THE PROJECT
“Fruit Super Squad: Healthy Schools” it’s a two-year Strategic Partnership for Exchange of Good Practices in School Education, and involves public schools and non-profit private organizations, from Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.
“Fruit Super Squad: Healthy Schools” aims an exchange of good practices between partners, to develop a European Methodology for promoting healthy eating habits in schools, for children aged 3-10.
Our work is based on a good practice from Portugal – “Fruit Heroes”, and with exchange of knowledge, practices and support from European partners, we will adapt the methodology for European implementation and create “Fruit Super Squad” methodology.
«Fruit Heroes» is, firstly, the name of the health education initiative that APCOI-Portuguese Association against Childhood Obesity develops since 2011 and has already improved the life habits of 312,710 students, 15,758 classes, 4,497 Pre-school and 1st cycle educational establishments in all districts in Portugal.
WHY WE NEED THIS PROJECT?
According to WHO, obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. Its prevalence has tripled in many countries of the WHO European Region since the 1980s, and the numbers of those affected continue to rise at an alarming rate. In addition to causing various physical disabilities and psychological problems, excess weight drastically increases a person’s risk of
developing a number of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
The school is a privileged and decisive place for the promotion of health, namely for the daily teaching and practice of healthy eating and physical activity. It is recognized the importance and efficacy of food education, alongside actions of health promotion and education, when the acquisition of healthy eating behaviours during childhood is intended. Food education presents itself as an
essential component of learning in a school context, since the school is the place where children spend much of their day.
FRUIT SUPER SQUAD
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
FRUIT SUPER SQUAD is a program that aims to improve health through food and also the superpowers that feed children's imagination!
This program methodology has a minimum recommended duration of 5 consecutive school weeks, it's reccomended for children from 3 to 10 years old, and we will provide you all materials needed! Nothing written is mandatory, it is only pedagogical suggestions based on a model that uses non-formal education techniques to facilitate the adoption of healthy eating habits by children, tested in the last 10 years in Portugal.
You can adapt ALL the suggestions presented here to better suit the context of your country, your school and, of course, your class.
To receive all Fruit Super Squad program materials, you just need to register, for free, on Fruit Super Squad European Network in the section above.
FRUIT SUPER SQUAD
EUROPEAN NETWORK
Join our Fruit Super Squad European Network by filling in this FORM! Within 7 days you will receive in your email all the project materials for free.
Implement the program in your school and share the results with us to be upload in the map!
