Kalona Elementary enjoys greens

Healthy fruit and vegetable snacks have invaded Kalona Elementary first and second grade classrooms through the Pick a Better Snack program offered by Washington County Extension.

This program is designed to motivate children to eat more fruits and vegetables in meals and snacks and to be more physically active. Amy Green, 4-H/youth coordinator, visits the first-and second-grade classrooms to talk about healthy snacks, making healthy choices, and they always get to sample a particular fruit or vegetable of the day.

Each week the students are reminded to be brave and try new things ? including healthy fruits and vegetables. This past week students learned that vegetables are plants and when eating a vegetable a person is eating either the root, stem or leaf of a plant. They enjoyed a large leafy snack of spinach, arugula, and kale, comparing the colors, shapes, and tastes of each.

The Pick a Better Snack program is supported by a grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation and support from Kalona Elementary Boosters, Fareway, and Washington Optimists. Contact the Washington County Extension Office, 319-653-4811, with questions about Pick a Better Snack program or to donate or volunteer. Find other Extension programs and events at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/washington/.