MU Extension’s “Healthily Ever After” Nutrition Program Visits Greene County Childcare Centers

Contact: Marty Wood, nutrition program associate
Tel: (417) 881-8909
E-mail: woodmart@missouri.edu

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension’s statewide “Food Power Young Adventure — Healthily Ever After” visited three child care centers in Greene County the week of May 20.

Kraig Kensinger, an extension Associate with Food Power Young Adventure, brought the puppet show “Healthily Ever After” to 31 children at Hope Child Care Center in Republic, 68 children at Safe N Sound Playground Child Care Center in Springfield and 52 children at Campbell Small Wonders Child Care Center in Springfield.

Greene County Nutrition Program Associates, Marty Wood and Sherri Hull assisted with the puppet show as they had previously taught nutrition classes at the centers.

Kensingers’s presentation of “Healthily Ever After” engaged pre-school, kindergarten and first grade aged students in a lively learning 30-minute experience about food and physical activity.

“Through puppetry and music, students were introduced to nursery rhymes that teach about eating a variety of food, growing food, being physically active and washing hands. The Food Power Young Adventure Digest was provided to students to take home to share with their families,” said Wood.

“Healthily Ever After” nursery rhyme segments included Mother Goose teaching Humpty Dumpty to eat from all the food groups. Little Miss Muffet then tells the spider about foods from the milk group. Jack Be Nimble shows how much fun it is to be physically active. Mistress Mary grows tasty food in her garden. And One-Two-Buckle My Shoe focuses on washing hands to get rid of dirt and germs.

Food Power Young Adventure adds unique activities to the nutrition lessons already being presented in many child care centers by University of Missouri Extension nutrition educators.

Food Power Young Adventure is offered by University of Missouri Extension in cooperation with the Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri - Columbia. It adds activity-based experiences to the University of Missouri Family Nutrition Education programs which are funded in part by USDA's Food Stamp Program.