitioned from station to station.
Need leg warm ups before hitting the trail? Try the Dairy Dips. Need some energy for some added spring to your step? Try the Whole Grain Hops. Want to test your aim? The Fruit Hoops station is for you. If you are in need of some arm warm ups, visit the Protein Push-up station to keep those arm muscles strong and limber. Still not challenged? Get your heart pumping with Vegetable Vertical Mountain Climbers.
All you need is a large open space and a little imagination to make the MyPlate Obstacle course a reality...
UC CalFresh is ready to get moving; shall we begin?
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How about some raise the roof push-ups?
Students master the Whole Grain Hops as they put their agility to the test.
Ms. Strawberry loses no time and keeps students moving to their next station.
Vegetable vertical mountain climbers are a challenge, but look at how these students and Chris the Carrot rise to the occasion.
Ms. Perez motivates her students to improve their physical fitness and promote their bone health one dairy dip lunge at a time.
Looks like Ms. Perez has some friendly competition: who lunged better? Ms. Tomato or Ms. Perez's group? Regardless, both groups are winners!
If the MyPlate Obstacle course does not energize students, nothing will! Students easily breezed through the MyPlate Obstacle Course.
Our fruit and vegetable friends remind students that eating healthy foods along with 60 minutes of physical activity is the key to their health and to their continued academic success.
Running is such a great way to improve heart and lung health, and who knew one could raise money doing something this fun?!
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Until the next running adventure...
- Author: Consuelo Cid
- Editor: Emily Harris
Garden-based learning offers a myriad of benefits to students.
Garden based learning:
- Allows teachers to integrate multiple subject areas like the natural and social sciences, mathematics, language arts, and nutrition.
- Enhances academic achievement.
- Connects students with nature.
- Teaches environmental stewardship.
- Encourages time outdoors.
Gardening grows more than just gardens: it grows students' minds!
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Vang Pao Elementary teacher, Jacquie Henderson, started a school garden during the 2015-2016 academic school year. Henderson is excited to expand her classroom garden this upcoming school year. Let's see what bounty they cultivated this past school year...
Can you guess what's growing at Vang Pao?
If you guessed yellow summer squash and tomatoes, you are correct!
Looks likes it's almost time to harvest again!
The garden was made possible by the work of Henderson's fifth grade class and students in the garden club at Vang Pao Elementary. They did an amazing job, and even donated their first harvest! Students enjoyed tasting the fruits of their labor, or in this case, the vegetables of their labor!
Great job Henderson's fifth grade class! I look forward to seeing what produce you decide to plant this school year.
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Did you know...
August 7-13, 2016 is National Farmers Market Week!
Click here to find a Farmers Market near you to purchase local produce.
- Author: Consuelo Cid
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.
- Author: Consuelo Cid
Healthy snacks and beverages are an integral part of a child's diet because they can help our children consume the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed for optimal growth.
Children have smaller stomachs than adults, which means that they may get hungry in between meals. Therefore, it is important that they learn how to distinguish between treats and healthy snacks.
To assist me in this endeavor with my Vang Pao Elementary School students, I introduced James and Ethan, two characters in the book, Looking After Me: Eating Well, by Liz Gogerly and Mike Gordon. In the story the students learned that eating too many treats can make us sick, but they also learned, along with James, that eating well is the secret to staying fit and healthy.
Here is what my 2nd grade Vang Pao Elementary students had to say about eating well...
Shout out to Maria Mendez's second grade class for their great responses!
For tips on healthy snacking, visit choosemyplate.gov.
- Author: Consuelo Cid
Building and forging healthy habits can seem daunting or intimidating, at first.
Cost and time are common concerns and barriers towards incorporating healthy snacks and meals into your life; however, with just a few simple strategies like planning meals ahead of time, cooking large one-pot meals, and buying and shopping for foods that are currently on sale, you can help stretch food dollars and save time when it counts!
The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program strives to empower parents, students, and the community at large to make healthy food choices while simultaneously staying active. We empower our participants by arming them with the skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy necessary to be informed consumers and health advocates for themselves and their families.
The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education team hosted a 4-week Plan, Shop, Save, and Cook series where Vang Pao Elementary parents gained skills in shopping, saving, and preparing meals while staying within their food budget.
Participants brainstorm family meals!
Give it up for our Vang Pao Elementary parents who successfully completed the Plan, Shop, Save, and Cook series.
Our participants are eager to share what they learned and want to encourage you to make healthy food changes for yourself. Join us and post your #healthyselfie to encourage others in your community to make healthy food choices. Together we can make for a healthier California!
Need inspiration? Here are our Vang Pao parents' #healthyselfies.
