In a screened-off portion of a lunchroom at the Norwalk Salvation Army, Dawn Winkle distributes long ribbons and leads group after group of kids in a dance to the children’s song “Fruit Salad.”

“Keep the streamers moving through the whole song,” Winkle says, waving her own streamer high, then low, then all around. As the music ends, she dares the group to try one of six “scary” fruits and vegetables she brought to the Summer Feeding Program in a “Fear Factor” take-off. One tries mizuna: “It’s weird.” Another tastes jicama — is it good? “Yes!”

Winkle, an Ohio State University Extension program assistant in Huron and Richland counties, brought Jump Into Foods and Fitness (JIFF) to the site once or twice a week all summer. “This is a unique opportunity for us to work with these children,” she said.

The Salvation Army’s Sondra Anderson said 95 percent of the children come from families at or below the poverty level: “Dawn is helping children who normally don’t get served.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in six children and adolescents are overweight, and more than six in 10 do not participate in organized physical activities outside of school. That’s why Extension brought JIFF to Ohio from Michigan, where it was developed. OSU Extension has made JIFF possible at after-school and summer programs, camps, schools, and similar programs since 2004. So far, more than 11,000 children have participated in 36 counties.

Children and teens also can participate in cycling, horseback riding, health, and nutrition projects through Extension’s 4-H Youth Development program. Plus, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) has a 4-H youth component in 11 urban counties.

And, Snackwise, a new project in conjunction with Columbus Children’s Hospital, helps middle and high school students choose healthier snacks. In a 2005-06 pilot at 15 schools throughout the state, students and other volunteers examined nutrition information on vending machine snacks and used the Snackwise Nutrition Rating System to label them “green,” “yellow,” or “red,” indicating “best choice,” “choose occasionally,” or “choose rarely.”

Results are still being compiled, but the system was a hit at Bowling Green High School, said Deb Kelly, marketing teacher and advisor for a student marketing organization. Members of the organization developed handouts, letters to parents, posters, displays, and contest promotions, and found more than half of students made healthier choices because of Snackwise.
“I was surprised at how nutrition-conscious some of these students became,” Kelly said. Healthy choices, starting early, is the key, and OSU Extension is making the difference.