Body Walk Desoto County, Hernando January 14, 2011

The snow cannot stop Body Walk from bringing the message of good health and good nutrition. (It might slow it down.) Body Walk had a whirlwind two days in Desoto. We set up at Oak Grove Central Elementary school in Hernando. Set up was at 7:30 am, and lemme tell you, it was COLD. Luckily, there was plenty of help on hand ready to go. High school honors students, teachers, and parent volunteers went right to work getting the truck unloaded so we could get in the warm gym.

The set up was great. Everyone listened and worked well together. By 8:36, we had the entire exhibit set up and ready to go. Those of you who have helped set up Body Walk before know what an accomplishment this is. For everyone else, set up on average takes two hours. We got it put together so fast, the honor students had time to take a short break before they settled into their rooms and took up their job as station presenters.

 

The amazing set up crew/station presenters.

Joy Anderson, County Director for Desoto county booked Body Walk for her county. She is great to work with, she’s always very organized and this trip was no exception. This trip was particularly challenging because we were supposed to set up Monday and see students Monday through Thursday. Because of all the sleet and snow, schools were closed and roads were impassable. We were able to see one school and were lucky that many of the volunteers were flexible and able to come participate.

 

Joy was ably assisted by Jessica Lindsey, 4-H, Amy Zwersche, 4-H, and Paula Moore, Program Assistant.  In addition to the Extension Staff, Coach Christy Adams and Principal Jerry Darnell were a great help. Rounding out the volunteers were parents and other teachers who made the two days go very smoothly. One parent came to help because her son went through on Wednesday and he was so impressed, and talked about it so much, she had to come on Thursday to see what it was all about.

 

Station volunteers/take down crew

Our special volunteer Wednesday was the Mayor of Hernando, Chip Johnson. Mayor Johnson is committed to reducing obesity in Hernando. He has led work to repair and build sidewalks, add walking trails to the city park and has been a featured speaker at the Weight of the Nation conference and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Obesity Conference. At Body Walk, he taught for a little while in the mouth station. Then he toured with one group of students so he could experience the rest of the exhibit. Body Walk is committed to helping reduce childhood obesity in Mississippi. We teach not only what healthy foods are, but also, what is a proper portion of a healthy food. We show students how much fat is in snack foods, and how much sugar is in colas. We then contrast that information with the alternatives; fruit, vegetables, and milk or water for a healthy beverage.

 

 

Mayor Chip Johnson

Body Walk had a great trip north. Next up, Harrison County, one of Mississippi’s gulf counties. Hopefully, a trip to the extreme southern end of the state will be as great an experience as this trip to the extreme northern end was.

 

 

Body Walk in Marion County, Columbia January 13, 2011

Body Walk started the year off with a trip to Marion county. Amanda Woods, County Director for Marion county booked Body WAlk for her county and was hands on for the all aspects of the Body Walk experience. She was ably assisted by Renee Stringer, EFNEP, and Kathy Petty, 4-H Program Assistant.

We set up in the front part of the Marion County expo center which is always a fun challenge. While the room is plenty big enough, the ceiling is a tad low. Fortunately, ceiling tiles pop up. Whew!

Members from the Junior Auxiliary, a local civic organization, and the Crown Club, the high school version of JA, were on hand to help set up. Tiffany Holmes led the effort by organizing the volunteers and the food for everyone. She made sure all the station presenters had water to drink. Talking all day is a thirsty business. They all did a great job setting up and serving as volunteers inside the exhibit. The Crown Club girls were very enthusiastic, but they had nothing on my favorite JA, Danon Vest. She has volunteered before, always for the heart station and has done a fantastic job. This year, she went all out.

Looking good and ready to teach about the heart.

She has heart pajamas, heart earrings and even Hardy Heart is impressed.

Touring the Body Walk were over 400 second graders from East Marion, West Marion, Columbia Elementary, and Columbia Academy.

If you don't brush, your mouth could look like Mr. Gross Mouth

Eat real food, not junk.

22 feet is A LOT of intestines

I choose, the PINK lung!

Strong muscles let you move, and smile

The students enjoyed learning how to be health from all our great station presenters.

Next stop, Desoto county.

Body Walk in Hancock County, Hancock North Central Elementary November 19, 2010

Early November Body Walk made a LONG drive down to the Mississippi coast. Hancock county is as far south as one can go unless you have a boat, and I feel positive the Body Walk truck does not float although I did not test to be sure.

At Hancock North Central Elementary, the set up went well. We had a great group of volunteers who worked very hard to get the exhibit unloaded and set up. They all did a wonderful job.

The next day, K-5th grade came and toured the Body Walk. On hand to make the day a success were Margaret Howell-Extension 4-H agent, Ernie Harris-coach, Tim Shaw-Art teacher and MSU alum, and many adult volunteers who worked inside the exhibit as presenters.  Margaret booked Body Walk for her county and she had everything very well-organized which made my job much easier.

The kids loved the exhibit, especially the teeth seats in the mouth station. They loved the heat model, the squish brain, and they all want healthy pink lungs. The students also LOVED our youngest volunteer who helped for a long time handing out bookmarks.

