The School GardenNetwork Presents
Healthy Roots
A Nutrition Education Program
The School Garden Network is offering, free of charge, a Traveling Nutrition Educator Program to Sonoma County Middle and High Schools for the 2012-2013 school year. We will travel to your school and teach our four part nutrition curriculum including a hands on food demonstration. Please pass this on to any teacher in your school that would be interested in having us be a part of their class.
“Healthy Roots lessons provided learners with a comprehensible knowledge base about healthy levels of nutrients and the skills needed for them to begin to make healthier choices for themselves and their families.” – Kate McGerity, El Camino Continuation High School.
Purpose - This program is designed for grades 7-12 to develop student understanding of nutrition and to create an awareness of the importance of making healthy food choices.
Rationale of the Program – This program is important for building a foundation of knowledge around basic nutrition, how it affects the body, and making healthy food choices. An understanding of nutrition is important because of daily decisions students make around food choices that affect their health in and outside of the classroom. The quality and quantity of the food we eat has an affect on brain development, behavioral issues, and health concerns such as obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers.
Goals – The goals of the program are for students to:
1. Understand that nutrition is the foundation for how our bodies function and grow.
2. Understand the difference between healthy foods, i.e., whole, unrefined, nutrient dense, and unhealthy foods, i.e., processed, void of nutrients, depleting on the body.
3. Learn how to create simple, healthy, and tasty snacks that are good for them.
4. Understand the relevance of making healthy food choices on their growth, development, and short and long-term health.
Instructional Objective – Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:
1. Know the difference between whole foods and processed foods.
2. Understand the difference between healthy fats and unhealthy fats, healthy sugars and unhealthy sugars.
3. Know what carbohydrates and proteins are and how they function in our bodies.
4. Understand the importance of fiber and foods containing them.
5. Understand the importance of water in our bodies, staying hydrated and what electrolytes are.
6.) Create healthy snacks such as trail mix, hummus, healthy drink alternatives and smoothies.
Program Overview - Throughout this program, students will be developing an understanding of nutrition, how it affects the body, and making healthy food choices.
1. The program will cover four different topics related to nutrition: Whole Foods vs. Processed Foods, Fats, Sugars, and Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Hydration.
2. The program will meet once a week in the same school with the same class for four weeks. Each lesson will be one hour in length which includes a 30-40 minute lecture with class discussion and a 20-30 minute hands on snack demonstration.
3. Students will be asked to keep a food journal for each week accounting for the meals they eat. Sharing of the journals will be volunteer based. The goal is to not judge their meals, but to be able to assess the nutritional value of food and make changes based on what they are learning.
Assessment of Student Achievement – Assessment of student achievement will be formative and summative. Formative evaluation will be done by students understanding of each weekly topic and skills of creating healthy snacks. Summative evaluation will be based on students participation in class discussion and lesson, and completion of food journal with a hopeful increase in healthy food choices by week four.
If you are interested in having the Healthy Roots Program at your school, free of charge, click here to fill out the application.
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