My students need realistic food models to create healthy meals. Food portion sizes are grossly distorted! Being able to touch the models and create meals will be helpful.
My students eat "junk," every day, all day long! When I ask them about it, they tell me they "don't have time to make anything." They need to be taught about healthy, on-the-go food options, and how they can get their nutritional needs met in less time. Hands-on is the key!
I love "my" kids.
My students are future healthcare workers who are active, curious and interesting young people. They are busy with sports and other activities but still need to maintain good health. We are a Title I, 85% poverty high school, which means that for many of them, the only hot meal they may get is at school. School lunch isn't usually very "creative," and typically caters to the "popular" foods teens eat: fried chicken, burgers, pizza, fries, etc. My class is the perfect arena for them to learn about healthy eating as they will one day be on their own, making their own decisions about what to consume; to that end, I want them to choose wisely.
My Project
The students will use the food models to work in groups and create healthy meals utilizing the nutrition information they will learn from research, each other, and me. Students will learn that they don't have to stick to "typical" foods for designated meals (i.e. eggs are for breakfast) and can "mix it up" to get all their required nutritional needs met, regardless if it's breakfast, lunch or dinner. They will teach each other about the meal they've created and critique each other's meals, offering different options and suggestions to make it appealing to everyone.
The courses I teach prepare students for a career in healthcare.
Being future healthcare workers, they will need to understand healthy eating for their patients' well being too. These teaching aids will help them with real-life meal creation and impact not only them and their families, but their future patients as well.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Watson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
