Family learning through school holiday fun

A school holiday programme was successfully used by New Plymouth's Bell Block Community Action Group to promote growing vegetables, healthy food and physical activity.

Bell Block is a low socio-economic community and the Action Group has worked for the past four years to improve nutrition and increase physical activity in the area.

Last October the Action Group worked with a wide range of organisations, including schools and preschools, to run a school holiday programme targeted at both the children and their parents. HSC provided some funding support.

Spokesperson Rachel Roche, who is pastor at Northpoint Church, says the goal of the programme was to motivate parents and children to learn about growing vegetables, cooking healthy food and increasing physical activity.

"We did this by providing healthy morning teas and lunches, cooking sessions, practical gardening and playing games that families could play back home at minimal cost."

Rachel says there was huge demand from families wanting to attend the programme, which resulted in turning a number of people away. Ten volunteers and six senior students from Puketapu Primary School helped run the event each day.

"These students were very actively involved and acted as role models for other younger children from the same school attending the programme."

Involvement of parents was one of the most effective aspects of the programme, Rachel says.

"A number of the parents commented that it was the first time they had seen their children eat certain vegetables and that the programme gave them new ideas about family meals."

She believes the church-based venue also worked well, with facilities to accommodate all activities and ages, and there was no negative feedback from participants about the programme. Comments included:

• "kids learning to cook"
• "great ideas for family time together"
• "easy ways to make pizzas, healthy food and entertainment for kids"
• "new games"
• "my children like vegetables and fruit".

Tips from the Bell Block Community Action Group:

• By including several community groups (eg schools, church, Heart Foundation, kindergarten, Sport Taranaki, etc) our effect was wide reaching, our strengths were used, and resources pooled for the good of the community.
• Make sure you are ready for questions about when the next programme will run - feedback and inquires have been overwhelming.
• Having parents involved meant we were encouraging healthy interaction in families.