Tackling Nutrition with the Truesdell Trojans, Part II: Good fats

This winter, DC SCORES is partnering with Common Threads to bring a curriculum on healthy eating and living tos even schools for six weeks as Winter SCORES programming. You can see updates from the schools by searching #WinterSCORES on Twitter and Instagram. Specifically, we're following the progress of Truesdell Education Campus. Follow along below.

Written by Dahlia Chaudhury
Communications Intern

-----------------------------------

At 4:15, just like the previous week, students began funneling into the classroom to begin their time with DC SCORES. Their The Kitchen Times for the day was headlined: "Is Fat a Part of a Healthy Diet?" It outlined the good and the bad about fats and gave the students some new vocabulary like unsaturated fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.

The writing coach, Cailin Eisele, began the lesson on Good Fats vs. Bad Fats. She explained how healthy fats are helpful to the body and nutritious, even though fats have a bad rep.

"What kinds of fats do you think are bad fats?" she asked the class.

Shouts of junk foods filled the room:

"Pizza!"

"Donuts!"

The class quickly realized all their favorite foods were classified as bad, or trans fats. After the lesson, the students did an activity on classifying good fats. They were given a riddle and had to decipher, from a word bank, which healthy fat the riddle was describing.

An example was "I am the cornerstone in guacamole." The answer? Avocado!

The last activity for the day involved looking at nutrition labels to find the amount of fat in students' favorite unhealthy foods. They were given a sheet that contained six common unhealthy foods, told to pick their favorite, and then find a friend to compare with.

Wilmer R. picked cheddar cheese; "It had nine grams of fat, which is a lot," he told me.

After everyone had shared their findings, the students packed up to head home.

Although there was no snack, the Trojans were excited for a special treat later in the week -- a visit Brainfood DC! Stay tuned!!

Tackling Nutrition with the Truesdell Trojans, Part I

This winter, DC SCORES is partnering with Common Threads to bring a curriculum on healthy eating and living to seven schools for six weeks as Winter SCORES programming. You can see updates from the schools by searching #WinterSCORES on Twitter and Instagram. Specifically, we're following the progress of Truesdell Education Campus. Follow along below.

-------------------------------

Written by Dahlia Chaudhury
Communications Intern

The afternoon started with students trickling into the classroom and being assigned tables to share for the day’s activities. They began by doing a short reading in The Kitchen Times, a “newspaper” that focused on nutrition. Once all the students were in, seated, and quiet, the lesson began.

The writing coach, Emily Adams, asked the students what they know about proteins.

“They give you muscles!” came from the back of the room.

The lesson for the day was on the three different types of proteins, and the students learned to differentiate pretty quickly.

Their next task was to play a card game with the people at their tables. The cards all had different examples of proteins, such as chicken or soy beans, and when students got four of a kind of one type of protein, they had to shout “protein!”

Soon the room was filled with shouts of “protein!” but not all those who called out had the correct four-of-a-kind.

“Beans and chicken aren’t the same!” shouted one boy.

The snack of the day was a fun one; the students received cheese sticks and a small bunch of grapes. They were also given a knife and a skewer to make their own grape and cheese kabobs. KABOBS! Students cut their cheese into varying sizes and popped them onto their skewer alternating with grapes. The finished product was a big hit, and many said they would definitely be recreating the snack at home.

Since this was my first time taking part in a Winter SCORES program, I asked around to see what they had been learning thus far to fill myself in.

When asked what the best snack they had made this season was, April said, “I forgot what it’s called, but it was greek yogurt, coconut, honey, and lime with strawberries. You could really taste the coconut because it was shredded.”

April also told me she was excited to know more about nutrition labels because “then when we go home or go to the store, we don’t get all the junk...if we just eat junk food we won’t be able to play as well in our soccer games.”

The lesson will definitely assist the Trojans as they prepare for the upcoming spring soccer season, when healthy proteins are, no doubt, a must have.

As the day wrapped up, the students finished their snacks and cleaned their spaces. The student with the cleanest space and sitting the quietest received the full bag of extra grapes. The quick 45 minutes of programming was over, and it was time for the students to go home.

