Crafting at Home: From MyPlate to Your Plate

​           Hello all! I hope this blog finds everyone safe and healthy. As you all know, I am preparing for the Miss Missouri competition as Miss St. Charles County. My social impact initiative- Healthy Nutrition for a Stronger Generation, seeks to educate youth on what a balanced diet looks like and the importance of it in their everyday lives. As we have all had to stay home over the past month, I have had to get creative with ways to share this initiative!
            This week, I had the opportunity to prepare and distribute craft kits to the Boys and Girls Club of Columbia. These kits came with instructions and materials for the kids to build their own “MyPlate” based off of USDA guidelines. Sponsored by Hyvee, I was able to create 150 of these! I can’t wait to make more, but for now I thought I would share this craft with you all so you could try it out for yourself. This is perfect for teaching young kids to get excited about nutrition!
 MyPlate Craft: How-To
Materials:

• Paper plate
• Glue (a glue stick is perfect for this-and for keeping little hands clean!)
• Scissors
• A magazine or grocery store circular with an assortment of food pictures to choose from

Step 1. Review the USDA MyPlate guidelines
-30% grains (whole grains are best!)
-40% vegetables
-10% fruit
-20% protein
MyPlate also shows a small circle for dairy products, you can choose to add this too if you want!
Step 2. Cut out your foods
Take your magazine or circular and start looking for foods that meet these requirements. The more color the better!
Step 3. Paste these foods onto your paper plate according to the MyPlate proportions
If you are anything like me, your artistic skills may not be the most organized, but we aren’t striving for perfection here!
Step 4. Print off the MyPlate Pledge certificate and take a picture with your plate! Then, send me the photo on social media @Miss St. Charles County 2020 and I will post it with the hashtag #MyPlatePledge. 
 
I have really enjoyed doing this in the classroom with kids and although I am sad that I can no longer do it in person, but I am so excited about creating these kits for people to take home and enjoy! If you know of any clubs or organizations that would like some of these kits, please contact me and let me know. Even though our normal lives have been put on pause, it’s still important to find new ways to complete our goals. This is such a fun activity for kids to teach them how to build a balanced plate. Parents, I hope this craft will be a good use of some of that extra time at home and gives you an idea of how to teach your kids about nutrition! Now get crafting and have some fun!

-Ashley Voeller is a college student, future dietitian, dancer and blogger
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