Students take a break from the books to learn how to be healthy this summer



FRANKLIN -- Dozens of Milwaukee students took a break from the books to head to the farm.

"We're going to be able to get active and not be like in the classroom sitting or in the house like watching TV and playing video games," said 4th grader Laura Martinez.

The 4th graders from Vieau Elementary School took a field trip to the Hunger Task Force Farm.

United Healthcare hosted the event to teach kids how to make healthy choices while on summer break.

"When you look at the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, low back pain, common problems in adults as they grow older so we really have to start with these younger generations," said United Healthcare Vice President of Sales and Account Mangement Angela Loberg.

They had a series of activities for the children including healthy twister, where they had to hop on healthy food choices on the mat.

"Apples, almonds, bananas, and other stuff," are the items 4th grader Braydon Schaff said he jumped on.

Students also got to meet professional cyclists.

"United Healthcare sponsors a female pro-cycling team. They race internationally and they're here today to talk to the kids about their nutrition and how they prepare for a race," said Loberg.

Some of the stations revolved around getting physical activity to educate the kids about the importance of exercise.

"It makes your muscles stronger and it's also good for your heart," said Martinez.

These students will be back at the Hunger Task Force Farm next week when they learn how to plant and grow their own fruits and vegetables and also cook with them.

The Hunger Task Force Farm produces hundreds of thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables every year that are delivered for free to the feed the hungry in Milwaukee.

For more information on the farm CLICK HERE.