Health on plate: schools host educational campaign to celebrate ISMD and International Day of Families

2024-07-08 16:00 Kyrgyzstan

If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.
Hippocrates.

Can you teach healthy habits? In Kyrgyzstan, we are confident that the answer is yes! Here, health issues are addressed at the state level. The Ministry of Education and Science, in collaboration with the UN WFP and SIFI, annually organizes events for children and adults dated to International School Meals Day and International Day of Families. This spring, five regions (Naryn, Chui, Batken, Osh, and Jalal-Abad) participated in the educational campaign titled the School of Young Detectives.

How did the events unfold this year? Let's dive into the details in this article!

Learning is fun: healthy eating lessons

Children love playing most of all. Therefore, interactive lessons about healthy eating were developed for 3rd and 4th-grade students. These lessons were incorporated into environmental science sessions or held as classroom hours. Accompanied by fairy-tale characters from the "Almabek’s Journey" book published as a part of the School Meals Optimization project, children learned about the benefits of vegetables and fruits, the difference between harmful and healthy foods, and the principles of adopting a balanced diet. Teamwork, engaging physical activities, various games, and vibrant illustrations helped the children grasp complex concepts.

“Children enjoyed making play dough apples, striving to make their fruit look real. This activity was not only exciting but also contributed to the development of fine motor skills and creativity,” says Natalya Oskolkova, a teacher at the Ivanovskaya school in the Chui region.

Plate’s secrets: adventures of young detectives

The most active 3rd and 4th graders participated in the School of Young Detectives festival. This event was organized as a team game, with high school students acting as animators. Becoming a real detective and solving a mysterious crime is a dream for many schoolchildren. To earn a unique fruit and vegetable detective certificate, the children had to pass several stations, demonstrating logic, dexterity, and ingenuity. They tackled challenges such as catching the digestion violator Hamburger, deciphering a secret message, sneaking into a gangster hideout without triggering the alarm, and finding a way to the chemical laboratory. The young detectives successfully completed all tasks and received participation certificates and gifts.

According to Olga Ivashchenko, the headmaster of the Kyzyl-Octyabrskaya School, the children particularly enjoyed the tests, especially the puzzles and chemical experiments, where they tested which products contained starch.

Education for parents: healthy eating basics

Healthy nutrition begins at home. It is the family that shapes the lifestyle children will carry throughout their lives. The event organizers believe that it is crucial to discuss healthy eating topics not only with children but also with their parents. Therefore, a seminar titled Responsible Parents of Successful Detectives was held for them.

What constitutes a balanced diet? How do you read labels correctly? How do you choose quality products? How can you reduce sugar consumption and use less oil in cooking? Nutrition experts and teachers answered all these questions. The lectures concluded with a practical session—a cooking masterclass where parents learned to prepare healthy and easy salads.

“I was impressed with the masterclass on preparing a healthy salad. I never thought it was possible to make salads without salt, and I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious the salad with kurut could be. I've already started applying this knowledge at home, and the whole family has enjoyed the new dishes," says a parent of a student from a school in the Chui region.

The educational campaign is an essential step toward a healthy and proactive future for families. Healthcare begins with conscious food choices and can be engaging and enjoyable for both adults and children. Interactive lessons, exciting quests, and seminars provided valuable knowledge and inspired participants to incorporate these practices into their daily lives.