Greetings! My name is Nicole Gaudet, and I am a distance intern from the Fall 2017 cohort with a concentration in pediatrics. I am currently in my advanced clinical rotation at UConn John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington, CT. During my community rotation, I worked with a dietitian who was running her second, Team Nutrition Cooks program at an elementary school in East Hartford, CT. This new USDA program seeks to increase knowledge of basic nutrition and food handling skills in kids.
On Thursday’s, I would head over to the school where a bunch of rambunctious 3rd to 5th graders were excitedly waiting for “Cooking Club” to start. Boy, do they have a lot of built up energy by the end of the school day! One rule that we emphasized at the beginning of every class was, “Don’t yuck my yum”. This means the kids were not allowed to make comments like, “Ew!” “That’s gross!” or “I don’t like that!” because it may hurt other classmates feelings who do like that particular food. We also conducted a taste test of ingredients, where I was pleasantly surprised to see how excited the kids were to try fruits and vegetables. Every dietitian’s dream, right?
I had a blast teaching the kids how to use knives, vegetable peelers, crack eggs, and more. Each class built upon skills from previous lessons so I was able to see them progress with each week. They also completed a pre- and post-test that I created, where they showed improvement in the identification of kitchen tools, food items, how often they eat fruits and vegetables, and how willing they are to try new foods. We ended the program with a recognition ceremony for the kids and their parents, where the kids received a certificate and mini chef hat. These kids were a true joy to work with and I can’t wait to continue my career working with children!
On Thursday’s, I would head over to the school where a bunch of rambunctious 3rd to 5th graders were excitedly waiting for “Cooking Club” to start. Boy, do they have a lot of built up energy by the end of the school day! One rule that we emphasized at the beginning of every class was, “Don’t yuck my yum”. This means the kids were not allowed to make comments like, “Ew!” “That’s gross!” or “I don’t like that!” because it may hurt other classmates feelings who do like that particular food. We also conducted a taste test of ingredients, where I was pleasantly surprised to see how excited the kids were to try fruits and vegetables. Every dietitian’s dream, right?
I had a blast teaching the kids how to use knives, vegetable peelers, crack eggs, and more. Each class built upon skills from previous lessons so I was able to see them progress with each week. They also completed a pre- and post-test that I created, where they showed improvement in the identification of kitchen tools, food items, how often they eat fruits and vegetables, and how willing they are to try new foods. We ended the program with a recognition ceremony for the kids and their parents, where the kids received a certificate and mini chef hat. These kids were a true joy to work with and I can’t wait to continue my career working with children!
