East Fairview School Students Were "On the Move!"

Where could you learn about healthy eating and exercise this spring? East Fairview School would have been an excellent location!

Recently Britney Barnett with NDSU Extension/McKenzie County completed five weeks of classes with second grade children. On the Move Junior, a program designed to help children learn more about dairy foods, fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins, was shared along with healthy snack samples made from foods in each food group. During the program, participants were encouraged to chart and increase their consumption of foods from each of the five food groups. Story books and activities helped make classes fun and interactive. During the program, teacher Mrs. Steitz noted that students made healthier eating choices at lunch, asked questions about food, tried new foods and brought healthier snacks to school.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Danielson's fourth grade class was also working on increasing their intake of fruits, vegetables and calcium-rich foods through "On the Move to Stronger Bodies." This six-week curriculum was taught by NDSU Extension Agent Marcia Hellandsaas. These students learned about key nutrients, healthy beverages, menu planning and much more. They conducted "weight-bearing exercises," played "fitness bingo," and found out exactly how much food they should eat everyday (from each food group!)

Mrs. Danielson shared that "students were really dedicated to applying what they learned."

Finally, Mrs. Bieber's fifth graders were engaged with "On the Move (Senior.") These students learned about healthy lifestyle topics like fruit and vegetable consumption, calcium needs and physical activity. They would chart their progress on maps and earn tokens for meeting nutrition and fitness goals.