An adventure in the power of food

Students visit a station representing a pizza farm, where a volunteer leads them through activities about where food originates, during a Food Power Adventure, a cooperative effort between school health officials and the University of Missouri Extension, at Truman Elementary School, Nevada, on Tuesday.

Nevada Daily Mail

Health professionals at Truman Elementary School in Nevada and the University of Missouri Extension teamed up to bring students an interactive nutrition program called Food Power, held Tuesday and Wednesday at the school.

According to the University of Missouri Food Power brings together food and physical activity, offering elementary school students the opportunity to learn the importance of healthy food choices and regular physical activity. Students physically travel through the presentation, with several stations set up demonstrating where food comes from, how the body processes food and the importance of handwashing and proper care of food. Extension materials say the students "learn about the path food takes from the farmer's field to the sports field."

Truman Elementary students get a quick course in germs and how to wash your hands to keep as clean as possible during the Food Power presentation Tuesday.

Food Power is a program offered by University of Missouri Extension in cooperation with the Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Human Environmental Sciences. It adds unique activity-based experiences to the University of Missouri Family Nutrition Education Programs funded in part by USDA's Food Stamp Program.

At each station, a volunteer leads the students through an activity illustrating a health-related concept.

Stations include a farm, where students learn about where the food comes from in the first place; a food packaging plant, where students can see how the food gets from the farm to the table; cafeteria; mouth; stomach; small intestine, where students are shown how food is absorbed by the body; muscles and bones, illustrating how nutrients are used to enable the children to be active and play; and, finally, there's a hands station. At the hands station, students learn about reducing the transfer of germs through hand washing.

The Food Power presentation is an annual event at Truman, and is supported by local volunteers credited with making it a success.