News Stories - Page 224

In 2005, as an undergraduate student in the University of Georgia’s dietetics and consumer foods program, Janice Giddens wrote an essay as part of her application to the International Agriculture Certificate program: “Teaching people the importance of growing indigenous and nutritious foods is as important as teaching them why they should consume them. This program will give me the ability to do this.”

For many children, heading back to school in the fall often means heading back to the world of sniffles, sneezes and coughs. When hundreds of students come together in the same building for the start of the school year, germs and viruses will be around, but that doesn’t mean families need to resign themselves to staying sick.

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences agents, like Rockdale County’s MaryBeth Hornbeck, teach people to cook healthier meals. Thanks to a grant from the Hospital Authority of Rockdale County, Hornbeck now travels across the county with a portable kitchen.

Kids can start choosing their own snacks at a fairly early age, but they still need parents to help them make healthy food choices well into adolescence. When older students come home from school before their parents, choosing nutritious after-school snacks can be challenging. Parents can have more influence on their children’s choices by working with kids to plan after-school snacks.

With kids in after-school activities and adults working full-time jobs, ensuring that the family is eating, much less eating right, can be a challenge. Making well-rounded meals or snacks is easier when parents get into the habit of thinking ahead.

Olivia Forrest experienced rejection and bullying, but no one would believe her until one principal stood up and made a difference in her life.

Georgia students and teachers at 50 school and community gardens across the state will launch the inaugural Pollinator Census Project this August. The data will shed light on pollinator populations in Georgia and how well the native ground cover — the ‘Snow Flurry’ aster — can support them.

Over the past decade, the numbers of school gardens across Georgia has grown rapidly, and these gardens have become vital to the teaching process. Once seen primarily as a way to teach students about the importance of fresh vegetables and proper nutrition, the school garden has become a classroom resource that covers much of the curriculum.

Sustainable, efficient agricultural practices will be featured at this year’s Northern Nut Growers Association (NNGA) annual conference, which will be held at the Tifton Campus Conference Center from Aug. 13-16.

Think back to your teenage years. Did you feel awkward, especially given the changes with your body and emotions? Today’s teens are no different. They are quiet, forgetful and sometimes even surly. They consume large amounts of food and sleep all the time. If I sound like I know them well, I do. I have two teenagers in my home and I have to remind myself daily that they are not little adults. They are experiencing monumental changes that affect their interactions.