Winter SCORES is keeping the students on track for their soccer season and teaching them essential nutritional knowledge so that they may live happier, healthier lives.

Winter SCORES: Kids learn how to fuel their bodies through nutrition!

Written by Mira Smith
Writing Coordinator

Again this year, one of my new year’s resolutions is to be more conscious of my eating and exercising habits. My main motivations for this apparently quite-popular resolution is to improve my athletic abilities.

Fortunately, I am coordinating DC SCORES' winter nutrition and healthy eating program at seven schools -- so teaching conscious eating will be a part of my job position.

Perfect!

For the next six weeks beginning today, DC SCORES shifts away from the writing program for a nutrition and healthy eating curriculum -- complemented by multi-school soccer clinics. The goal is to introduce to students the importance of combining exercise with nutrition to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The curriculum covers a wide range of themes and activities each aiming to empower our poet-athletes to make healthier conscious eating choices. Each lesson will address a specific topic such as reading nutrition labels, serving size, food origins and drinks.

One of my favorite lessons focuses on fast food. Poet athletes will begin by playing a fast food taboo card game. Using nutrition terms they have learned, each poet-athlete will have to describe a fast food item for the rest of the team to guess. After discussing why they like fast food -- but how they should avoid eating it constantly -- students will create advertisements for healthy fast food items they invent.

Some of the most exciting parts of winter programming are the cooking sessions. Once a week, teams will use healthy ingredients to make fun and tasty snacks. This first week’s recipe is a breakfast banana split, which uses vanilla yogurt and cereal instead of ice cream and sprinkles. On the last day of the season, teams will get to try new foods including hummus, yogurt covered raisins and rice cakes.

Stay tuned for more blog posts about nutrition lessons, our cooking sessions with partner program Brainfood, and Giant supermarket tours.

Winter SCORES at Johnson Middle School: Students design own bowls

Written by Kristen Miano
Digitial Media Intern

A recent Friday was report card day at Johnson Middle School. While the halls were packed with students either lamenting or celebrating their grades, students involved in the Winter DC SCORES program sat down to an activity that was slightly less academic but new to the kids: pottery painting.

All Fired Up, a paint-your-own pottery studio located in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of the District, partnered with DC SCORES to set the students up with brushes, paints, and a bowl of their own to decorate however they wanted.

“We do mobile studios, mainly for schools,” said pottery painting instructor Jenny Demagio, “which is something I love doing because it’s a great chance to show kids that art can be an outlet.”

Before they got to work on their masterpieces, the students learned how their bowls were going to be made. Once they finished painting, the bowls would be taken back to the All Fired Up studio to be placed in the kiln -- a giant, extremely hot oven -- for upward of 36 hours. The long exposure to heat would help glaze the bowls, making them shiny and food-safe for the students to use.

For many students, this was their first time painting pottery.

“It’s harder than I thought it would be,” said Quinnyetta S., age 12, as she used a sponge brush to add polka dots to her purple bowl. “(I’m) painting almost the whole thing.”

No two students designed their bowl the same way. Some used stripes, while others simply painted their entire piece one color. One student painted the inside of his bowl yellow and made the outside green so it could be his “Green Bay” bowl. Another used every color he could fit on the dish and added a clown face to the bottom, dubbing his theme “circus.”

Despite the differences in design, the students all had the same plan for how they were going to use their bowls.

“I’m going to eat out of it,” said Lamar M., age 12.

Things the students said they would eat out of their finished bowls included cereal, macaroni and soup -- and, of course, many of the healthy snacks they learned to prepare during the six-week nutrition season.

Seaton and Marie Reed elementary schools come together on same team for soccer clinic

Written by Kristen Miano
Digital Media Intern

The weather outside was freezing cold, but inside the Marie Reed gym, things were just warming up.

The Panthers gathered in small circles, playing a game called “Head or Catch” with DC SCORES staff members Carlos Fonesca and Zachary Gomes. The students caught or headed soccer balls thrown to them —  with only a second to decide! —  based on instructions shouted by the coach in the middle of the circle.

