Teachers from Juanita Blakely Jones Elementary School in the San Bernardino City Unified School District have been a part of the EFNEP program for many years. This year, 1^st and 2^nd grade teachers participated in the new virtual youth EFNEP program. The first grade students learned about the importance of taking care of your body by eating healthy, sleeping and being physically active from the My Amazing Body curriculum. The second graders learned about healthy snacking, the importance of breakfast, food safety and exercise from the Good For You and Me curriculum. Students and their teachers met live via Google Meets with their nutrition educator each week for 6 weeks. Fillable PDFs and Google Forms were available for all students via Google Classroom to complete worksheets and evaluations. The lessons started with a storybook reading related to the lesson topic, followed by interactive virtual games and a nutrition lesson. The final lesson topic included proper hand washing, which will be an important skill to know as students return to in person learning.  

To show appreciation for their dedication to improving the health of all students, teachers were invited to participate in a freezer jam and seed paper making workshop provided by UCCE's Master Food Preserve and Master Gardener Programs. Kits were provided to teachers ahead of time to enable them to participate during the live demonstration. The freezer jam kit included a container, pectin and the jam recipe. Teachers were encouraged to provide their favorite fresh or frozen berries to use as they followed along. The workshop started with the Master Food Preserver Coordinator demonstrating the jam making process while incorporating important food safety, hand washing and storage techniques. Jam making was followed by seed paper making. The Master Gardener Coordinator provided a kit including a basket, screens, and sponges for teachers to follow along. This fun craft was a perfect gift or could be planted in their garden.

UCCE San Bernardino is looking forward to another workshop for teachers in the spring!