Workshop 1

Monday was my first workshop on healthy eating and smoothie making with a group of enthusiastic kids. It was a blast!

We started by setting up the blender and laying out frozen berries for the kids to try. Then, my fellow volunteers and I reviewed our presentation slides one last time to make sure we were ready to go. We had prepared some fun facts and tips on nutrition, as well as some interactive activities and quizzes.

At 4 pm, we opened the door and welcomed the kids inside. They signed in and picked a seat at one of the tables. We could tell they were excited too, because they were chatting and smiling. To break the ice, we played a game of food-themed this or that, where we asked them to choose between two options and explain why. For example, do you like pineapple on pizza or not? Do you prefer hard or soft shell tacos? It was a great way to get to know them and their preferences.

After everyone had arrived, we started our presentation. We talked about the 5/20 rule for micronutrients, and also showed them how to read nutrition labels and compare different products. The kids were very attentive and curious, and they asked us many questions. We played a fun kahoot quiz to test their knowledge.

The highlight of the workshop was the smoothie making activity. We handed out the recipe and walked through the steps of blending and assembling their bowls. I talked about the nutritional value of all of the ingredients and passed around the nutrition labels of the ingredients as well.

We then plugged in the blenders and blended the smoothies. Then, we scooped them into bowls and gave them many toppings to choose from. They were delicious! The kids loved them and asked for seconds.

We ended the workshop by giving each kid a survey to tell us how we did. They thanked us for the workshop and said they had a lot of fun. We thanked them for coming and told them to keep up the good work.

It was an amazing experience for me and my fellow volunteers. We learned a lot from the kids and enjoyed their enthusiasm and creativity.  We hope they learned something from us too and that they will continue to make healthy choices in their lives.

A learning curve for us was learning how to engage the kids and make sure we always had their attention. We had a team meeting at the end so everyone was on the same page for Wednesday. I can’t wait for the next workshop!