As Marie Reed warmed up for its final soccer session of the six-week Winter SCORES season, the kids knew this one would be a bit different. The Panthers would be joined by Seaton Elementary School for a scrimmage. There was a catch, though.

The scrimmage was not going to be Reed vs. Seaton. Instead, the students were all mixed up and put onto multiple teams comprised of players from both school.

“What does 'clinic' mean?” Carlos asked the assembled soccer players, “It means we’re going to have fun!”

Each team took a moment for students from the schools to introduce themselves and pick a team name. Though the students seemed a little hesitant initially to play with teammates they had never met before, that quickly melted away when the whistle was blown and the first ball rolled out.

“I’m kind of shy, so I was nervous,” said Elizabeth M., age 9, of Seaton. “But they’re nice and I’m having fun.”

Orquidea B., age 9 of Reed, said she had similar feelings at first, but thought meeting new people was fun.

“The clinic is cool today because we get to play with Seaton,” Orquidea said.

Each team took the field for 10 minutes, rotating around the gym so they had a chance to play against everyone. The din of soccer balls pounding against walls and players shouting encouragement and directions to each other was so loud, it was often hard to hear when the time period was up.

So though there was no clear winner in the Seaton vs. Marie Reed scrimmage, it was clear that the games they played brought these schools and communities together through something they both love — soccer.

Healthy & Happy at Marie Reed, Part III: Lessons learned from Winter SCORES

As a part of the winter season with DC SCORES, intern Kristen Miano is spending some time with the Marie Reed Panthers as they learn about healthy eating and healthy living. Kristen is writing about her experience being in the classroom with the students as they grow in their understanding of how to live healthier and happier lives through better nutrition and active lifestyles. You can follow Kristen and her observations on Twitter, Instagram and Flickr.

------------------------------

Written by Kristen Miano
Digital Media Intern

The last nutrition class for the Marie Reed Panthers took an overarching look at the entire season by asking the students a very basic question: Where does our food come from?

Starting off simply, nutrition teacher Carolyn Brandt asked the class where meat comes from.

“Animals!” was the resounding answer.

But there was more to the answer, though. We can eat two different kinds of animal products: meat and other items that come from animals.

“What comes from animals that we don’t need to kill the animals for?” asked Ms. Brandt.

“Tofu!” was one, emphatic answer.

Other correct answers included milk, eggs, cheese and the spectrum of dairy products.

The discussion then moved on to plant-based foods, like all the fruits and vegetables the class had learned about during the six-week season. Though most whole fruits and vegetables are easily identified as plants, it was important to note that most are different parts of the plant. For example, a potato is a plant root, but celery is a plant stem. Broccoli is a flower, while spinach is a leaf.

Next, the students divided into two teams -- boys versus girls -- to test their knowledge. Whenever the teacher held up a picture of a food, the teams were told to act out where the food came from to score points. For example, if the food came from an animal, the entire team needed to flap their arms like a chicken. If the food came from a plant, the team had to wave their hands like leaves on a tree. Though each team did extremely well, the girls’ team won the game by a single point.

Snack during the final week was a little different than usual. The “tasting” snack was designed to reinforce one of the main themes of the entire season: Trying new foods can be fun. Each student got to try a sample of a new, healthy food from a variety of options, including rice cakes, hummus, blueberries, yogurt raisins, sunflower seeds and baby carrots.

Despite initial protests that the hummus “looked gross” and that the rice cakes “aren’t rice krispie treats,” many of the students enjoyed the snack so much, they came back for seconds.

As the Winter SCORES season wrapped up its final nutrition class, the students took a moment to reflect on what they learned.

“I learned that we need good nutrition and that there are different kinds of food groups,” said Mamadou D., age 10, “We should eat healthy foods and be careful of what we eat.”

Jacqueline W., age 9, said she learned it was important to read nutrition labels, especially when it comes to checking a food’s fat content.

“I can eat healthy by eating lots of vegetables,” she added. “Also, fruits and dairy are healthy too.”

