June 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 63

One child
described teaching
his parents " how to
be healthier by eating
fruit and drinking lots of
water. "
- Child, Tallahassee, Florida

despite extreme heat or rain. As part
of HEPA policies, some camp sites
banned electronics, including cell
phones, with the aim to reduce sedentary behavior. Recreation personnel indicated that fitness improved
thanks to the direction provided in
Commit to Health physical activity
programming and the focus on reducing screen time.
With help from the Nutrition Literacy program, staff members reported
that they had the confidence to act
as health educators and, thus, were
able to convince children to eat more
healthily and to be more active. They
observed improved behaviors among
their campers as they put education
into action and attributed the health
improvements to the engaging, experiential Nutrition Literacy program
structure and tools, and to the fact
that it was integrated into physical
activity programming and other typical camp activities.
New for 2016
NRPA is excited to announce an
addition to the Commit to Health
Nutrition Literacy program for
2016! Based on impressive results regarding eating behavior changes due to food-based
educational and experiential
activities, a new Foods of the
Month program (www.nrpa.
org/commit-to-health-foods-ofthe-month) has been created as the
cornerstone of nutrition literacy for

Parents " started
making grilled
chicken instead of fried
chicken and turkey dogs
instead of hot dogs on the
request of their kids after the
staff brought these healthy
options to a grillout for
the kids. "

2016. The new program,
created
specifically
for
NRPA by Healthy Networks
Design and Research, takes a
thematic approach to teaching
and disseminating information
about two nutrient-rich foods each
month. Through posters, newsletters, activities and coloring sheets
- as well as experiential learning
recommendations for food-based
art projects, tasting events, cooking demonstrations and growing
Foods of the Month at recreation
sites and/or in home gardens -
children, parents and park staff will
learn what is special about these

Children " are
eating healthier
at home and they
are having parents buy
healthier produce from
the grocery store instead
of sweets. "
- Staff, Jackson,
Tennesssee

- Staff, Tallahassee, Florida

foods, why they should consume
them and how to grow and/or prepare them.
In addition to the Foods of the
Month program, USDA MyPlate
materials and recommendations for
daily physical activity are included
in the revved-up nutrition literacy efforts for 2016. Check out the
materials, organized by grade level
(K-2, 3-5) and topic and provided
free for download, at www.nrpa.
org/commit-to-health-foods-ofthe-month.
Commit to Health programming
during OST is making a difference
in the health and well-being of children. For more information, visit
www.nrpa.org/committohealth.
Dr. Danielle Hollar is the President of
Healthy Networks Design and Research
(daniellehollar@gmail.com).

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Parks & Recreation

June 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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