October 2018

The topic of nutrition as presented in this month’s unit titled, “Nutrition: A Healthy Me.” The unit provides lessons and activities about the importance of having a balanced diet and exercise including activities in the Transition Passport: Daily Living/Health evaluation tools. As we assist our young adults in the transition from school to work, it is necessary that they receive training in nutrition and exercise skills. Healthy living skills begin with making a plan, knowing your responsibilities and having the right tools. This unit will provide our young adults with the tools needed to learn about how to make good food choices and include regular exercise for a healthy lifestyle.

The unit stories help young adults learn the importance of good nutrition and exercise for a healthy life. In the first story, Emily and Kyle make different choices when eating at a buffet restaurant. Kyle learns that just because you can eat all you want doesn’t mean you should. In the second story, Kyle explores different options for exercise. He finds that going to a gym is not fun for him. Emily shares with Kyle how he can get exercise while having fun by playing sports and other fun activities. Three articles offer more information and activities that give our young adults the opportunity to learn about food groups, quantities and portion size, and how to make good snack choices.

Regular monthly lessons are provided which offer the opportunity to practice the skills needed to emphasize nutrition and exercise for a healthy life. Nutrition needs are addressed in banking and budgeting where the importance of budgeting for needs before spending money on wants is stressed. Daily living skills involved in food and exercise are part of a regular monthly lesson offering five recipes where our young adults can practice healthy food choices in the kitchen. Social and communication skills are the focus of lessons presenting daily social trivia scenarios offering more opportunity for our young adults to practice skills needed to stay healthy.

Employment continues to be a regular focus for several lessons each month. Lessons include exploring different jobs, reading job ads, completing job applications and practicing interview skills. Simple, realistic scenarios address job skills and interactions at work. The final lesson highlights volunteering as a way to practice job skills and gain practical work experience. This month's volunteer activity is organizing a Healthy Snack Expo to raise awareness of the importance of healthy food choices for a healthy life. The activity can be role played if it is not practical to participate in a real-life situation. Job skills are emphasized as team members take on various tasks.