Overall, the Marie Reed Panthers are walking away from Winter SCORES with a better understanding of how to lead happier and healthier lives by picking the right foods to eat. The lessons they’ve learned are important for health now, will help them be better soccer players this spring season, and most importantly will continue to benefit them as they grow and learn beyond this season.

---------------

Previous series blogs
Part I
Part II

Healthy & happy at Marie Reed, Part I: Soda vs. water

As a part of the winter season with DC SCORES, intern Kristen Miano is spending some time with the Marie Reed Panthers as they learn about healthy eating and healthy living. Kristen is writing about her experience being in the classroom with the students as they grow in their understanding of how to live healthier and happier lives through better nutrition and active lifestyles. You can follow Kristen and her observations on Twitter, Instagram and Flickr.

------------------------------

Written by Kristen Miano
Digital Media Intern

Equipped with teaspoons and measuring cups, the students in the nutrition class at Marie Reed Elementary School clustered around tables, carefully measuring out sugar and food coloring and dumping them into cups of water.

“It’s an experiment,” explained fourth-grader Nick P. “We’re making soda.”

The Marie Reed Panthers were tasked with mixing up their own sugary beverages as a part of a lesson about hydration. More specifically, the students were learning about the difference between soda and water and why the latter should be their drink of choice.

“We wanted to show the students why water is important to drink, especially for athletes,” said nutrition teacher Carolyn Brandt. “We also wanted to show them why consuming so much sugar and caffeine from soda isn’t as good for them.”

Prior to concocting their homemade sodas, the students listened to a presentation discussing how much water they should be drinking versus how much added sugar they should be getting per day.

The students were asked to guess how many teaspoons of added sugar they should have, at most, per day.

“Two!” came one answer. Too low.

“Twenty-one!” was another. Too high.

The answer ended up being 16 teaspoons, which some students felt was still a lot.

“But when you get 11 teaspoons from one soda,” the teacher explained, “How much more sugar can you have?”

The five teaspoons leftover certainly didn’t seem like all that much left for an entire day.

If you are thirsty, the Panthers learned that the best thing to drink was water, as it has no added sugar and no caffeine. The students also learned that water is important because it helps our bodies get rid of waste and helps us cool off when we sweat.

When it came to creating their sodas, many students were surprised by the amount of added dye and sugar they were asked to put into their water, illustrating just how unhealthy soda could be when consumed excessively.

“We’re not supposed to drink soda,” said fourth-grader Taryn H. “It’s a lesson so we can see what’s in soda and why it’s not healthy.”

This nutrition lesson will no doubt be helpful to the Panthers whenever they take the soccer field. Drinking eight or more glasses of water per day is an important lesson for everyone, after all, and is an area the Marie Reed students are now experts in.

Introducing winter SCORES: An emphasis on healthy living

It feels like just yesterday students were on stage at the Poetry Slam! finishing the fall DC SCORES season with one brilliant performance after another. Yes, the break was short. Today, programming is back!

Our scaled-down winter nutrition and soccer program begins at eight DC public schools this afternoon -- Bancroft, Thomson, Marie Reed and Seaton elementary schools; Brightwood Education Campus (elementary); and Johnson, Hart and Lincoln middle schools.

During the next six weeks, students will learn that what they put into their bodies affects their performance on the soccer field. They will directly go through this process by preparing healthy snacks for themselves and then seeing how much better they feel during multi-school soccer clinics.

The winter season leads up to the spring DC SCORES season at 40-plus schools, which kicks off March 16.

For an inside look at what happens during the winter, we caught up with Writing Coordinator Rachel Klepper, who has coached the winter 'Power of Choice' curriculum at Thomson Elementary School. You can also get a sense of the program from the video above.

-----------------------------

What are the main objectives of winter SCORES for the kids involved?

RK: The goal of winter SCORES is to get kids thinking about how they can make healthy choices in their everyday lives. We want to teach them the background and skills to understand the way that what they eat and drink affects their health. In winter SCORES they also have the chance to improve their soccer skills with regular soccer practices and clinics.

Nutrition is such a difficult topic to tackle with kids. How do you make it fun to eat healthy?

