The Body Venture Experience
by Robin Kolterman
February 08, 2010
Being turned into a food item and swallowed by a giant mouth was all part of the Body Venture experience for students in grades Kindergarten to 5th grade last Tuesday. One hundred and twenty six students participated in eleven different stations throughout the 45 x 50 foot exhibit where they learned the importance of good nutrition and physical fitness.
When students were asked to name their favorite part of Body Venture, quite a few mentioned the brain dome. First grader Caidin Meyer described it as, "Squishy on the bottom and had lights on the side." Chloe Fischer, also a first grader, said, "We learned the brain is the boss of the body." Fifth grader, Adam Kopp, who also enjoyed the brain dome, remarked, "We talked about how the skull protects the brain and that you should wear a helmet to protect the brain when riding a bike."
Morghan Owens, first grader, stated she liked the mouth station and getting to sit on the giant teeth. "We learned you should always brush your teeth," she explained. Second grader, Dakota Gilchrist added that he learned, "You shouldn't eat much sugar, like in pop, or you can get a yucky mouth."
The success of Body Venture would not have been possible without the help of many volunteers. Twenty-nine parents, teachers, students and community members came together the night before the event to set up the exhibit in an awesome display of teamwork, setting a record of one hour and twenty-five minutes for set up time that can take up to three hours. Kathy Thompson, Body Venture Coordinator, commented that she had never seen a group work together so well and with the ability to see what needed to be done on their own to set up the framework and walls
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The Body Venture event was a huge success and was made possible through the monetary contributions of the Onaga Grade School Parents organization and the local Lion's Club. It is wonderful to live in a small community that comes together in all forms of ways for an event such as this that benefits our children's health and education.
