In urban communities, where there are fewer opportunities to learn how to cook with fresh food and fast food is easily accessible, childhood obesity is an increasingly alarming medical concern. University of Illinois Extension and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) have partnered to counter this problem by creating the program "Wise Up Kids Cooking Camp," a free cooking class for children ages 6-14 in the greater East St. Louis metropolitan area.

Wise Up seeks to change children's relationship to food and exercise by teaching them practical cooking skills and healthy, alternative eating habits. Linda Crawl Jackson, Extension Educator, explained "Communities have cultures, so what we're trying to affect with this program is the eating culture in our community here." Wise Up Cooking Classes also supplements their cooking and nutritional education with physical education by incorporating fun exercise activities into every lesson. "The younger the children learn about proper nutrition and exercise, the more likely they are to incorporate these practices into their long-term lifestyles," says Jackson.

This year's cooking classes combine the Eating Smart Being Active and OrganWise Guys curriculums to teach children how to keep their bodies healthy. While Eating Smart Being Active focuses on nutritional knowledge, food safety, and physical activity, OrganWise educates children on how the food they eat affects the functions of their internal organs. By combining these two curriculums, Wise Up not only teaches children how to cook healthy meals, but establishes a direct relationship between what children eat and how it affects their bodies.

The recipes the kids learn provide hands-on experience preparing food and enable them to try new, healthier foods that they can enjoy. Jackson explained, "Often the children have never eaten these foods together before, and they might say 'oh, that's nasty' at first, but then they're in line for seconds." This new relationship with food will extend into their family's lives as well. At the end of each day, the children take home the recipes they prepared in class and can now show their families how to make these meals. According to Jackson, "Many instances people don't know alternatives to how they eat, and these cooking classes provide alternatives for the community."

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