RK; It's really natural to talk about nutrition in DC SCORES, because everyone wants to become a better soccer player. One way we discuss nutrition is by showing how healthy eating helps them to play better. We also make nutrition fun by including lots of hands-on activities. The kids love getting to test out new recipes that include healthy ingredients such as whole wheat bread, fruits and vegetables.

Give us an example of a nutrition lesson you've found effective in past years?

RK: One lesson that's really effective is a lesson about soda. Students measure out the amount of sugar in a bottle of soda, and they are always amazed! When you see a bottle in front of you, it's hard to realize how much sugar is hiding in it. Most students leave the class excited to share what they saw with family and friends, and to cut down on the amount of soda they drink.

What's one of kids' favorite snacks to take home with them and tell their families about?

RK: Last year my class voted on their favorite snack, and the winner was turkey pocket sandwiches. They took whole wheat pita bread and stuffed it with turkey slices, lettuce, tomato, and low fat salad dressing.

14 DC SCORES stories from an action-packed 2014

Happy almost-New Year! We can't wait for 2015, a year during which we will: continue to serve 1,500 DC youth year-round; provide more opportunities than ever before for alumni to stay engaged with DC SCORES; and much, much more (this is just a tease).

But before jumping into the year, 2014 is worth celebrating. We'd need a book to fit all the incredible, inspiring stories involving program participants, community members, staff, board and supporters. Instead, we've chosen 14 stories.

Enjoy reliving 2014 and if you haven't yet, consider making a year-end gift to DC SCORES today!

Stories are in chronological order

14. Seven schools participate in winter programming
For most of our 47 schools, winter is a short break from DC SCORES. But each year, we grow our scaled-down winter nutrition and soccer program. In 2014, seven elementary and middle schools participated, learning about healthy eating habits and keeping their soccer skills sharp with multi-school clinics.

13. Students shine at National Poetry SLAM!
DC SCORES standout poets Xavier C. of Arts and Technology Academy and Skky M. of Imagine Hope Community Charter School — Tolsen Campus were chosen to represent DC at the America SCORES National Poetry SLAM! in New York City, and boy did they shine. At the New York Stock Exchange, Xavier and Skky were among 26 young poets from across the country who put together one spectacular performance after another for a captivated audience.

12. A TV star is born 
Xavier's night wasn't over at the Stock Exchange. Immediately after the event, he visited NBC studios where he and America SCORES Executive Director Holly O'Donnell were guests on the live TV show 'The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.' Xavier was a natural as he described his New York experience, and he then captivated the TV audience by reading his poem. Soon after, the TV show's Facebook page lit up with praise for Xavier. Since April, Xavier has performed at a handful of big events in DC, wowing the audience each time.

11. Monsoon can't stop huge turnout for alumni tournament 
No one would have been blamed for not showing up to the alumni soccer tournament in mid-April. Not only was it during spring break, but DC was getting hammered by a legitimate monsoon. Torrents of rain drenched Tubman Elementary School, yet hundreds of program alumni showed their dedication to soccer and former teammates by showing up — and having a good (if wet) time!

10. Incredible coaches, volunteers honored at SCORE Awards
DC SCORES wouldn't be able to build teams for 1,500 youth if the coaches who work every day with the kids didn't build teams themselves. During a poignant night of celebration at LongView Gallery, awards were presented to teams of coaches and individual coaches and volunteers who best represent the teamwork, leadership and commitment that are the core values of DC SCORES programming.

9. The largest event in DC SCORES history
The first staff members arrived at 5:30 a.m. Volunteers came shortly after. And then hundreds upon hundreds of kids, families, community members and more. On May 31 at Anacostia Park, we hosted the largest event in our 20-year history, the 19th Annual Jamboree!. Across a large grassy expanse, 178 soccer games were played during six hours — 178! And there were plenty of other activities, too. Get ready for this year's Jamboree! May 30 — it might be even bigger!

8. 32 companies play in 12th Annual DC SCORES Cup
On June 14, more than 500 DC-area professionals teamed up for the largest DC SCORES Cup to date. Not only did the corporate charity tournament feature a record 32 teams, but for the first time it featured two divisions — Competitive and Casual — and, thus, two champions. And it raised more than $120,000. Sign up for the 2015 Cup by visiting www.DCSCOREScup.org.

