The Cooperative Extension Program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University launches its custom-made exhibit of the human body’s interior, called the Speedway to Healthy, at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, at the Alumni-Foundation Event Center.
Scores of Guilford County elementary students will filter through kidneys and squeeze waste from a small intestine, during the launch of a 1,200-square-foot, interactive teaching tool designed to combat childhood obesity.
More than 100 students from Hampton Elementary University Partnership Magnet will tour the exhibit from noon to 2 p.m., and the event is also expected to attract health-and-childhood educators and volunteers, along with N.C. A&T officials.
Designed for children in grades K-5, Speedway to Healthy replicates the interior of the human body and teaches children about their bodies’ relationships with food. The exhibit was named to reflect North Carolina racing traditions, and it features 11 pit stops that range from the mouth to the small intestine and points in between, including muscles and skin.
In North Carolina, which has the 23rd highest childhood obesity rate in the country, the incidence of overweight and obese children ages 10 to 17 is 31 percent—affecting nearly one of every three children in the state. Obesity is defined as having excess body fat, while overweight is determined by body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Created by Cooperative Extension specialists Drs. Claudette Smith and Carinthia Cherry, Speedway to Healthy equips North Carolina youth with research-based learning and outreach in a fun way that helps start and sustain healthful practices.
Although the checkered flag comes down at A&T on Dec. 11, the Speedway to Healthy exhibit will travel statewide, in partnership with schools and other child-centered organizations, to help elementary students learn more about their bodies’ relationship with food and ultimately reverse the incidences of childhood obesity.
For more information, call 336-285-4383 or click here to register.
FLL, FTC STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNEYS TO BE HELD ON CAMPUS
The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) and FIRST TECH Challenge (FTC) state championship tournaments will be held in Corbett Sports Center, Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 17–18, and Saturday, Feb. 14, respectively.
Coaches, teams, parents and volunteers from across North Carolina will be in attendance. All tournaments are free and open to the public.
FLL utilizes LEGO Mindstorms technology and is designed to give students ages 9-14 practice in solving real-world engineering challenges, developing important life skills and making positive contributions to society. FTC uses a sports model and is designed for students in grades 7-12. Teams are responsible for designing, building and programming their robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams.
N.C. A&T serves as an affiliate partner for US FIRST. For more information, contact Dr. Kory L. Bennett, director for robotics outreach/lecturer at N.C. A&T and NC FLL and FTC affiliate partner representative, at 336-285-4990 or Kory@ncat.edu.
Designed for children in grades K-5, Speedway to Healthy replicates the interior of the human body and teaches children about their bodies’ relationships with food.
N.C. A&T serves as an affiliate partner for US FIRST.