The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week unveiled an interactive computer game that uses the new “food pyramid” to teach schoolchildren the benefits of healthful eating and regular physical activity.
“MyPyramid for Kids” is a child-friendly version of the revised pyramid that the federal government released earlier this year as a guide to the relative nutritional merits of different foods. The initiative includes classroom lessons, available for downloading from the Internet, for teachers of grades 1-6.
The game, called MyPyramid Blast Off, features a rocket that needs fuel to get off the ground. If children pick the right foods and types of exercise, the rocket has a better chance of reaching Planet Power.
The game and materials are available at www.mypyramid.gov. The agency said the Web site has logged more than 800,000 “hits” since its debut in April.