7. Bethany Rubin Henderson becomes Executive Director
After an incredibly successful eight years of growth and leadership, Amy Nakamoto moved on and DC SCORES hired Bethany Rubin Henderson to lead the organization and build on all the things accomplished and established.

6. Two special summer camp visits — on the same day! 
DC SCORES provided more summer enrichment and exercise through the arts and soccer than ever before in the form of four free camps. Not only did kids keep their bodies and minds engaged through daily activities, but they enjoyed many field trips and special activities, especially the last week of camp. That's when professional soccer star Javier Zanetti of Inter Milan visited the Bruce Monroe camp to show kids some tricks, and coaches from Manchester United — yes, that club! — gave a soccer clinic to DC SCORES alumni. "It was exciting because they were teaching us stuff that they also teach professional players," Jose Q. said afterward. How cool is that?

5. DC SCORES alumni give back before heading to college
Each summer we're reminded of the impact of DC SCORES on kids' futures and their desire to give back. This year was no different. A large group of alumni worked as DC Summer Youth Employment (SYEP) counselors at camp, including Nana who is now in college but continues to give back to the program by mentoring younger kids.

4. Two visits to the White House
This past fall, DC SCORES visited the grounds of the White House twice! First, kids from Barnard Elementary School were the stars at an event put on by the Social Innovation Fund and U.S. Soccer Foundation. Then, just weeks later, Truesdell Education Campus students got a special treat when they received one-on-one attention from members of MLS champion Sporting K.C. during a clinic on the White House lawn. Both were unforgettable experiences for the kids.

3. Staff member Aaron Cannon wins award
Aaron Cannon was one of a handful of people who joined the DC SCORES staff in August. Just a few months later, Aaron was awarded for his commitment not just to the youth he coaches at Wheatley Education Campus but also the school and greater community when he received a distinguished Mayor's Community Service Award from District mayor Vincent Gray. See all organizational awards here.

2. A tremendous Giving Tuesday
On Dec. 2, we were reminded just how large and amazing the DC SCORES team is when more than $22,000 was raised during Giving Tuesday — far surpassing our goal. Nearly 300 people gave the gift of team during the 24 hours, helping us win the Catalogue For Philanthropy competition for most donors and an additional $5,000. It was the true definition of a team effort.

1. Does it get any better than the Poetry Slam!?
There is no better way to cap off an action-packed DC SCORES season — and year — than with the Poetry Slam!, and this year's 17th edition lived up to the hype. During the two-night event, every school performed original group and solo poems in front of capacity audiences. The event showcased how three months of work in the classroom can transform shy students who don't know what a poem is into confident, spoken word stars. Our blog series on Brightwood Education Campus illustrated this perfectly.

And in just a few months, two more poetry all-stars will head to New York for the America SCORES National SLAM!, just one event in what promises to be another exciting year.

----------------

Want to help us make 2015 better than ever for more DC youth in need? Gift the gift of team today as a tax-deductible donation!

Rival teams on the soccer field come together and build camaraderie during winter clinic

Written by Kara Dunford
Communications Intern

The Marie Reed Panthers filed into the gym, excited for a day of soccer alongside the Bancroft Bengals.

Marie Reed visited Bancroft as part of a DC SCORES soccer clinic. Winter programming provides participating schools with the unique opportunity to come together to play with each other and work on fundamental soccer skills in preparation for the spring season.

Kastenny C., a student at Marie Reed, said she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from her time at Bancroft.

“Today I thought that we may kind of fight because we are rivals,” she said.

But it was teamwork, not rivalry, that proved to be the hallmark of the day.

The students were divided into four teams that featured a mixture of Panthers and Bengals. Then, it was time to play.

As the teams faced off in the gym, they received guidance from DC SCORES coaches on effective passing techniques and strategies. While the first few minutes of game play looked like unorganized chaos, the teams soon took the guidance to heart and began showing off some great passing skills.

