Thousands of North Carolina school children have brushed teeth with a giant toothbrush and filtered through kidneys during tours of the 1,200-square-foot, interactive exhibit The Speedway to Healthy.
Designed to combat childhood obesity, the custom-made exhibit of the human body’s interior was created and is managed by Cooperative Extension at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Unhealthy food choices, low physical activity and other factors pose an alarming threat to public health. One in three North Carolina children and youths between the ages of 10 and 17 is overweight or obese.
More than 20,000 students in kindergarten through fifth grade have toured The Speedway to Healthy since its launch in 2014. These pupils have learned how different behaviors, especially eating habits, affect their bodies and their health.
The Speedway has visited 26 counties across the state in partnership with schools and other child-centered organizations to reduce childhood obesity by helping elementary students learn more about their bodies’ relationship with food.
“What makes The Speedway different from many other health lessons is that it’s not traditional classroom-style learning,” says Dr. Carinthia Cherry, nutrition specialist with Cooperative Extension at A&T. “It’s experiential, hands-on learning, so students get to learn by seeing, thinking and doing.”
Named to reflect North Carolina’s racing tradition, the indoor exhibit features 11 pit stops: Starting Line, Brain, Mouth, Stomach, Small Intestine, Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Bones, Muscles and Skin. After visiting the exhibit, children have learned about the links among nutrition, health and physical activity.
Volunteers are at the heart of the Speedway-to-Healthy experience. Volunteer crew members help assemble the exhibit structure, conduct the five-minute presentations in each pit stop, and take down the exhibit.
Schools and organizations can book The Speedway to Healthy by contacting the 4-H Youth Development or Family and Consumer Sciences agent at their local North Carolina Cooperative Extension Center. The school or organization also must identify an on-site exhibit coordinator. The local school or organization must also sign a use agreement for the exhibit.
The Speedway to Healthy is designed for use with an audience of no fewer than 300 children. A sponsoring organization that is not a school must document its ability to attract at least 300 children to the exhibit as a condition for approval as a host.
Due to special programming support, Cooperative Extension at A&T provides this program to North Carolina schools at no cost.
Learn more about The Speedway to Healthy by visiting the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences website – www.ncat.edu/caes/index.html – and clicking on Cooperative Extension.
Designed to combat childhood obesity, the custom-made exhibit of the human body’s interior was created and is managed by Cooperative Extension at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Unhealthy food choices, low physical activity and other factors pose an alarming threat to public health. One in three North Carolina children and youths between the ages of 10 and 17 is overweight or obese.
More than 20,000 students in kindergarten through fifth grade have toured The Speedway to Healthy since its launch in 2014. These pupils have learned how different behaviors, especially eating habits, affect their bodies and their health.
The Speedway has visited 26 counties across the state in partnership with schools and other child-centered organizations to reduce childhood obesity by helping elementary students learn more about their bodies’ relationship with food.
“What makes The Speedway different from many other health lessons is that it’s not traditional classroom-style learning,” says Dr. Carinthia Cherry, nutrition specialist with Cooperative Extension at A&T. “It’s experiential, hands-on learning, so students get to learn by seeing, thinking and doing.”
Named to reflect North Carolina’s racing tradition, the indoor exhibit features 11 pit stops: Starting Line, Brain, Mouth, Stomach, Small Intestine, Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Bones, Muscles and Skin. After visiting the exhibit, children have learned about the links among nutrition, health and physical activity.
Volunteers are at the heart of the Speedway-to-Healthy experience. Volunteer crew members help assemble the exhibit structure, conduct the five-minute presentations in each pit stop, and take down the exhibit.
Schools and organizations can book The Speedway to Healthy by contacting the 4-H Youth Development or Family and Consumer Sciences agent at their local North Carolina Cooperative Extension Center. The school or organization also must identify an on-site exhibit coordinator. The local school or organization must also sign a use agreement for the exhibit.
The Speedway to Healthy is designed for use with an audience of no fewer than 300 children. A sponsoring organization that is not a school must document its ability to attract at least 300 children to the exhibit as a condition for approval as a host.
Due to special programming support, Cooperative Extension at A&T provides this program to North Carolina schools at no cost.
