Holley 1st, 2nd graders learn about healthy choices

Provided photos – Karen Blank talks healthy eating and fitness with Holley students.

Press Release, Holley Central School

HOLLEY – Karen Blank, owner of The Whole Approach in Holley, last month led Holley first and second graders through a workshop entitled “Healthy Snack Cooking & Games.”

Blank met with 24 students after school twice a week and taught them about nutrition, games to stay active, how to make their own healthy snacks and how to make healthy living choices.

The students were joined by their parents for the final workshop on Dec. 17, when they set the table together and prepared a healthy dinner of homemade ravioli and salad.

Families work on making homemade ravioli together.

Blank’s workshops were offered free to Holley students as part of the three-year Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant the district received last year. The school district regularly offers before- and after-school programs to grades K-12 students as part of its FIT4U! program, made possible by the PEP grant. The FIT4U! program focuses on teaching students about fitness and nutrition through a variety of activities and educational programs.

Students took pre- and post-tests evaluating how much they knew about healthy choices at the start and conclusion of the workshop. Their knowledge of healthy behaviors increased from 61 percent to 99 percent.