DIX HILLS
Chestnut Hill ‘Eats The Rainbow’
School creates colorful way to teach kids healthy eating habits
By Stephanie DeLuca/ sdeluca@longislandernews.com

Time and time again parents tell their children to eat their vegetables. But the parents of the PTA at Chestnut Hill Elementary School have taken things a step further.

PTA mothers Sharon Pesner, Celines Brandstetter, Lynn Epstein and Nancy Mahdessian wanted to design a nutritional program to encourage students to make wise choices about their food intake and to teach children the importance of eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Their idea became concrete in the “Eating the Rainbow” nutrition program.

“It’s a school-wide nutrition program that’s going to happen in the classroom,” Pesner said. “The program is based on the fact that if you eat all the colors of the rainbow and all the vegetables and fruits, your body would get all the nutrients it needs for the day.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that most children ages 2 to 18 do not meet the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables – two and a half to six and a half cups per day. Forty percent of adolescents’ nutrition comes from empty calories such as pizza and ice cream, the agency reports. Healthy eating during childhood is important for growth and development as well as preventing health-related problems such as obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, iron deficiency and osteoporosis.

Chestnut Hill first instituted the “Eating the Rainbow” program last year. Pesner said they received a positive response from parents.

This time around, the school will kick off the program with an assembly on Jan. 6, featuring the “Broccoli Rob Show.” During the assembly, performers will sing songs and bring kids on stage to participate in activities.

“This makes kids so excited to eat the rainbow,” she said.

Starting Jan. 9, students will wear a different color every day and bring a fruit or vegetable of that color to school to show their teachers and talk about it during snack time. If a student forgets to bring in an item, there will fruits and vegetables available in the cafeteria.

Pesner said the school is doing this in conjunction with Fuel Up To Play 60, a program sponsored by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League to promote healthy eating habits and active living.

Pesner said Fuel Up To Play 60 approached all schools in the nation to relay the message of eating healthy and exercising. Students can go on their website and pledge that they will eat healthy foods and exercise at least 60 minutes a day.

“What’s good is the athletes are making that connection with eating healthy food and being able to perform better,” Pesner said. “They’re saying if you don’t fuel your body with the right stuff and eat healthy, you won’t be able to perform at your top performance.”

The school is taking a hands-on approach so that students find eating fruits and vegetables enjoyable. Organizers said there will be graphs in each classroom to track the students who brought in their healthy snacks, and students will have graphs and activities to do at home as well.

Pesner said there was also a poster contest, for which students had to design a poster or painting based on a quote such as “Eating the Rainbow.” The top posters will be placed in the entrance hallway of the school. The kids will also have a chance to design their own T-shirt with either a printed picture of their poster or decorate it themselves.
Chestnut Hill also sent their nutritional program to the White House. Since Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move” healthy eating campaign aimed towards children, school leaders thought it would be a good idea to bring their program to the First Lady’s attention.

“We sent a scrapbook to Michelle Obama on what we’re doing and that we’re saying the same message; let’s eat right,” she said. “So we just wanted her to know, ‘We’re a school that agrees with you and this is what we’re doing about it.’”

Schools interested in participating in the “Eating the Rainbow” program can contact Pesner at spesnerpta@gmail.com.