It’s not often you see kids wanting to eat healthy these days, but it’s not uncommon at Walnut Elementary this summer.
During the on-campus summer term, students receive special lessons in healthy eating through administrator Robin Swartz and the state-funded CalFresh program.
“Each year, I try to plan fun things to add to the STEAM-themed curriculum and hands-on projects,” Swartz explained. “I contacted CalFresh Healthy Living (University of California, Cooperative Extension) who gave me classroom lessons during the school year. They send someone out Thursday and Friday mornings to teach my students from kindergarten to 3rd grade.
The person sent is Eddie Lopez, who works in nutrition education for CalFresh. Lopez visited every campus in the Turlock Unified School District last year to teach classes on healthy eating and nutrition.
“It’s my first year doing it and I’ve been to every school in the school district,” Lopez said. “So far everything is going well, which makes me very happy.”
CalFresh Nutrition Educator Eddie Lopez reviews different food groups and discusses the nutrition facts of each food with Walnut Summer School students during a Friday morning lesson (CHRISTOPHER CORREA/The Journal) .
For younger students, Lopez reviews different food groups — fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains and extras — and discusses the nutritional facts of each food. It also reviews clean food practices, such as hand washing, food rinsing and more. On Friday morning, Lopez brought worksheets and a hands-on activity where students started growing their own carrots in plastic bags.
The goal is clear: get kids to love healthy foods and keep them away from processed meals. And it seems to work.
Friday was also the first Friday of the summer program fruit basket of the year. When the students were dropped off in the morning, they and their parents received fresh fruit from the TUSD Farm, located at 625 E. Taylor Road.
“The peaches, the apricots, they’re so delicious, and we have more than enough to give to the parents,” Swartz said.
Joanna Oshana, being extra secure in her hairnet, shows off her freshly planted carrot seeds after taking part in a CalFresh activity hosted by nutrition educator Eddie Lopez (CHRISTOPHER CORREA/The Journal).
The children ate them in bunches while Swartz distributed them to the parents.
As for the bruised and soft fruits, they are stored in the school kitchen so that they can be used to bake sweets and not go to waste.
“My favorite part is how the kids remember what I taught last time and how they bring their own experiences to the classes,” Lopez explained. “They tell me about the foods they eat at home, and those are healthy foods, so it’s amazing.”