All grant recipients engage students in at least one health-related project, coordinated jointly by teachers and students. These project-based learning activities engage and empower students to utilize the information they learned in the classroom and apply it in a larger context.
Video of 2021-22 Grantee Projects:
Video of 2019-20 Grantee Projects:
Video of 2018-19 Grantee Projects:
Here are some samples of projects that our grant partners have done.
Community Gardens
New Beginnings (Flagler County Schools) coordinated with a local elementary school to plant, maintain, and harvest a vegetable garden. They used the fresh produce in healthy recipes and developed their own cookbook.
Learn to Read St. Johns County and Sarasota YMCA have also had great success with their community gardens. This project encourages student leadership and confidence plus provides families with healthy foods.
CPR
Many grant partners have trained students in Basic Life Support (CPR and First Aid). This is a fantastic learning experience as students learn key vocabulary about the body, as well as lifesaving skills. For many students, earning a certification brings increased confidence. At Daytona State College, a teacher became a certified CPR instructor (which a relatively easy process). This allowed her to spend more time teaching the basics of the course in order to meet her students' needs.
Experiments
Miami Dade College students participate in hands-on science experiments each year. In 2018, students focused on how the human body absorbs over-the-counter medications.
Field Trips
Literacy Council of Sarasota has partnered with All Faith's Food Bank to provide students with an educational field trip to Publix. Students learn how to read food labels, use coupons, navigate store floor plans, and avoid unhealthy choices. Students who meet the challenge of developing healthy meals plans on a budget are given store gift cards.
Students at Learn to Read St. Johns take a trip to a local organic farm to learn tips for their community garden.
Several other programs have taken field trips to the Florida Blue Center, pharmacies, doctor’s offices, hospitals, fire stations, county agencies, and exercise facilities.
Health Contests
Literacy Volunteers of Gadsden County implemented a “Biggest Loser” contests based on the healthy eating section of Staying Healthy. It resulted in the group of 46 losing a total of 650 pounds and 1,000 waistline inches.
After a lesson on BMI and a healthy weight, the Florida State College at Jacksonville distributed pedometers and hosted a competition to see who could walk 10,000 steps/day.
Students at the School District of DeSoto County Family Literacy and ESOL programs started a 100-Mile Club. Every morning, the entire building is invited to walk for 15 minutes. Students set individual goal levels and are recognized when they meet them. Seven students have reached the 100+ mile mark!
Health Fairs and Guest Presenters
Host a health fair, block party, or community bazaar partnering with community organizations to provide Body Mass Index education, blood pressure screenings, cholesterol checks, diabetes information, nutrition guidelines, etc.
Have students present on special topics in health literacy that aren’t in the curriculum to the whole class.
The Adult Learning Center of Osceola had an extremely successful health fair with many county agencies and organizations sharing information. ESOL students at all levels participated and took valuable resources home.
Many programs have invited guests to speak to their programs. These include doctors, nurses, dentists, WIC representatives, diabetes specialists, massage therapists, and fire fighters.
Health Recipe Books
Have students make favorite family recipes using healthy ingredients, and develop a recipe book. Host a food tasting; get students to develop daily/weekly healthy menus to post on YouTube.
Students at DeSoto County Education Foundation were part of an interactive nutrition project that included research, grocery shopping, and a cooking lesson.
Students at the Language Learning Center developed an international Cooking Around the World Cookbook.
Students at Broward County Community Schools partnered with FLIPANY to hold cooking classes using traditional recipes updated to be healthier.
The Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County created a student cookbook. This cookbook is comprised of recipes from the native countries of the adult learners. As a class, students adapted recipes to include healthier ingredients.
Orlando Tech created a sample weekly menu for people with diabetes that was researched and compiled by the students. As part of the project, students gave an oral presentation about diabetes and the menu they created to another class at their center.
Posters and Presentations:
Students at El Sol investigated how much sugar is contained in their favorite foods.
Miami Dade College students pick topics such as stress management, nutrition and heart disease to research. Then, they present the findings to other students and staff.
United Food Bank of Plant City developed a directory of free and low-cost medical resources in the community. The directory was printed and distributed to clients of the food bank.
The Parent Academy of St. Lucie County assigned students to groups to investigate health topics of their choice and educated their classmates about them.
Manatee Technical College created poster collages with examples of foods to eat and what not to eat.
Parent Academy Students created a video (.mp4) showing what they learned during their health literacy class.
World Relief in Jacksonville created instructional videos on hand washing, how to read a medicine label, and demonstrating the amount of sugar contained in one can of soda.
During pilot testing for the grant, Orlando Tech created Staying Healthy (.mov) a movie written and acted out by the students. As part of the project, the teacher arranged for this movie to play on a looping basis on the school’s CCTV system.
Orlando Tech also created the Doctor Song. This is a song written and performed by the students. As part of the project, the class performed for another class at the center.
Students from Motivational Edge created and produced a rap regarding health knowledge and nutrition.
Literacy Council of Sarasota has partnered with All Faith's Food Bank to provide students with an educational field trip to Publix. Students learn how to read food labels, use coupons, navigate store floor plans, and avoid unhealthy choices. Students who meet the challenge of developing healthy meals plans on a budget are given store gift cards.
Students at Learn to Read St. Johns take a trip to a local organic farm to learn tips for their community garden.
Literacy Volunteers of Gadsden County implemented a “Biggest Loser” contests based on the healthy eating section of Staying Healthy. It resulted in the group of 46 losing a total of 650 pounds and 1,000 waistline inches. 
Host a health fair, block party, or community bazaar partnering with community organizations to provide Body Mass Index education, blood pressure screenings, cholesterol checks, diabetes information, nutrition guidelines, etc.
Students at Broward County Community Schools partnered with FLIPANY to hold cooking classes using traditional recipes updated to be healthier.
Students at El Sol investigated how much sugar is contained in their favorite foods.