| Danish
Elementary
Houston, Texas
Stepping Up to Health
“Step
Up to Nutrition and Health” was the National Nutrition
Month® theme in March and Danish Elementary stepped
it up for a “Hear, See, Do” message!
Hear
- They heard teachers explain the concepts of eating
a variety of fruits and vegetables and coloring their
plates with all the Food Pyramid for Kids food color
groups. Power point presentations were used to:
-
Teach key health messages
- Initiate
a class discussion naming various fruits/vegetables
in each color group
- Cover
the topic of Portion Distortion
- Provide
fun nutritional trivia from the district’s Child
Nutrition Specialist
-
Project onto a Smart Board screen to run continuously
in the library
See
- In the hallway outside the Clinic, students saw two
display cases advertising the nutritional messages of
“Eat Your Colors” and “There’s
a Rainbow on My Plate”.
Do
– Doing a school-wide poll of their favorite fruit,
vegetable, and active play/exercise, students received
an apple pencil for submitting a ballot and all the
results were announced and posted!
This
“stepped up” message is sure to be remembered
by students as a fun National Nutrition Month®!
 |
 |
A
rainbow on your plate makes
you feel great! |
These
colors are
good to eat! |
Everyone
knows what a book bag is, but do you know about a “Book
in a Bag”?
|
This event was a “best
seller” at Danish this past February when
their “celebrity” reader, district
Chef Trudeau, kicked off
the event by reading Gus and Button by
Saxton Freyman to the kindergarten and first grade
students. Chef Trudeau explained the many unfamiliar
fresh fruits and vegetables mentioned. Students
enjoyed guessing what they were as the Chef encouraged
them to try them!
“Book
in a Bag”, from the Kansas State Research
and Extension Family Nutrition Program (http://www.humec.ksu.edu/fnp/bib.html),
encourages young children’s interest in
foods, nutrition, and reading in the family or
small group setting. Children learn about nutrition
by:
- having
age-appropriate storybooks with food-related
themes read to them
-
participating in hands-on food and nutrition
activities
-
focusing on the lesson about food groups of
the MyPyramid, family times, or meal times
-
making healthy food choices while developing
a love of reading.
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 |
Chef
Trudeau “show and tells” with
vegetables from the story! |
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Some
of the other book titles are: The Edible Pyramid,
The Lunch Box Surprise, and Feast for Ten.
Each “Book in a Bag” includes a book, leader’s
guide, facts page, recipes, kid’s page, and parent’s
page in both English and Spanish. The leader’s
guide provides objectives, lesson outline, questions
for discussion, and other related children’s books.
Teachers can check out a “Book in a Bag”
for a quick mini nutrition lesson or use as a study
unit supplement.
Congratulations
to Danish for using a variety of events, carrying the
healthy message to staff, students and their families!
 |
“Go Red” role models having a
healthy snack! |
Marketing and Modeling
M
and M means healthy fun for all at Danish Elementary!
An M&M (Marketing and Modeling) event was held as
the staff celebrated “National Go Red for Women
Day” by
- Wearing
something red and their favorite shade of red lipstick
- Attending
a heart-healthy staff luncheon, which included information
from the American Heart Association on Ten Ways to
Take Charge of Your Health
-
Receiving facts about women’s heart disease
and stroke risk factors, as well as healthy goals
for women
-
Providing recommended American Heart Association resources
for heart health, such as Choose to Move and The Cholesterol
Low-Down.
Students
joined the fun by wearing red. A local hospital, Memorial
Hermann, served as a partner to spread the message beyond
the school. The hospital collaborated with the American
Heart Association to sponsor “Houston Goes Red/Paint
the Town Red” creating a heart disease awareness
campaign.
Making
staff awareness a fun event also helps kids and families
see that healthy messages benefit everyone! Danish challenges
YOU to Market and Model health amongst your staff too!
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Ready, Set, Grab and Go! |
KidlLink
team members and school foodservice staff have a hit
with their Grab and Go Breakfast Program! From second
through fifth grade, kids begin their day by eating
a nutritious and healthy breakfast.
- Food
service staff individually wraps and serves the items.
-
Students GRAB a breakfast in a bag and GO to their
classroom to enjoy eating with their friends.
- Parents
don’t have to worry about their children eating
a healthy breakfast.
-
Teachers benefit from students who are focused and
ready to learn.
-
Prize incentives encourage student participation.
- Every
other Friday, five Grab and Go breakfast students
are eligible to find a “winning” ticket
in their bag which they claim in the nurse’s
office.
Students
receive a wrist band with the message “Don’t
Sit, Get Fit.”
At Danish, everyone is “banding” together
for student health. This proven, successful, expanded
breakfast idea was developed and partially funded by
a grant from Dairy Maxx.
Creative MyPyramid Activities
Danish
Elementary is creating unique and fun ways to increase
awareness of the new U.S.D.A. MyPyramid for
Kids food guidance system!
 |
Holiday
Food Drive shapes up MyPyramid! |
- PE
and classroom teachers are teaching students about
healthy, active play and eating using the MyPyramid
format.
-
Kids are singing songs in class this fall about food,
feasts, and family.
-
Art class projects using the MyPyramid design help
kids develop quick recognition.
- “Book
in a Bag” literacy program has kids reading
nutritious stories.
-
Kids are sharing what they’ve learned with their
families.
A
MyPyramid Holiday Food Drive took place with
great results! A MyPyramid replica was posted on the
wall outside the school’s health clinic. Color-coded
empty boxes were labeled with each food group and placed
below the MyPyramid. When kids brought their food donations
they had to identify the correct box for their item!
Over 1,500 food items were collected
for the needy while balanced healthy eating was taught!
One
parent wrote: “Samantha’s food pyramid is
now being displayed on our refrigerator. I hope it does
encourage her and her sister to eat foods that are healthy
without a struggle. We are working on that.” And
one of the paraprofessionals said "We, as Big Kids,
need reminders too."
Thanks
to Danish Elementary for bringing about C.H.A.N.G.E.
( Connect Health And
Needs and Get Excited
) for kids and families!
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