Key Idea Abstracts National Foods and Nutrition Forum The following are excerpts from the key ideas leaders presented at the 1989 food and nutrition forum in Washington, DC. 1. Many of the volunteers mentioned making bread in a bag or participating in a bread workshop sponsored by FleischmannUs Yeast. 2. In California, there are food and nutrition day events, which are open to all members regardless of the projects in which they are enrolled. Getting acquainted with different foods and equipment has been a major part of the program. Herb and spice identifications have been very well received. Nutritious snacks are prepared and served by members, including yogurt PopsicleUs, orange juice-milk slushes, trail mix, bran muffins, etc. 3. In Colorado, leaders are working with after school programs, which involve a seven-week course comprised of nutrition and food safety information, decision making skills, first aid and safety and caring for oneself and others. 4. In Delaware, a Favorite Foods Contest is popular where 4-H members write a menu, prepare their favorite food and set up a table display to be judged. 5. In Idaho, they had a Microwave Saturday, which involved teaching 4-H members to prepare meals, snacks and desserts. Older members gave demonstrations. The microwave recipes used will be made available for sale during IdahoUs Centennial year. 6. In Idaho, one club uses role-play to teach self-reliance skills. For example, leaders may ask, "You are home alone and _________ happens. What do you do?" Questions are also asked about pan size, which appliance to use to prepare something, what they should add to balance a meal, etc. The leader often goes into an adjoining room so the 4-H members can solve some situational problems by themselves, but is always within earshot. She says the technique works very well. 7. In Indiana, a food and fitness workshop was held. 4-H members learned the basic four food groups and how to exercise. A health quiz was given and a food bingo game played. A nutrition lunch was served and 4-H members shopped in a mock store. 8. In an EFNEP youth program in Indiana, a demonstration and discussion on sugar and additives was done by comparing puffed wheat to presweetened cereal and making orange soda pop and an orange juice fizz drink for them to sample. 4-H members also bring in a label or wrapper of one food item to compare. There is an exercise session of activities they can do in 30 seconds. They prepare a snack before they go home. 9. A school of special education students was reached by a bread workshop with a special twist: Math concepts were taught with the measuring unit. 10. In Iowa, youth were involved in learning what ingredients are in some of the foods they eat daily. They made different foods and ground flour and used fruits and cheeses in their bread baking. 11. In Iowa, EFNEP youth were involved in nutrition day camps. These camps featured farm tours and bread baking demonstrations. They utilized a model of a cow with a rubber glove for an udder to show how cows are mixed. 12. One leader uses a visual that starts with a small object about the size of a spoon covered with light green fabric or paper. This represents the germ of the kernel of grain. Next, polyester fiberfill is wrapped around the germ to represent the endosperm portion of the grain. The final layer is a small paper sack, which will represent the bran layer of a grain. 13. Louisiana, 4-H members attended an advertised forum on osteoporosis. Many were shocked to see the misshapen bodies of many of the older ladies who attended because they had the disease and wanted to learn more about alleviating its symptoms. 14. For the annual awards banquet, the county asked each family to bring a covered dish they had prepared at home together. 15. In Michigan, 4-H youth had an educational workshop inviting youth placed in correctional facilities. They had a meal from a fast food restaurant and learned to make better food choices. They also were involved in a supermarket activity where they learned to read and interpret nutritional labels, taste and compare the qualities and costs of different brands of the same foods, and compare the cost of food per serving. 16. In Michigan, volunteer leaders were recruited to teach three nutrition lessons to a grade level at their own school. A traveling team of leaders and a videotape has helped reach youth in 11 counties. 17. At a summer food project meeting in Minnesota, 4-H members voted for well liked snacks from a bag full of items. They then decided on how these items needed to be cared for or prepared and which of the food groups they represented. The snacks were evaluated for high fat, salt, and sugar content. At the county fair, they tried to solicit more nutritious exhibits such as main dishes, salads, oatmeal cookies, bran muffins, and bread, as well as more educational exhibits. 18. To encourage wise snacking leaders in Minnesota developed a teaching packet about wise snacks. A skit, written by teen leaders, is included and they also provided a game using snack terms. This teaching packet could be checked out from the local extension office. 19. In Mississippi, a county sponsors a nutritious snack contest. A panel of judges samples the entries and a recipe book is compiled with all the entries. They have used this idea successfully with dairy foods, as well. 20. In North Dakota, one leader holds a back to basics workshop. She uses flannel board and food illustrations to help members classify foods into food groups, hot foods-cold foods, hard foods-soft foods, finger foods-fork and spoon foods, snacks, sweet foods-sour foods, and by colors. 21. In North Dakota, posters, two-way file folders, scrapbooks, demonstration events, and recipe files are used as nontraditional exhibits to encourage thinking and reasoning skills. 22. Oregon provided several creative snack/garnish ideas for kids. 23. In Oregon, a day in the park nutrition program features crafts, nutritious snacks, and lunch. One of the snack ideas was "Ice Cream Made in A Can". 24. One leader in South Carolina sits 5 teams of young people around her kitchen table to prepare food products. She asks them to bring ingredients and baking equipment. After the teams have completed their product, they judge them. 25. In South Dakota, they have a Kids in Charge program to give youth a handle on life skills needed to deal effectively with everyday living. Special attention is given to teaching food safety: how to look for clues that would indicate that the food is not safe to eat, how to properly use knives and electrical appliances, what to do if fat catches on fire, how to use the range top and the oven safely, what to do before starting to cook, and how to clean up afterwards. They use "fun things to do" at their junior leader training. (National Dairy CouncilUs Super You Program). 26. South Dakota has a Western 4-H Home Economics show that includes Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota 4-H members. A big part of the show is the 4-H food and nutrition quiz bowl. Contestants are given five hundred fourteen questions to study covering: nutrition, preparation, preservation, safety, utensils and equipment. 27. South Dakota also has a special foods contest which covers food preparation techniques, food quality, recipe adaptation, menu planning, place setting, oral nutrition questions, written nutrition tests, food safety and food taste quality. Members are asked to prepare a dish and are judged on their preparation skills and management. They are asked questions but not asked to provide posters or to give a pre-prepared speech. 28. Utah calls its quiz bowl, "gastronomical jeopardy". 29. In Utah, the 4-H teen council gives demonstrations to families that are involved with the WIC program and The Family Support Center of Ogden. 30. In Vermont, each 4-H member was asked to bring a dessert made with yogurt. 4-H members had a yogurt tasting class. 31. In Washington State, leaders perfected a new cooking adventure involving children in grades 3-8 by baking cakes, brownies, muffins, and pizza in simple cardboard box ovens. They also worked with members to devise poems for food and nutrition lessons. 32. In Wisconsin, the older teens are not involved in competition with each other but form teams working together on a food product and a place setting to present to judges. The idea is to focus the judging more on the effort and the learning than the reward. 33. In Wisconsin, a clover clinic is held to teach microwaving for kids, nutritious "junk" foods, cake decorating, shaping yeast rolls, bread in a bag, meal in a loaf, and table manners. 34. Wyoming is piloting a food science project.
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Updated 8/15/05