By

Michelle Castillo,   Stephenville Christian School

Play:

Breakfast For Everyone — First Meal Matters

Topics:

Access to Healthy Foods, Community Involvement,  Physical Activity Participation

This was a great year at Stephenville Christian School and we are very thankful for our Fuel Up to Play program. There were many changes made to encourage the students not only with healthy eating and physical activity, but also educating them to make better healthy choices for the future. Two plays that were chosen to be implemented this year were the “Breakfast for Everyone - First Meal Matters” and “Walk this Way - Start a Walking Club”. The first play, Breakfast for Everyone, was a great success this year. We began by starting to offer breakfast before school to students who come an hour early to campus. Students were able to choose three healthy food items, including several dairy products, and a healthy drink. The school saw a dramatic increase in students that came early to school to participate in the breakfast program as well as a positive change in mood of the students during the beginning of the day and better concentration in the morning classes. The second play, Walk this Way - Start a Walking Club, also received excellent feedback from both students and families that participated. Following breakfast, students were given a 20 minute exercise time before being dismissed to start the day. Students were given pedometers to keep track of their steps accumulated each day and earned bracelets based on completing different levels. During the spring, the families and community were invited to participate in a Walk-a-Thon on campus that included awards for most steps and healthy snacks and fruit for participants. Both the students and staff enjoyed the new changes this year as well as using the educational materials to help students continue to learn about the importance of good nutrition and exercise. The Breakfast Play and Walking Club will both be healthy changes that the school will continue to implement next year. 

What improvements have you seen at your school?

During the implementation of the healthy eating and physical activity plays, we saw great improvement in family involvement at the school campus. Parents came daily to serve on a breakfast rotation and help with clean-up. The community was a great part of the walk-a-thon and several guests came to share and teach fun physical activities to the students during P.E. We also saw a great change in the student participation. Healthier snacks were traded over unhealthy choices and drinks.