Making healthy food choices and getting active are at the heart of the Poe Center's Nutrition & Physical Activity programs. Students learn about the five food groups using our gigantic magnetic food plate. The interactive nutrition kiosk demonstrates how to read a food label and the nutritional differences between food choices. Engaging activities make learning fun and memorable.
Meet the Food Super Heroes! Chief Carbohydrate, Officer Protein and Sergeant Mineral are just a few of the Nutrient Super Six. Participants will also enjoy the serving size challenge, figuring out food labels, and understanding what the best choices are for “MyPlate.”
The emphasis is on fun as participants learn about the activity pyramid and why being active is so important. An interactive game teaches kids how to pack a tasty yet nutritious lunch.
Grade Level: Kindergarten – 2nd Program Length: 45 minutes
You’ll feel great after taking this program as we introduce the importance of regular physical activity. Participants will experience the balance between eating and exercise while reinforcing the benefits of an active lifestyle. This program introduces the different levels of exercise as well as the components of a good athlete. We encourage participants to make a lifelong commitment to their health.
Have your students ever asked… Why do we need food? What is “MyPlate”? What are the different food groups, and do I need to eat foods from all of them? How does media influence food choices? Are all body types the same? Is dieting healthy? If you said yes to any of these questions, don’t give it a second thought; sign up for this program today. The session will answer each of these questions and more.
We need food from every food group every day. Preschoolers will learn when to eat and what to eat through age-appropriate songs, rhymes, and pretend play. Children identify fruits and veggies with the help of “Healthy Harry” and “Grumpy Gus” puppets; use “Poe pretend-food” to plan and safely prepare a balanced meal. The importance of trying at least “just one bite” of new foods will also be addressed!
Grow It, Try It, Like It is a garden-themed nutrition education series for preschoolers. The 7-session series introduces children to three fruits (peaches, strawberries, and cantaloupe), and three vegetables (spinach, sweet potatoes, and crookneck squash). The 30-minute sessions include tasting fruits and vegetables while incorporating physical activity, literacy, songs and nutrition education activities that introduce MyPlate. Promote learning at home with fun parent/child activities and family-sized recipes that give tips for cooking with children.
Grade Level: Preschool Program Length: 7 sessions, 30 minutes each
Growing Healthy Kids
Growing Healthy Kids is a research-based curriculum from Oregon State University. Students learn about gardening, health, and plant biology while creating a paper, garden mural to be displayed at your school. Growing Healthy Kids lessons are fun and include music, physical activity, and a snack each lesson. This program is easily adjustable to fit into your schedule and can be offered for special education classes or as an afterschool program.
Program Goals Include:
Increase the students’ exposure to vegetables and fruits.
Increase the students’ consumption of vegetables and fruits and model healthy food and lifestyle choices.
Grade Level: 1st – 2nd Program Length: 8-12 sessions, 60 minutes each
Health Wise
Health Wise is an education program to promote healthy aging for older adults. The 8-session series is designed to address issues important to older adults, such as nutrition, physical activity, meal planning, prevention of chronic disease, communicating with healthcare providers, and brain fitness (preserving memory and cognition). Participants will inspire others to adopt healthier lifestyle habits!
Grade Level: Adult Seniors Program Length: Eight 1-hour sessions
Healthy Habits
Are you ready for an adventure? Discover the importance of healthy habits, check out what foods belong on “MyPlate” and visit the Poe Cafeteria. Learn about the importance of physical activity and heart health during your expedition, too!
Grade Level: Kindergarten – 1st Program Length: 45 minutes
Is fast food a cheaper alternative to healthful eating? No!! Explore the evolution of serving sizes in America and learn how to feed your family healthfully and inexpensively.Healthy POEtential is an adult education program emphasizing the importance of good nutrition and physical activity. This one-hour interactive program covers nutrition and physical activity basics, the “MyPlate” food guide, decoding the Nutrition Facts label, and how to get the most out of your food budget.
Grade Level: Adults Program Length: One 1-hour session
Menus, Muscles and More
Participants review “MyPlate” and participate in a practical restaurant activity that addresses hidden sources of fat. They also ride the exer-cycle as a practical application of the calories-in versus calories-out formula.
Mission Nutrition is an interactive and conversational program that explores the challenge of balancing food and physical activity. Activities are designed to help participants discover the importance of food labels and the barriers to healthy eating and the risk associated with over- and under-eating. Participants are also helped to understand messages in the media targeting teens, and how they affect their food choices.
Is “play” physical activity? You bet! This session will examine the questions of “What is exercise?” and “What does it mean to be healthy or unhealthy?” Participants experience the correlation between nutrition and physical activity; calories in = calories out. They will discover their personal fitness likes and dislikes and the risks associated with poor health behaviors while learning how physical activity benefits every aspect of their lives.
Are you ready to “come on down” to participate in a fun-filled game show? Join our wacky hosts for a nutrition and physical activity themed, interactive and educational program. This program is designed for all ages. Groups of up to 200 can participate and FAMILIES can compete TOGETHER to reach the “Million Dollar” question.
Please Note: This program is designed for large groups consisting of both youth and adults.
Ages: 5 and Up Program Length: 1 hour
Strong and Balanced (Online Only)
This program is geared specifically for teens and young adults to provide tips for staying physically and emotionally balanced during stressful times…like quarantine.
Grade Level: 9th – 12th and Adults Program Length: 30 – 45 minutes
Wellness Works
Wellness Works builds on participants’ knowledge of basic nutrition and physical activity. This program uses USDA guidelines to demonstrate how to plan healthy meal patterns. Participants will examine healthy eating habits that enhance good nutrition, analyze food labels, learn about normal growth during puberty, identify media and peer pressures that result in unhealthy weight control, and chronic diseases that can occur due to lack of physical activity or unhealthy eating habits.
Grade Level: 9th – 12th Program Length: 60 minutes
Wholesome Routines is a comprehensive nutrition and physical activity education program. This program consists of 6 lessons with an overall goal of promoting healthy eating and physical activity. Through classroom lessons, games, skits and activities, participating students will learn to be healthy and fit… in a fun way! Lessons include developing healthy habits, reviewing MyPlate and nutrients, importance of physical activity and good hydration, learning to read food labels and understanding serving size, and how to maintain a healthy body weight. This is a three-year series, which starts with third grade students and continues with them through fifth grade.
Grade Level: 3rd – 5th Program Length: 6 sessions, 45 to 60 minutes each
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, religious creed disability, age,political beliefs or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.),should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at:http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requestedin the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
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