I watched as Kastenny bonded with her new teammates, impressed by her ability to take direction from her Bancroft teammates as well as give direction of her own. It was clear that by coming together on a team, the Bancroft and Marie Reed students were able to cooperate and work as one.

Kastenny walked away from the clinic with a new skill.

“The other team taught be how to back pass. When I’m crowded, they taught me how to back pass while staying in place,” she said.

For Bancroft student Tatiana B., the clinic was less about soccer skills and more about interactions with her teammates.

“I learned that they support each other,” she said, adding that the encouragement from teammates made the game more fun.

In between soccer matches, the teams tried their hand at DC SCORES trivia, featuring tricky questions covering soccer rules, World Cup facts, and more. It was fun to see the team building on the field translate into cooperation in the classroom.

As winter SCORES draws to a close, the clinic proved that the season has equipped students with skills and experiences that will benefit them this spring. Whether it is the nutrition lessons that provided building blocks for a healthy lifestyle or the soccer clinics and practices that build team development and camaraderie, the lessons of winter programming will certainly help teams come game day this spring.

The Power of Choice at Bancroft Elementary Part II: No more sugary soda

This winter, DC SCORES intern Kara Dunford is spending her afternoons at Bancroft Elementary School as the Bengals take part in Winter SCORES. Each week, Kara is writing about her experience observing and interacting with the students as they learn about nutrition and healthy eating habits through the Power of Choice curriculum. You can also follow Kara’s observations on Twitter and Instagram by searching #WinterSCORES. View photos on Flickr. 

---------------------------------------------------

Written by Kara Dunford 
Communications Intern

“Why do we sweat?”

The coaches at Bancroft Elementary School posed the question to the group of eager students, who moments before had seen containers of frozen yogurt brought into the classroom. Eyes wide, hands began to shoot up around the room.

It is a question I don’t think too much about as I go about my day to day activities. I paused for a moment and tried to remember my own elementary and middle school science classes, during which the question was undoubtedly answered.

Creative responses were not hard to come by, as the Bengals each posed their own theory as to why they sweat while running on the soccer field.

After a few minutes, the coaches revealed the answer. Sweating is the body’s natural way to cool down, especially after physical activity. When you sweat, you must replace the fluids lost to avoid overheating, dehydration, and fatigue.

“But do we get to eat the ice cream?”

Laughter ensued as one student admitted what he was thinking.

What does all this talk about sweat have to do with nutrition? The Bengals were about to learn how smart beverage choices play a role in a healthy and active lifestyle.

The Bengals split up into four groups and each prepared an orange-flavored drink. One group made orange soda, another low calorie orange soda, the third orange juice with only 10 percent juice, and the last 100 percent orange juice.

I joined the students in their surprise about the amount of sugar in the orange soda choices. As the Bengals poured teaspoon after teaspoon of sugar into the drink mixture, the appeal of the beverage dropped among the group.

The lesson? Paying attention to nutrient labels can help us make beverage choices that will supply vitamin C and calcium rather than calories from added sugars.

Each student shared a strategy to improve his or her drinking habits. One suggested he would cut down on soda and drink more water. Another said she would choose juice from the vending machine instead of Coke.

To arm the students with another alternative to soda, the coaches announced the group would be making juice floats. Prepared with frozen yogurt and fruit juice, the juice floats pack more nutrients and less calories into a delicious drink than popular sodas.

Refreshed by the floats, the Bengals were ready to take another step toward a healthy lifestyle, this time by remembering to choose wisely when thirsty.

Check out the second video installment to learn more about this week’s lesson in healthy hydration. Be sure to follow along on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #winterSCORES.

The Power of Choice at Bancroft Elementary part I: Reading nutrition labels

This winter, DC SCORES intern Kara Dunford is spending her afternoons at Bancroft Elementary School as the Bengals take part in Winter SCORES. Each week, Kara is writing about her experience observing and interacting with the students as they learn about nutrition and healthy eating habits through the Power of Choice curriculum. You can also follow Kara’s observations on Twitter and Instagram by searching #WinterSCORES. View photos on Flickr. 

