WHETHER it’s a superhero apple or an octopus melon, West Warrnambool Primary School pupils have proven fruit can be just as appealing to the eye as unhealthy snacks.
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Medicare Local and other health organisations have come together to improve schoolyard nutrition with the Lunchbox Blitz program piloted in six south-west schools.
South-west artist Shelley Knoll-Miller said the project was student-run with the pupils able to dream up their own classroom activity focused on nutrition.
“It’s all about making healthy food options more accessible,” she said.
“There’s plenty of advertising and colourful packaging of products which are generally unhealthy but the aim of this project is to make fruit just as interesting.”
The project, which works in co-operation with the South West Primary Care Partnership, follows research carried out two years ago which showed 50 per cent of children’s lunchboxes contained at least one packaged snack.
More than 20 per cent contained one or more serves of biscuits and 26 per cent contained a form of cake.
Grade 6 pupil Malka Yota constructed an octopus superhero and said the activity was different to most classroom lessons.
Another pupil, Tori Miller, put some thought into the back story of his fruit-based character.
“Mine is a superhero called ‘Superapple’ like Superman and his only weakness is ‘cryptosugar’,” the grade 6 pupil said.
