Kids camping takes the challenge!: Use healthy messages to make the camp experience AWE-some!

Camping Magazine, Jan, 2002 by Vickie L. James, Claudia L. Hohnbaum

The menu challenges? The greatest challenge was young, very young, inexperienced cooks, with limited food purchasing, meal planning, or quantity food preparation skills. Making sure the food needed was on hand, planning time for all the necessary meal preparations, and then making sure the recipes were calculated to serve the correct number created new challenges in this kitchen. What was the key to successful healthy changes? Healthy Kids Challenge assistant director, Claudia Hohnbaum, MA., R.D., L.D., and two Kansas State University dietetic students spent time at Chalk Hills Camp doing staff in-service that first week of camp. Read this journal entry, from the lead HKC trainer for the camp, Claudia Hohnbaum. "We started blazing new trails right away. From rolling up our sleeves to helping in the kitchen to encouraging the cook staff and helping the camp staff feel that they could lead the way to healthy change for the girls, this was the beginning of a big, but promising Challenge!" The success story is th at the overall food budget for the camp was maintained while campers and staff alike shouted "yummy" and "awesome" to menu changes! While healthy, delicious entrees, such as Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Potatoes and Barbecue Pizza Bites filled the stomachs of hungry campers and put smiles on their faces, hard work and the positive attitude of the young cook staff was the true key to the successful menu revamping.

The challenges didn't just stop with the menu cycle. Since snacks are a big part of the caloric intake of the camper, these too saw changes. Healthier choices, such as popcorn, raisins, cheese and crackers, and juice were added to the high sugar candy and soda options. This kept with the HKC philosophy that all foods can fit in a balanced Food Guide Pyramid. Frequency, portion sizes, and food/beverage choices were the lessons learned with snacking at camp.

One of the discoveries made with the HKC recommendations for healthy camp changes was that there were not as many physical activity opportunities at camp as most assume they would find with a camp experience. Schedules, time to get from one place to another, time spent with rules and directions, and many program activities not incorporating physical activity or movement were found to be the primary reasons for this. Without totally revamping the program schedule, how could more activity and movement be added to the schedule? More physical activity options were added during "me-time" such as movement activities at meal time, and the Trail to Good Health, a fitness/health trail, located in the center of camp where campers were encouraged to follow the trail to help build health-related awareness.

Following are a few of the Healthy Kids Challenge changes incorporated at Chalk Hills Camp this past summer:

* Wellness Bulletin Board -- A bulletin board dedicated to fun, healthy, eye-catching tips, ideas, and information. Located in the dining hall, often with camper healthy trivia quizzes.

* Me-Times -- More physical activity options offered during free time, focusing on fun and movement, not exercise as a goal.