Rosedale (so far)

In the beginning of this project, and after a visit to Rosedale, we were prompted to choose a problem that stems directly from Rosedale in the form of a question.

Not wanting to tackle such an epic task alone, I teamed up with Miss Marston and decided together that our question is:

"How can we motivate children to incorporate healthy food choices into their everyday life?"

When discussing the nature of our problem we wanted to make sure that we didn't speak down to children. The kids we are targeting (grades 3-5) understand that an apple has much more beneficial nutritional value than Hot Cheetos, yet they still choose to pick a pack of sour punch straws over that apple. Our problem needs a solution that will not only teach kids about the effects of their food habits, motivate them to choose smartly more often, but also visualize their efforts so that the internal effects of their choices have a more concrete and tangible presence. After presenting in class our problem, Smak and JessieRen had a problem on the same lines as our so we decided to team up and tackle this problem with four minds.

Where are we now?
Last week we met with 3rd grade teacher, Peter Wetzel, at Frank Rushton Elementary School. It was probably one of the smartest things we could have done in terms of research. Not only did we get to see the facility that houses these kids, but we learned of his passion for molding young minds, his love of the Rosedale community, and his efforts of getting grants for the school to use on health education. Oh, and did I mention that he even got a little help from the KC Cheifs by procuring a field trip to their sports lab? Ya, he sure did.

Our ultimate goal here is to teach kids about healthier food habits by creating motivation through engaging them in activities they love, such as dancing, socializing, and documenting themselves. We haven't narrowed down our final direction, but I'm excited to see where our four very different styles and personalities come up with.