Healthier Schools
Fruit and Veggie Tasting Prepares Students for Upcoming School Year
Ed. Note: This article is a cross post from USDA's Blog
Do you know what a Malanga is? What about a Chocolate Pepper? A group of students at Slater Jr. High School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island do -- they learned about these unusual vegetables and more during a fruit and vegetable taste testing at their Summer Food Service Program. For the less adventurous vegetable eater, a Malanga is a root vegetable that has a nutlike flavor and looks similar to a sweet potato when cut open. A Chocolate Pepper is a purple Bell Pepper.
Celebrate the Summer Games at Your Local Let's Move! Olympic Fun Day
First Lady Michelle Obama is leading the U.S. Delegation to the 2012 Olympic Games and she’s calling on families around the country to support Team USA, not just by cheering on our athletes, but by getting active in their own communities.
Saturday, July 28th is the first day of the competition in London. We're calling on families around the country to join us by participating in “Olympics-inspired” Meetups in your towns or neighborhoods.
Kicking Off EDs Lets Read! Lets Move! Summer Series
“Reading is a way to travel in your mind,” said Cornell McClellan, the First Family’s Nutrition and Fitness Trainer, to over 130 students from DC area schools, camps, and youth programs at the first of ED’s four part Let’s Read! Let’s Move! series.
McClellan joined Secretary Arne Duncan and Sam Kass, assistant chef and senior policy advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives at the White House, to read and talk to more than 100 local children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and learning over the summer. Students Jaden McDowell and Kylie Peterson, from DC’s United Planning Organization, had the honor of introducing the secretary and his guests to kick off the activities.
Mitchell Elementary Gardeners Open a White House Package
What would you do if you received a mysterious box from the White House at your doorstep? Mitchell Elementary students found themselves asking the same question when a large, brown package arrived with a return address of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
A Parent Chef Heats Up School Kitchens
When Chef Cat Cora heard the First Lady’s call to action to chefs, she took it to heart. “We want every school in the nation to have a chef partner, a set of kids who call you theirs, who believe that you care about nothing more than how they grow up and how they feel. The more grownups who are working on behalf of our kids, the stronger they’ll be,” said the First Lady at the launch of the Chefs Move to Schools program two years ago.
As a concerned parent, Chef Cora decided to join the movement. She signed up for Chefs Move to Schools and got involved in her son’s school. She has since done cooking demos for the students and faculty, taught nutrition lessons, and worked with the principal to put a cafeteria in the school. Her motivation and effort created positive change within the school system, and demonstrate the impact parents and professionals can have.
Plant A Garden: We're Planting Our Own Produce, Care to Join Us?
April showers bring May flowers. That’s how the old adage goes. But instead of waiting for the flowers to bloom, this May bring your family together with an activity that is perfect whether the sun is shining or it’s pouring down rain – we're talking about gardening of course! Families, schools and communities across the country can all take part in our newest initiative to get our children healthy. We’re growing our own produce and we want you to join us.
From the Archives: "Move Your Body" Flash Workout
Ed. Note: This is cross-posted from the White House blog.
How do you get kids all around the country to get moving, jumping, and doing the dougie in unison? Beyonce, natch.
On May 3 last year—at 1: 42 p.m. to be exact—nearly 600 schools from coast to coast participated in a flash workout, dancing together to Beyonce’s “Move Your Body.” First Lady Michelle Obama even got in on the fun, joining students at Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, D.C. for their rendition of the “Move Your Body” dance. Check it out.
4-H students Visit Washington, DC and Present on Bringing Let’s Move! to Their Communities
Ed. Note: This is cross-posted from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) blog.
As part of their 2012 annual 4-H National Conference approximately 300 high school student leaders from across the United States, U.S. territories, and Canada gathered in the greater Washington, DC area. 4-H seeks to promote positive youth development, facilitate learning, and engage young people in the efforts of the USDA to produce “real results for real people.” The conference aims to empower and mobilize the 4-H students to create positive, meaningful change in their communities.
USDA Announces New Farm to School Program to Improve the Health and Nutrition of Kids Receiving School Meals
Last week USDA released a new farm to school grant program designed to help give children a sense of where their food comes from and increase the availability of local foods in schools. Joined by students at Southern High School in Harwood, MD, as well as school and elected officials, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan made the announcement in an on-campus greenhouse.
One of the first things she noticed when she walked into the greenhouse was the Abe Lincoln tomato seedlings. President Abraham Lincoln created the United States Department of Agriculture 150 years ago. At the time, there were farmers everywhere, but today that is no longer true. In fact, young children, increasingly removed from agriculture, are more likely to recognize corporate logos than carrot tops growing from the soil.
