KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Eat smart. Play hard.
A group from the Kansas Department of Education says students are failing — at lunch. That’s why a new virtual tour of the human body has been introduced — to show how people use their food.
Ring the bell. A summertime lesson in basic nutrition begins now.
Students in KCK experience the digestion process from the inside-out, thanks to the Body Venture simulator. This gymnasium-sized exhibit travels from school to school thanks to the Kansas Department of Education.
This summer, it’s on display at sites where summer food service programs are on the table.
“We encourage students to try new foods and eat healthy foods that help their body grow so they can do well in school and be active and healthy,” Peggy McAdoo, KDE specialist, said.
The lessons taught inside the big display are the foundation of good health.
Enrollment numbers show the Kansas summer meal program feeds 20,000 students each year, and the meals are often served up in neighborhoods where the basics aren’t being delivered to children.
“I learned about teeth and how if you smoke, like, your nose to your throat can turn bad,” student Brayan Soils said.
“We got to walk through the entire human body and see where our food goes,” Monica Myers, who brought her children to see the display, said. “We saw how important food is for our bodies.”
Body Venture typically visits elementary schools across the Sunflower State. Peggy McAdoo says it’s liable to show up at most any school that qualifies for free or reduced lunches.
“We feed about 300,000 children school meals during the school year on a daily basis, and 20 thousand at our best in the summertime,” McAdoo said. “There’s a huge gap in the number of children who could benefit from this program.”
Organizers say it’s a series of lessons that can make a young person’s body strong.
Learn more about the Body Venture project by visiting their website.
Follow Sean McDowell’s travels via his FOX 4 Facebook page.
