Amherst Elementary Schools Mixing Nutrition Into Curriculum

Cathy Duchesne is an Amherst mother who truly believes that “nutritious food is delicious food,” and it is her quest to make sure the kids believe it too.

She started Kids Culinary Arts three years ago to provide children with nutrition and cooking educational programs, which are now being integrated into the Clark/Wilkins Elementary curriculum.

The plan is to combine health and nutrition education with a math and science curriculum that meets common core standards, according to Duchesne. This integration of food into everyday lessons in the classroom is called “Delish-Nutrish!”

“Our children don’t get a health education until the fifth grade,” she said. “ I want them to have the knowledge and skills they need to understand why it is important to make healthy food choices.”

Duchesne tested the concept of in K-4 classrooms last year with positive results. For example, she taught first grade students about the different parts of a vegetable and used them to make art, while kindergarten students were given a lesson of colonial history while they worked on a recipe from that era.

Her idea is to give students the education they are already getting, while they learn to appreciate the culinary arts and healthy dietary choices.

Placing this culinary expert in the classroom creates a learning environment known as a learning studio, which is a unique approach to education. In this setting teachers and school systems partner with members of the community with specific knowledge to enrich student learning. Maryland schools are enacting a similar concept by having NASA rocket scientists come in and teach students about science.

She said that her goal is to integrate her lessons into the curriculum in a way that is cost-efficient and does not put additional burdens on the teachers. After the first learning curve, they should be able to operate the hybrid curriculum independently.

Duchesne hopes to provide forty unique lesson plans per year once her curriculum is established. That would equal 200 lessons on health and nutrition in a five-year period and give students a head start on their wellness.

The development of the curriculum is still in its infancy, but Duchesne hopes to launch it sometime next year. She will be meeting with school officials this year to design and deploy this program together, with at least one health lesson link to the elementary school curriculum this year. 

SAU #39 will be a “living lab” for this new take on curriculum that could spread to other New Hampshire schools. The  NH  Department  of  Education  has partnered with Kids Culinary Arts on a interdisciplinary Nutritional  Health  curriculum of cooking as the medium and nourishing food as a key learning  tool to teach students the importance of sound nutrition. 

“Childhood obesity compromises a child’s health, which in turn compromises their ability to learn. In teaming with organizations like Kids Culinary Arts, we continue to work at creating a school environment which promotes healthy behaviors and provides opportunities for students to learn about and practice healthy eating while meeting core curriculum standards,” said NH Commissioner of  Education Dr. Virginia  M.  Barry in a press release.

The goal of these initiatives is to reverse the harmful and far-reaching physical, academic, social, and emotional problems that are currently plaguing our children and nation as a result of the childhood obesity epidemic. Statistics show that one in three children in America are obese, and changing eating habits and awareness early can make a difference in their future dietary choices.

“A kids palette can be influenced much before they are 10 years old,” said Duchesne.

She added that children who are exposed to healthy foods in a fun and comfortable setting are more likely to choose them over less healthier options. They can also influence the health of their parents when they opt for better foods at the supermarket.

While she is working to bring her talents to the classroom, Duchesne continues to nourish the minds and bodies of children in her after school enrichment programs Healthy Kids in the Kitchen. Her quest continues to be bringing out the culinary artist in children and leading them down a healthier path.

“Kids love to cook, we just need to get them in there. They think that cracking eggs is like winning the lottery.”

For more information, visit KidsCulinaryArts.com.