The IMPACT Curriculum

Week One and Week Two: MyPyramid for Kids

Students are introduced to MyPyramid and learn how different foods can be classified based on their nutritional content. Using MyPyramid for Kids, students learn about carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. In the second session, each student is asked to complete a 24 hour recall of all of the foods he or she ate in the past day that he or she can remember. Then, the student can see how each food fits into MyPyramid for Kids and compare his or her diet to the government recommendations for children.

Week Three: Reading the Nutrition Label

In this lesson, students learn what the different information on the food label means. Each student is given a food and asked to calculate, based on criteria recommended by the Dietary Guidelines (such as less than 10% saturated fat, less than 30% of total calories from fat, at least 2g of fiber for carbohydrate-based food, etc), whether the food would be classified as “healthy” or not. Students also learn how to compare different products using the food label. Many of the products will include foods and beverages typically available in school vending machines.

Week Four: Eating Healthy Eating Out

To follow up on the information students learned in the nutrition label lesson, the children are reintroduced to the concept of the food groups. Students analyze the menu a typical fourth grader might choose while eating at a fast food restaurant, comparing the nutritional value to the serving recommendations for children their age. Working in pairs, the students are asked to substitute healthier food options for some of the less healthy options and use the nutrition label information to determine in what ways the new menu is healthier. It is then emphasized that children do not need to lose weight, but instead substitute healthier food options. The students then make a menu of their own choosing and analyze its nutritional content.

Week Five: Fill Up on Fruits and Vegetables

Students learn the benefits of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet. Students are challenged to develop a promotional campaign for a fruit or vegetable that they think gets a bad rap. For homework they are asked to try a new fruit or vegetable and write a poem about that food (template included with the homework).

Week Six: Grow Tall and Strong

This lesson focuses on how kids can take action now to grow tall and build strong bones. First the kids will learn what bones do and why it is important to have strong bones. They will learn what kinds of nutrition and physical activity choices will build strong bones (and how) and sample a variety of foods that are high in calcium. They also will engage in weight bearing physical activity.

Week 7: SMART Health Goals

Students will learn how to set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timebound) goals and will be asked to set one nutrition and one physical activity goal to attain within the next week. During class the students will create one visual aid to hang on the refrigerator to remind them about their goal over the next week. As homework the students will be asked to journal what they did to try to achieve their goal.

Week 8: Food and Activity from Around the World

Students listen to a story about children and the foods they eat in Mexico, Ethiopia, and Russia. They then categorize the foods according to the MyPyramid food groups and discuss their culture and common foods they eat at home. Students also play a variety of physically active games common in different parts of the world.

Week 9: Commercials Galore

Students analyze the advertisements for food products all around them. Students are required to think critically about the impact of food advertising on young children when product placement is so prevalent in music, television and movies. Students also reflect on how to use advertising power and their own creativity to advertise healthy foods.

Week 10: Lifelong Health

Students learn the benefits of leading a healthy and active lifestyle (vs dieting and poor health choices). They then are asked to come up with 10 things that they can do to be healthier and 10 things that they already do that are healthy.

Weeks 11 and 12: Healthy Me Scrapbook

At the end of week 10 students are bring in materials (photos, recipes, etc.) that show their efforts to eat healthy and be active. During weeks 11 and 12 the students create a scrapbook with a written description of their activities and experiences.