By Lauren Kollauf on Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Attendees at the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! Summit shared their favorite ideas from the panels and presenters
Nearly 200 Iowans from all sectors gathered at 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! Summit on October 30 at Des Moines University.
Four panels — covering schools, child care, health care and communities — and keynote speaker Senator Tom Harkin (Retired) shared ideas, strategies, and successes with attendees.
Here were some of the favorite ideas that attendees plan to take home with them:
- Cooking with Kids curriculum
- This recipe for Peanut Butter Balls made with Northern Beans
- Workout Wednesday activities that include kids and parents
- "Don't Yuck My Yum"
- Using older students as role models to help kids make healthy choices
- Create "Cafeteria Captains" program in the lunchroom
- Fruit or herb-infused water station at work, school or home
- Trade ranch for hummus, or use dry ranch instead
- Physical activity "Brain Breaks" in classrooms (Try GoNoodle)
- Host 5-2-1-0 T-shirt days
- Plan a Color Run and raise money per student per lap
- Introduce new fruits and vegetables with taste tests
- Make Hy-Vee Kids Fit Brain Break dice for classroom
- Utilize cross-age teaching (Turkey Valley)
- Build a mobile teaching kitchen
- "People will support what they help create."
- Saying "Would you like to try....?" rather than "Here is...."
- Build an outdoor lobby at health care clinic
- Take your Parent to P.E. week (Riverside)
- When kids are walking or waiting in line, have the move like animals/weather/dance
- Partner with community organizations or events
- Use MyPlate guidelines to create MyLunchPlate education
- Rename Nutrition Ed/Gardening class to "Edible Education"
- Create a walking map to Little Library locations in community
- Create a before- or after-school employee or community workout class
- Work with local Hy-Vee or grocery store to create low-cost healthy snack bags for kids to eat before sporting events or between school and practice
- Host taste-testing at library with themed-books
- Have a local doctor take the lead in "Mileage Club" to show students they have buy-in in their health
- Find ways to spread message to home-schoolers and in-home day cares
- Hold a nutrition scavenger hunt
- Microwave carrots to bring out the sweetness and change texture
- Iowa Department of Education's Team Nutrition has free resources
- Work with your local Hy-Vee or Hy-Vee dietitian
- Complete Hy-Vee KidsFit games and challenges
- Iowa Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant
- Engage male health care providers
- Host a farmers market at the school
- Teachers participate in P.E. class
Have more great takeaways from the day? Share them on social media using the hashtag #HealthyChoicesCount. And don't forget to look at all fun photos from the 5-2-1-0 Summit on the Healthiest State Initiative Facebook page.
WANT MORE 5-2-1-0 INFO?
- Find more FREE 5-2-1-0 resources year-round at IowaHealthiestState.com/5210.
- Check out our 5-2-1-0 Feature, updated monthly, that includes challenges, ideas and social media messages for your school.
- Sign up your school, day care, after school program, health care site or community as a 5-2-1-0 Registered Site and work to earn Recognition levels.