Smart Choices Youth is a community nutrition education program of the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter for Grades 5- 8. There are 10 lessons covering important topics such as label reading, breakfast and snacks, and the food groups. Lessons include PowerPoint slides, handouts, interactive activities, and discussions. The curriculum is based off the Smart Choices curriculum for adults.
The ten lessons each consist of a lesson booklet for educators, fact sheets, and a Power Point slideshow. Also included is the MyPyramid for Kids poster and the "Finding Your Way to a Healthier You" booklet from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Each lesson includes a specific learning activity, key concepts, objectives, materials listed, and teaching tips. Throughout the lesson plans, hands on activities and unique games are incorporated. The handouts also contain games, puzzles, fill in the blanks, fast facts, songs, and recipes. Many of the handouts are available as free PDFs online. Other optional activities in the lessons are sold separately.
At the end of most lessons, several questions are included to evaluate students' learning. Lessons also include a short assessment to test how much students know about nutrition before and after the lesson.