What?
Alexa and I visited Westcot Elementary School in West Vancouver to present a nutrition workshop for two grade 4/5 split classes. We created an interactive and activity-driven workshop that focused on snacking and sugar-sweetened beverages. This included:
– A food alphabet ice breaker
– Creating healthy meals with a team using food cards
– making pita/apple sun butter “pizzas”
– Demonstration of sugar in common sweetened beverages using bag of sugar

Helen Yeung attended our first workshop to observe and assist us.
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So What?
I have had experience teaching young students about food and cooking as a part of my summer job at the kids’ summer cooking camps at the Dirty Apron. This experience was quite different as there were many more students and the workshop was not as hands-on for them (as much as we would have like it to be, it was not feasible).

There were some challenges that arose, namely the various allergies and the last minute additions of about 20 students. Alexa and I stayed quite flexible and tried our best to accommodate. The kids were quite rambunctious, but the teachers did try to aid us in keeping them controlled.

Overall this experience was quite pleasant. I would like to see these assignments target lower income schools. Perhaps it could be more impactful to visit schools in which the students may not have access to these types of nutrition workshops regularly (as they may in North Vancouver and West Vancouver schools). Just a thought that Alexa and I discussed on our way to West Vancouver.
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Now What?
I will use the skills I developed throughout this experience to enhance my teaching skills at The Dirty Apron and at school. Teaching and educating others is incredibly satisfying for me and I am always looking for ways to enhance these skills. I know that we will have several other opportunities with regards to nutrition presentations and I look forward to improving my teaching and oral skills, especially when it comes to teaching children.

• Year 3