By

Mindy Welch,   Ida Elementary School

Play:

Super “Bowl” Party

Topics:

Access to Healthy Foods

The students participated in a healthy snack buffet. All students were encouraged to try everything on the buffet so they were exposed to new healthy snacks. Many students ended up liking most of the snacks that were offered. In addition, numerous students have made the snacks at home. For the buffet, the students were able to try an assortment of vegetables. These vegetables included avocado, celery with almond butter, carrots with plain Greek yogurt, and an assortment of bite-sized tomatoes. We ended up getting creative with the fruits. The fruits that the students tried were bananas wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla shell with almond butter spread and apple sandwiches. The apples were sliced sideways and topped with almond butter and granola. The favorite snack of the majority of the students was a Greek yogurt parfait. The students topped their yogurt with granola, blueberries, and strawberries. I would definitely say the Super "Bowl" Party was a success. The students are begging to have more of these parties in the future.

What improvements have you seen at your school?

I have noticed that many of the students are now choosing to bring some of the snacks that they sampled to school as a healthy snack or for lunch. Many of the students are even making them at home as an after school snack before they start their homework. Some of the students have even asked if the snacks can be offered during breakfast and lunch at school. We are hoping that these snacks will be offered during the school day.