Internship Update: Community

With only about three months left in this internship, I can't believe how fast time has gone by. I feel like it was yesterday (Reality= August) when I was starting out in the hospital. I just wrapped up my first site of the community rotation and am into my first week at site number two. Let's recap my last few weeks at Head Start:

 I gave an introduction to the Head Start policy council on My Plate (I like to call it My Love. I was not a fan of the Food Pyramid.). While I did have a handout on pre-school portions (English and Spanish thanks to the office translator), the bottom line is make half your plate veggies and fruit. In the background you'll see my wonderful, talented preceptor  who I am missing very much!

My favorite project was the 'Healthy Food Experience'. Each month, classrooms are required to create a cooking or taste test session to promote healthy food exposure. My preceptor and I picked sweet potatoes which are a personal favorite of mine. The students helped us make sweet potato pancakes and nearly all of the kids enjoyed them! Even though we did this project in two different classrooms, both groups of kids made comments about :

• the pancake batter dribbles on the griddle being 'pancake seeds'
• wanting to smell everything (cloves, cinnamon....flour?)
• feeling the need to attempt to reach out and touch the hot griddle

With extra batter, the office ladies helped us finish the leftovers from our classroom excursion. Head Start was an amazing experience thanks to the people who helped me in the office. Social workers, administrators, and my preceptor gave me lots of tips and words of wisdom. And on the last day, they gave me falafel, pie (raspberry peach!), and flowers.

Now I'm in community rotation number two, WIC (Women Infants and Children). Stay tuned for the full community experience,

-Carlene Future RD