SACRAMENTO, Calif. — To ring in the New Year, Dairy Council of California is releasing its revised third-grade Shaping Up My Choices nutrition education program on January 7, 2019. Dairy Council of California offers free nutrition curriculum to kindergarten through 12th-grade California classrooms. The launch of this program is the first in a series of program updates that will roll out over the next few years.
The new Shaping Up My Choices program’s five lessons teach fundamental nutrition principles that align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Teachers report the lessons are easy to use and effective at teaching healthy eating. Materials include individual student workbooks that are visually appealing and engaging. The program also has a strong technology component, with seamless integration of digital resources and activities that are relevant to each topic. A web portal includes parent nutrition education resources, recipes, videos and online assessments.
“Shaping Up My Choices encompasses what we value as a company as well as the direction we are heading,” said Maureen Bligh, Dairy Council of California’s Director of Resource Development and Marketing. “With lessons that cover topics from the food groups and the importance of breakfast to healthy snacking and farming practices, we are empowering children with the skills they need to create lifelong healthy habits.”
Shaping Up My Choices was created in alignment with California’s Common Core State Standards and includes collaborative group assignments that deepen students’ understanding of nutrition while providing opportunities to practice speaking and listening skills. “Shaping Up My Choices serves up a menu of engaging and enriching nutrition lessons that educate students about healthy food choices while expanding their ability to think critically and communicate with their peers,” said Karen Bailey, elementary school teacher and consultant on the revised program.
Through the innovative changes in Shaping Up My Choices, Dairy Council of California is trailblazing in the realm of nutrition education and inspiring students to take on nutrition as their own responsibility. The subject of nutrition is a natural fit with Common Core State Standards, and Dairy Council of California invites California educators to join in the cause of elevating nutrition education by teaching Shaping Up My Choices, as well as its other grade-level specific educational programs.
To learn more today and order free revised Shaping Up My Choices lesson plans which include English and Spanish student workbooks and teacher guides on January 7th, please visit: HealthyEating.org/SMC.
About Dairy Council of California
Founded in 1919, Dairy Council of California partners with educators, health professionals and communities to elevate the health of children and families through the pursuit of lifelong healthy eating habits. Funded by California’s dairy farm families and local milk processors, Dairy Council of California’s science-based nutrition education resources, Mobile Dairy Classroom assemblies, training programs and online tools reach millions in California and throughout the United States. Learn more at HealthyEating.org.