 

James loves to hand out Body Walk bookmarks.

 

That’s not James’ mom holding him. She was in the brain station, teaching the kids how to keep their brains healthy. James made a ton of friends and he worked hard.

The kids learned a lot from the exhibit. The third graders took a quiz when they finished the tour. ALL of them learned at least ONE way to stay healthy and most of them learned several ways.  Principal Haliegh Cuevas came by several times during the day. While she didn’t get to tour, she got to see the exhibit in action, and to hear first hand from many students how much they enjoyed it.

 

Pathway of Life. A review of the Body Walk.

At the last station, kids were happy to call out all they learned, and sad that the tour had come to an end.

 

Next up for Body Walk, Oktibbeha County.

Body Walk in Lamar County, Hattiesburg October 25, 2010

October 18th through the 22nd, Body Walk was set up at Oak Grove Elementary in Hattiesburg MS. We saw 4th graders from Oak Grove, Sumrall, and Purvis. Liz Sadler, Extension Agent booked Body walk for Lamar. Becke Bounds and Hagan Barber-Oak Grove, Stacy Aulbmon and Kim Jorns-Sumrall, and Teresa Sanford-Purvis, were in charge of scheduling for each of their respective schools. They were all great to work with. Everything ran smooth each day thanks to their careful planning and hard work. Nursing students from USM and William Carey University-School of Nursing were our volunteers for Tuesday through Friday.

Monday was set up day. The weather was nice, sunny and not to hot. The gym is HUGE and air-conditioned, two great qualities for wherever the Body Walk is set up. This gym also has a modern floor. It seems to ‘bounce back’ with every step you take.  After walking on it for for days hour upon hour, it was a much appreciated quality.

The kids were thrilled to see the exhibit. Body Walk is the field trip that comes to them. A few had seen it before but it was brand new to most of the students. They loved the squishy brain, the teeth seats, and the two lungs in the lung station. At the end, during the review, the students just shouted out answers to the review questions. Their teachers were impressed they learned so much from the exhibit.

The nursing students did a great job each day presenting the material. One young woman came up with a new way to demonstrate muscle control in the muscle station. Instead of having the students pick up and squeeze the rubber balls, she gently tossed the balls to them. They caught the balls, then squeezed them, thus learning about reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and muscle control. She was a GREAT presenter.

 

William Carey Students volunteer on Tuesday

USM students volunteer on Wednesday

William Carey students volunteer on Thursday

USM students volunteer on Friday

Next up for Body Walk, Prentiss County.

 

Body Walk in Desoto County: Southaven October 15, 2010

A warm welcome from Hope Sullivan Elementary

Body Walk received a warm welcome from everyone at Hope Sullivan Elementary this week. This school has K-2nd grade, and we saw them all, almost 700 kids! The volunteers were busy. One man helped us although he didn’t know he would be called on to help. When I backed the truck up to the double doors of the gym, I saw a wasp nest right above the door. Mr. Carver, custodian and master wasp killer came to the rescue. I hid in the gym, along with all the other volunteers while he sprayed bug spray onto the FOUR wasp nests above the doors. While I had noticed only the one, he didn’t miss any of them. Mr. Carver even swept all the wasps away from the door so we didn’t have to step on them as we unloaded the truck. Thank you Mr. Carver!

The small nest I noticed, right above the door.

The HUGE nest I didn't notice.

Once the wasps gone, the real fun began. Everyone worked together as a great team and we had the exhibit set up, with a few hours to spare before our first group started. Normally, we set up the day before, but this time, we had a morning set up and kids started touring in the afternoon.

I met several wonderful people, coach Emily Cuccia, or Couch ‘C’, served as a volunteer in the stomach. She even had her own food pyramid prop that was a GREAT supplement to our material. Principal Amanda Crider and Assistant Principal Lisa Nye came to see the exhibit in action. Principal Crider even toured with one group so she could really see the Body Walk in action. Amber McCormick, the school nurse, was in charge of the walkie-talkie. She made sure the teachers came on time. We stayed right on schedule thanks to her diligence. Ms. Moore, who handles all the public relations for the school was the first contact person for Joy Anderson, Extension agent. I have worked several times with Joy and she is always a ‘joy’ to work with. (terrible pun I know, but it’s true!) I also got to meet brand new 4-H agents Jessica Lindsey and Amye Zwersche. Jessica has 5 years of daycare in her background and those skills were put to excellent use.

Thursday, our volunteers were nursing students from Northwest Community College in Southaven. They did a wonderful job. I enjoy working with nursing students, they make GREAT volunteers.

A healthy smile is a pretty smile.

 

Your intestines are as LONG as a house is TALL.

It was great to learn about all the steps Hope Sullivan is taking to ensure healthy students. They have gotten rid of their fryers in the kitchen, they use whole wheat bread for everything, they have switched to 1% milk, and they had Body Walk come to their school. These wildcats are on the right track.

