‘Make a Newspaper’ programme

August 9, 2006

5+A Day put’s its weight behind ‘Make a Newspaper’ programme.

With New Zealand registering some of the highest childhood obesity rates in the developed world, education about the importance of a healthy balanced diet is more relevant than ever before.

5+A Day is a programme designed to encourage all New Zealanders to eat and enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables. 5+ means five or more servings of fresh fruit and vegetables a day.

The programme is teaming up with the New Zealand Herald’s popular Make a Newspaper programme to sponsor a section on food, focusing on healthy eating, balanced diets and encouraging the discovery of new foods.

General Manager of 5+A Day Paula Dudley says the programme’s involvement with the Herald’s Make a Newspaper is a fantastic opportunity.

“We really need to teach children at a young age key messages about healthy eating and the importance of incorporating the recommended quantities of fruit and vegetables into their diets.

“This project is particularly timely since childhood obesity is a very real concern in New Zealand – especially when we have statistics showing that one third of New Zealand children are overweight or obese - and this percentage is increasing.”

Now in its sixth year, the educational Make a Newspaper programme provides all North Island primary and intermediate schools with the opportunity to produce their own 12-page newspaper during term two.

The top 10 newspapers win their schools $5,000 each.

The programme is designed by teachers for teachers and is a unique and effective way for students to work on curriculum subjects while learning about current affairs and working as a team.

Each week for 14 weeks, students get to work on a different page of their newspaper.
Each page has a different theme linked to the activities of the sponsors of those pages.

Students are asked to select two or three tasks to carry out from a list of suggestions.

For the 5+A Day sponsored section some of the tasks include creating a giant fruit salad and planning healthy menus.

Another task involves researching ethnic foods and traditional delicacies, children are asked to then think about what these cultures consider healthy foods compared to what is in their own everyday diet.

When completed, the newspaper page includes a masthead, the name of the school, a selection of pictures and the school website address.

The winners of the programme are announced in September and are featured in the Herald together with all entrants.

ENDS

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