When Navajo County Public Health Services requested boxes of materials from the Whole Grains Council for the second year in a row, we knew they must be up to something good.  It turns out we were right!  

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Cherilyn Yazzie – the Program Manager for Arizona’s Navajo County Nutrition Services – about their education efforts and learned more about the amazing lessons being taught in their county.

Starting with pre-school, WIC and HeadStart programs and extending through grade 8, kids in Navajo nation receive nutrition education on different topics each year.  Basic topics like proper hand-washing techniques are combined with health and nutrition focused story-telling, songs and crafts geared towards the youngest learners.  As students continue on through grades 1, 2 and 3, the focus turns towards MyPyramid for Kids and incorporates the healthy eating mission into science, math and language arts.  With a focus on fruits and vegetables and the “More Matters” campaign, kids learn the importance of a balanced diet in prevention of illness and disease.  

Grade 4 is where the Whole Grains Council comes in!  Cherilyn’s Health Educators use our buttons, stickers and posters in over 60 classrooms across Navajo county to teach students about the health benefits and flavors of whole grains.  These pint-size “Whole Grain Heroes” are taught how to incorporate more whole grains into their diets and even participate in a food demo in the last lesson.  Cherilyn told us that her Health Educators consistently receive very positive feedback from teachers and students in this segment, and that many children are being exposed to whole grains for the first time.  Through fun lessons and video creation, kids learn in ways that engage them and encourage them to participate.  

Getting into later grades, students learn about the importance of calcium, how to choose low-fat foods and the value of lean proteins.  In the Eat Fit program students learn goal setting, diet and fitness analysis and the basics of exercise.  In the final year, the emphasis switches to media analysis and teaches youth how advertising influences choices and how to make distinctions between healthy foods and clever marketing gimmicks.  

We certainly hope that the lessons being learned in these classrooms are something that kids will carry with them well in to their adult lives.  If you are involved in education (on any level!) and hunting for materials about whole grains, here’s a good place to start:

http://wholegrainscouncil.org/resources/educational-materials

University of Minnesota’s “Power of 3” curriculum for grades 3-6:

http://www1.extension.umn.edu/family/health-and-nutrition/for-professionals/educational-tools/power-of-three/

Note:  Links to USDA sites may not function during the government shutdown.  (Danita)