The last two weeks have flown by, and I can't believe I am already four weeks into my internship! Denise was on vacation during my third week, so I spent a lot of the time with the Nutrition Assistant in our office, Stephanie.
Week 3:
I started the week off with attending the Living Well Support Group meeting. This is a support group that began as a diabetes support group and has sense expanded to a group of seniors supporting each other in staying healthy later in life. We teamed up with the Silver Sneakers program and attended a chair exercises class. I have to admit, some of the exercises surprised me with their difficulty level. For the rest of that afternoon, I helped Stephanie get everything ready for the summer camp we attended the next morning. We went to Heath Elementary the next morning for a week-long camp they were hosting called "Chemistry in the Kitchen." Here we made butter out of heavy whipping cream and a lot of arm shaking to show how the liquid could turn from liquid to solid. We also discussed fat in the diet and how to limit it/what kind of healthy fats to eat. We then went to the Merryman House, a local domestic abuse center, to teach a cooking class that is normally done every week, but the normal attendees either did not show or were napping and did not want to come. It was my first experience with planning a program that no one attends and the frustration that comes along with it.
The next two days, I attended other summer programs around McCracken County. At Farley Elementary, I made butter again because we had a lot of leftovers from Heath that we did not want to go to waste. The kids enjoyed the experience, although some of the younger ones got impatient and wanted to stop before their butter was formed. This was the first lesson I taught completely on my own. Overall, it went pretty well but I did have some issues with the kids misbehaving and their teacher not helping to calm them down. I think next time I will be incorporating more reasons for them to get out of their chairs and burn off some energy. After Farley, I went to a different summer program at Heath Elementary and this time used the rest of the left overs to make whipped cream. I had the kids add either Splenda or plain sugar to their whipped cream and see if they could taste the difference using strawberries to dip in it. I talked a little bit about artificial sweeteners and limiting the amount of sugary foods they ate, while encouraging the consumption of fruits.
On Saturday of my third week, I worked with the Master Food volunteers at Paducah's farmers market to pass out samples and promote the zucchini and squash in the market. We passed out zucchini muffins in the morning and a zucchini/squash/Italian sausage stir fry in the afternoon. The samples were very successful and pushed a lot of people back into the market to find the ingredients so they could make it at home. We also had multiple recipes available to give out. People could not believe we were handing out so many things for free! I really enjoyed the time I spent with the Master Food volunteers and getting to experience the farmers market from the other side.
Week 4:
I began this week by going to a summer program at Hendron Elementary for 6-8 year olds. I started the LEAP program there but am now considering doing something different because the kids seemed a little bored with it. I want them to enjoy when I come and get something out of the lesson!
Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I went to 4-H camp and helped teach the cooking class there. We made fruit pizzas and homemade strawberry lemonade and learned about serving sizes and some interesting fruits facts on the first day. The kids really enjoyed making their own lemonade and fruit pizzas. We were told that they were not allowed to use knives so we had cut up all of the fruit beforehand, but retrospectively I think they could have handled it and would have enjoyed having more of a part in preparing the fruit pizzas. The second day myself and another interns helped the Fulton County FCS agent with her cooking class. We made pocket pies out of biscuits, apples, peaches, and some spices. The kids enjoyed getting to use the ovens and chopping us the fruits on their own. They also got to practice with measuring, doubling recipes, and using spices to enhance flavor. I really enjoyed camp because I had never been before and wasn't sure what all it entailed.
The rest of the week will be spent at some more summer programs teaching about MyPlate and the importance of eating a variety of foods. I am excited to be so busy and be learning something new each week so that I can improve for the upcoming weeks!
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