Body Walk in Jones County, Laurel October 4, 2010

October started with Body Walk in Jones County. We were set up at Glade Elementary. The gym was spacious and air-conditioned. While the temps are going down some, it is always hot inside the exhibit and an air-conditioned building is much appreciated.Every building is unique and the most unusual feature of this gym was the concrete stage. In a large room, it held its own as a structure of stability and solidity.

Coach Cook and his son as well as several others worked to set up the exhibit Thursday afternoon. Kim Tolbert, 4-H Instructor and Interim County Director, was great to work with again. The setup went smoothly and soon we were ready to see kids bright and early Friday morning.

Friday, nursing students from Jones County Junior College were in the gym when I arrived. Their instructor Amy Douglas had given out the scripts so they would be prepared when they arrived. They all had picked a location and were practicing with the props.  A few had worked in the exhibit last year and they were excited to volunteer again. I was thrilled to see they were so excited.  Josephine Tate, Area Health Agent, was ready to help out, she is a veteran of Body Walk having volunteered in several counties.

Soon the first group arrived and then it was a mad dash through the day until the last group entered the exhibit.  No one cried this time, but I did have a few kids say there were scared. After I explained that there was nothing scary inside they felt better. After a few minutes inside, all their fear was gone and they were excited to see what came next.

We saw K-6th grade. Tammy Skelton, head principal, went though with one group and she enjoyed how the nursing students presented the material. Gail Daniels, the assistant principal got to see the exhibit, and Shawn Smith, head nurse for Glade Elementary, was the person who got everything rolling to bring Body Walk to Jones County. All her students were glad she did.

Brush twice a day to keep bacteria away.

Eat a balanced meal to be healthy.

A clogged artery slows blood flow.

Dairy builds strong bones. Even a skeleton likes a cheese snack.

Use weights to build your muscles.

October is off to a great start for Body Walk. Next up, Madison county.

Body Walk in Warren County September 27, 2010

Body Walk rolled into Warren County and set up at Sherman Avenue Elementary School. The weather was beautiful and the help was fantastic! When I parked at the school, a line of teachers, coaches, and adult volunteers from the Core of Engineers were lined up and ready to go.  The truck was unloaded quickly and the entire exhibit was set up within an hour.  I love it when teamwork makes the job go smoothly.

Thursday and Friday, high school students from the local Allied Health program served as presenters in each station. Some of the girls lined up groups and some handed out workbooks. A few handled passing out and taking up the quiz all third graders take when they come out of the exhibit. The rest were inside, teaching a lesson. Everyone did a great job.

Allied Health students make great Body Walk station presenters.

We saw K-3rd grade. Marcus Davis and Brenda McDevitt from Warren county were on hand to help make sure all aspects of the program went smoothly. They were great fun to work with.  Take down Friday went smoothly. Principal Ray Hume and several teachers helped with the take down. I’ve never heard a “Body Walk take-down” song before, but thanks to the enthusiasm of one teacher, now I have. It’s catchy.

Counting books to hand out.

Handing out books.

Passing out the quiz.

Body Walk in Chickasaw County September 23, 2010

Body Walk traveled to Chickasaw county and set up at Houston Upper Elementary School. Scott Cagle booked Body Walk for his county. Third grade toured the exhibit and they loved learning how to ‘be smart from the inside out.’

Local high school students volunteered as presenters inside the exhibit. They did a good job. They enjoyed teaching and demonstrating the props located in each of the stations.

Volunteers make it all possible.

To soon, all the children had finished their tour and it was time to take down the exhibit and head to a new county.

Body Walk in Grenada County September 17, 2010

Body Walk just finished up a week in Grenada county. Here we saw 1st, 4th, and 5th grades. It was non-stop Body Walk fun Tuesday through Friday as group after group of excited students learned how to ‘be smart from the inside out.”

We had many volunteers and they all did a great job. From set up, to station presenters, to take-down, everyone really worked as a team.

The kids were amazed to see the huge walk through exhibit. They loved the teeth seats, the realistic food models (especially the 1st graders who thought they were real at first), and the clogged artery model. When shown the ‘germ’ powder under the black light, a few kids just could not believe how fast germs spread person to person.

They were already familiar with the Organwise guys thanks to this:

Organwise Guys poster

and the food pyramid, thanks to this:

Food Pyramid in Grenada County

The students were happy to call out answers during the pathway of life portion of the tour, because they had a head start on some information. Their tour of the Body Walk reinforced earlier lessons.

Next week, Chickasaw and Warren counties.

Body Walk in Franklin County September 13, 2010

Body Walk just finished up in Franklin County, in Bude Mississippi. Here, we taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders the importance of being smart from the inside out. Cynthia Wilkinson booked Body Walk for her county.

Our volunteers were Extension agents and local adult volunteers. They all did a wonderful job. The kids were well-behaved and the principal was on site most of the day. It is a joy to work in schools where the principal is so hands on with programs.

The kids were very excited to see the exhibit in their gym and they had lots of questions. They loved the teeth in the mouth station. I could hear gasps and squeals of horror every time they saw the diseased black lung in the lung station. They came out full of information. I paused by the pathway of life several times to hear them call out answers as they were quizzed on what they had seen.

Working together to make it happen.

Next, Grenada county.