This past Saturday, April 28 was Maryland Day at the
University of Maryland, College Park. If you’re not familiar with Maryland Day,
it’s when the college has an open house and invites anyone and everyone.
There’s fun for kids, students, parents, really anyone of any age. All of the
departments and clubs host activity booths to show off what they do. The Engineering
department shows off fun things for kids like blowing giant smoke rings from a
large drum and powering light bulbs by pedaling a bike. The Languages department
has a booth where you can write your name in different world languages. Dining
Services does cooking demonstrations all day at Hornbake Plaza. Even
celebrities like UMD Alumni Joy Bauer, MS, RD, the Dietitian for the Today Show,
came to help with a cooking demonstration. And, the School of Agriculture and
Natural Resources, which includes the Nutrition and Food Science department
takes over the area around the Animal Sciences building and renames it Ag
Alley. Besides the chance to get free campus-made ice cream, you can learn
about terrapins, insects, native plants, and my favorite, nutrition!
The Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) had a booth with
several MyPlate activities. This was where I got to play. Kids of all ages
could show how they can make a healthy meal using very colorful static cling
pictures. If they didn’t want to do that, they could use crayons and markers to
draw their food on a paper plate. Another favorite was the scratch-n-sniff
cards, where you tried to guess a food by its aroma. It was fun to see how many
little kids knew their plate should be half fruits and vegetables! A lot of
them also knew that chicken nuggets weren’t the healthiest choice for a
protein. The best part about an event like this it makes learning about
nutrition fun and without feeling like you are in school.
At a nearby booth, some of my fellow interns got to help
kids with a different MyPlate activity. Pictured are Lauren, Marion, and Angie,
helping at the bean bag toss. The kids got to toss bean bags to match the bean
bag color with the same color section of MyPlate. And other interns helped at
the University of Maryland Extension booth helping people learn about the
benefits and how-to’s of canning.
If you missed Maryland Day this year, you missed out on a
lot of fun. Don’t worry, though, it will more than likely be back next year.
The event has been going on for many years and it is one of the most
anticipated events by everyone. Just keep your calendar open for a Saturday in
late April!
