The Gallatin County Cooperative Extension Service 4-H Youth Development Agent, Lora Stewart and  Family & Consumer Sciences Agent, Ronda Rex collaborated with the Gallatin County Lower and Upper Elementary School Librarian to conduct LEAP once a month throughout the school year. The purpose of having this program is teach children healthy eating habits at a very young age. It also introduces them to new foods.  The program reached 326 primary students (3- to 4-year-olds and K-3^rd grades).   The schedule for the year included:

My Plate and Jack and the Hungry Giant/The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Focus on Healthy Snacks and Smelly Ghost and Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie

Dental Hygiene and Healthy Eating and Clarabella’s Teeth 

Think Your Drink and Rodeo Ron and His Milkshake Cows

Making Food Healthy and The Little Red Hen Bakes a Pizza

Trying New Foods and Green Eggs and Ham

Physical Activity for All and Dinosaur Diner and IQ Gets Fit

The children completed hands-on projects such as how to create a MY Plate, how to properly brush their teeth, how to construct their own pizza, how to make a smoothie in a bag, how to do fun exercises and how to dance using dance streamers to achieve physical activity.  Parents received the LEAP newsletter each month that informed them of the highlighted book, hands-on activities, and foods that the children learned about and tried.  The children also took home their hands-on projects. 

At the beginning of each class, the Librarian and Extension Agents discussed with the students about their learning goal for the day and how to reach their goal.  An end of year evaluation with Librarian, Amanda O’Connor, revealed that each child achieved their learning goals for each class in each grade.