Lillian Crume, an Extension educator from Hubbard County, wanted to dive deeper into nutrition education for local youth. She joined forces with SNAP-Ed educators Donna Anderson, Kathryn Lien and Kristina Kaml to focus less on the basics of cooking and more on the importance of healthy choices and how different nutrients can power us through the day.
Youth receive all the items needed to prepare each week’s healthy dish. These hand-packed kits include food items, cutting boards, colanders, and measuring cups and spoons.
"This class is teaching me to try things I never thought I would like." - Elowyn S.
"Rethink your drink" was one of the weekly themes. Educators challenged the youth to reflect on the different items they drank throughout the day such as orange juice, chocolate milk and soda. They identified how much sugar each beverage contained and measured that amount into bowls to see just how much sugar they drank in a single day. “As a group, we discussed what some healthier choices might be. Making a fruit smoothie with no added sugar was a great way to end the day.” said Crume.
Extension educators incorporate different physical fitness elements into each lesson along with nutrition. Games are key. A popular one is called Spin the Wheel where youth are surprised by physical activity challenges like 10 jumping jacks or balancing on one leg.
For more information about this program contact Lillian Crume.
