. y o u t h e n g a g e m e n t 5 .
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Activity: How Can MyPlate Help Me Make Healthy Food Choices?
Students contemplate which food group bacon belongs to. How much bacon is healthy to eat? Careful, this one is tricky!
During this week’s activity, I decided to introduce the students to “MyPlate”, an easy to follow guide developed by the USDA to help students understand how to fill their plates with a variety of foods that will help them to grow up healthy and strong. I provided each student with a MyPlate worksheet that depicts the five main food groups. Each food group is associated with a specific color and proportion to the whole. The students were familiar with the concept of food groups, but did not know why they were important. With a limited amount of time, I challenged the students to take their worksheet around the room to as many stations as they could. Their task was to identify the food depicted at each station and which food group it belonged to.
Finding a way to make this activity inclusive for all students was challenging because the group is composed of students ranging in age from as young as 8 years old, and as old as 12. When we rejoined as a group, I asked the students to raise their hands if they were able to make it to all 13 stations. As I anticipated, the older students were able to make it to most stations, so while recognizing their effort, I went on to challenge them by asking what one serving size would look like for station 1: Whole Wheat Bread. This allowed group to see that everyone had opportunity to learn something new as it relates to using MyPlate as a guide for making healthy food choices.
Water may not be a part of any one food group, but students learned that it plays a very important role in helping their body digest food and remain hydrated.
Each student took home their MyPlate Pledge to share with their parents about how they can make informed food choices that support a strong and healthy body.
Community Youth Programs Support Youth Wellness
Physical and cognitive development of children in this age group is characteristically wide ranging because each individual has a unique set of circumstances related to their genetics, epigenetics, and their life experiences and circumstances. Adversity and chronic toxic stress can impede a child’s physical and neurological development; however, opportunities for them to socialize, play, and learn in a safe and inclusive environment can help to mitigate negative outcomes.
After completing this activity, the students learned how eating a variety of foods from these food groups will give their body the nutrients it needs to grow up healthy and strong. They also learned how to choose healthy drinks like water, no sugar-added juice, or no/non-fat milk. We briefly talked about foods that are high in sodium, like bacon and pickles, and how eating them can be healthy when done so in moderation. The students each received a “MyPlate Pledge” for completing the activity. The pledge is a visual reminder of what we learned through this activity and also provides them with a visual cue to share with their parents about their commitment to being active and eating healthy.
This activity allowed students to get out of their chairs and challenged what they already knew about healthy food that support a healthy mind and body.
Students learned that sometimes a healthy food like a cucumber can become less-heart healthy when it contains high amounts of sodium, as pickles do.
Developmental Science and Resiliency Interventions Support Youth Wellness in Community Programming
The National Wellness Institute’s model for dimensional wellness acknowledges that physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and occupational wellness is complex, multifaceted, and interconnected. Youth wellness is no exception. Opportunities for youth to explore their interests, form friendships, and challenge their minds and bodies are crucial during these identity-building years. Children that are encouraged to reach their full potential are more likely to believe in their abilities rather than shy away from exploring them. Children that are able to explore boundaries without the fear of abandonment or the withholding of unconditional love, become attuned to their sense of curiosity while understanding consequences are not inherently bad. Children can thrive when they are equipped with coping skills that allow them to acknowledge and accept their feelings as they are. Thriving children believe in themselves and want to participate and contribute to their families, friends, and communities. Supporting youth as they explore the dimensions of wellness, provides them with experiences that will influence and inform how they interact and adapt in the years to come.
Thriving Youth at The Boys and Girls Club of Wisconsin Rapids
The Boys and Girls Club provides school-age children with a safe, stable, and nurturing environment where they can have experiences that go beyond the formative learning that takes place in the typical classroom. When the students arrive at the club, they know their school day is over and they are excited to see a different circle of friends and mentors. The students are provided a balanced meal and are encouraged to socialize, play, and physically move their bodies. Learning activities are designed to be active and fun while building upon concepts that are intended to instill competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping, and control; the seven C’s of resiliency. Children who are encouraged to excel are empowered. Empowered children grow up to be capable, productive adults who understand responsibility to themselves and to others. Individuals who are accountable and empathetic go on to offer support and acceptance for others. All of these characteristics are components of a healthy life, family, relationship, and community.
Student's physical and cognitive development will vary widely during this stage of development, but active learning opportunities can be stimulating for all.