Honors Program
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
3-2018
Citation
Strawhecker, N.N. (2018). Campbell Elementary Afterschool Nutrition Science Club: Fun with Food.
Abstract
Several schools in the Lincoln Public School district have afterschool programs for students from 3:30-5:00pm in order to provide a safe and fun place for students to play while their parents are still at work. For this Honors Thesis an afterschool nutrition club was created for students to learn about MyPlate and healthy living.
A seven-week curriculum was created for students at Campbell Elementary with each week focusing on a different food group in MyPlate and healthy living as a whole. In order to track the students’ progress, an eight question pre and post quiz was developed. A weekly journal was also maintained to note what worked well and what parts of the lesson plan did not.
In the first round of clubs, the students improved their knowledge in several MyPlate subjects, especially in regards to carbohydrates, such as grains, as an excellent energy source. However, this round of students had limited improvement in the question regarding gardening, and they showed no improvement in the question about types of physical activity.
Prior to the second session, changes were made to the curriculum, and as a result, the second group of students showed an increase in knowledge in several topics, including gardening and physical activity, which the first round of students struggled with. However, the second round of students showed limited improvement in their knowledge of carbohydrates and no improvement in regards to the question about consuming a healthy breakfast.
Comments
Copyright 2018, all rights reserved by Natalie Strawhecker.