---------------------------------------------------

Written by Kara Dunford 
Communications Intern

Coaches at Bancroft Elementary School circled the classroom presenting a bowl of paper clips to DC SCORES students, who were encouraged to take as many as they pleased.

“Oh, I like the shiny gold ones,” one student eagerly exclaimed, as others grabbed handfuls from the bowl.

“There must be a trick,” another student said, questioning the activity’s purpose as he selected only one paper clip.

After the last student had made her selections, the coaches revealed the next step: each student would need to share facts about themselves to total the number of paper clips selected. Groans rang out throughout the room, as students counted 52 paper clips, 84, 100, and more.

The sharing complete, the coaches asked who would change the number of clips selected if they knew the activity’s purpose. I wasn’t surprised when hands shot up around the classroom.

“So if we know the consequences, we can avoid being tricked,” the coaches explained.

How can the students avoid being tricked by food? By learning how to read nutrition labels.

DC SCORES winter programming offers students a chance to combine soccer practices with an understanding of basic nutrition, learning how to lead a healthy and active lifestyle.

The first nutrition label students examined? A family size bag of Lay’s potato chips. As eyes grew wide at the sight of the popular snack food, the coaches guided students through the parts of a nutrition label, learning the amount of calories, sodium, total fat, and saturated fat inside the bag.

Then it was time to get active. The students showed off some pretty creative dance moves as music blared from the stereo.

To link the two activities together, the coaches asked how long an individual would need to dance to burn off the entire bag of chips.

Students called out their answers. Some were much too low. Thurday minutes. Some were much too high. A year.

But when the final answer was revealed, all in the room, myself included, were surprised by the result.

Twenty-six hours. It would take over a day of dancing non-stop at a moderately fast pace to burn off the calories contained in the bag of chips.

Choices have consequences, as the Bancroft Bengals learned this week.

Empowering students to learn the contents of their food choices is just one of the lessons of winter programming. As the weeks go on, I will be spending time at Bancroft Elementary School, engaging with the students and learning alongside them. I’ll share my adventures on this blog, as well as in a weekly video series. On social media, search the hashtag #winterSCORES to follow along.

Check out the first video installment (embedded above) for an introduction to winter programming and a peek at some of the Bengals’ awesome dance moves.

Winter season focuses on teaching nutrition to students at seven schools

Last week, a dozen or so DC SCORES coaches sat around a table in our office eating potato chips.

Wait. What?

Let us explain. The coaches were participating in an exercise that is included in DC SCORES' Power of Choice winter nutrition program, which begins after school today at seven schools throughout Washington, DC. For the next six weeks, students will spend two days a week learning about nutrition and healthy living and two days practicing soccer indoors as part of the scaled-down winter season.

During nutrition lessons, students will be guided through a series of exercises that help them learn about things such as calories, good fats versus bad fats, portion control and more. They'll also gets hands-on experience learning how to prepare healthy snacks and meals.

But back to the potato chips. Coaches learned from the exercise that eating just 15 Lays potato chips equals 150 calories consumed. And even after we had all danced for 5 minutes before the bag of chips was passed around, it would have taken half an hour of dancing -- we learned -- to burn off the 150 calories.

Wow.

The lesson? Eat in moderation, but also know that consuming healthy foods is only half of being healthy. You must exercise, too.

And that, in a nutshell, is what the winter program is all about -- combining healthy eating with physical activity through soccer.

"My hope is we're giving them the knowledge of what it means to live a healthy and active lifestyle," Program Director Cory Chimka said. "We're giving them the skills and tools and that hands-on experience that they can take to their families and say, 'This a healthy snack I can make for us with things that are accessible to me from the corner store on the end of the block.'"

Watch the embedded video for a more in-depth overview of the DC SCORES winter program, and follow the activities throughout the next six weeks on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching the hashtag #DCSCORESWinter.

DC SCORES winter program schools
Bancroft Elementary School
Burrville Elementary School
Jefferson Middle School
Lincoln Middle School
Marie Reed Elementary School
Thomson Elementary School
Wheatley Education Campus