First Lady Mrs. Obama unveiled the effort while visiting children at Centro Nia, a bilingual child care center in Washington, DC.

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with children at the CentroNia Childcare Center in Washington, D.C., June 8, 2011. June 8, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

“Everyone is going to see that these small changes can make a big difference.  If our kids get into the habit of getting up and playing, if their palates warm up to veggies at an early age, and if they’re not glued to a TV screen all day, they’re on their way to healthy habits for life,” First Lady Mrs. Obama said. “That’s why I’m so excited about Let’s Move Child Care – because I know that childcare facilities and home-based providers can be a real building block for an entire generation of healthy kids.” 

Last Friday, just a week after the launch of Let’s Move! in Indian Country, First Lady Mrs. Obama and American Indian kids spent the afternoon in the White House kitchen garden planting the “three sisters” crops (corns, beans, and squash). The kids also helped Mrs. Obama harvest crops in the garden, including lettuces, rhubarb, chard, kohlrabi, sugar snap peas, turnips, broccoli and herbs – some of which will be used in Tuesday’s State Dinner in honor of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a Garden Harvest Event with children and members of the American Indian community, in the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn of the White House, June 3, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

This “three sisters” traditional Native American planting technique grows crops in a mutually beneficial manner: the corn provides a structure for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles; the beans provide the soil with nitrogen that the other plants use; and the squash spreads along the ground, blocking the sunlight and preventing weeds.

“Today’s a big day for us in the garden because it’s the first time we’re going to use native seeds of corn, beans and squash in the way they’ve been planted for thousands of years,” Mrs. Obama said. “We’re all pretty excited to continue this tradition.  This is another example of a fun, easy way that we all can work together to be healthier.  And that’s what we’re trying to accomplish with Let’s Move!”

Let’s Move! in Indian Country comes as a response to the current obesity trend within the American Indian community. American Indian or Alaska Native children between the ages of two and four have a higher prevalence of obesity (20.7% in 2009) than any other racial or ethnic group. Let’s Move! in Indian Country, in an effort to stem the tide of childhood obesity, brings together federal agencies, communities, nonprofits, corporate partners, schools and tribes to focus on four areas:

• Early childhood development
• Healthy learning communities
• Physical activity
• Increasing access to affordable, healthy foods

Check out the video of Friday’s garden event here.

She addressed students from Bancroft Elementary School and Harriet Tubman Elementary School before the planting itself began, letting them know that the White House was happy to have them come help out, and talking to them about trying different vegetables and the Let’s Move! initiative. Students from Bancroft Elementary have been helping out with the garden since its inception, and Harriet Tubman Elementary works closely with the White House Chefs through the Chefs Move to Schools Program.

Robin Schepper is the Executive Director of the Let's Move! initiative.

You may have seen our post last week that included a video of schoolchildren singing in honor of the First Lady’s visit and a review of her remarks at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia.

We did a quick wrap-up video of all her travels around the anniversary. Check it out:

Robin Schepper is Executive Director of the Let's Move! initiative.

Before thousands of parents and community and faith leaders in a speech hosted by North Point Community Church and Ray of Hope Christian Church at North Point’s congregation in Alpharetta, Georgia, the First Lady delivered a major address focused on the efforts of the Let’s Move! initiative to meet the needs of parents. Here is an excerpt from the speech discussing being a busy parent and trying to make good choices for our kids:

“…I know that sometimes, much as we all hate to admit it, it’s just easier to park the kids in front of the TV for a few hours, so we can pay the bills…or do the laundry…or just have some peace and quiet for a change. Sometimes, it’s just easier to say yes to that extra snack or dessert, because frankly, it is exhausting to keep saying no.  It’s exhausting to plead with our kids to eat just one more bite of vegetables. It’s exhausting to put in the effort to make a homecooked meal when all they really want is something from the microwave or the drive-thru. The truth is that today, we have more choices than ever about how we live and eat…but so many of those choices simply aren’t good for our kids. And little by little…sometimes without us even noticing…those choices have started to add up.”

She talked about how at the end of the day, "we have to ask ourselves: what can I do?" to help solve the problem of childhood obesity in a generation.

During her trip, the First Lady also stopped by Burgess-Peterson Elementary School and visited with the students. Check out this Behind the Scenes video of some kindergarteners singing “Apples & Bananas”  in honor of the First Lady’s visit and in celebration of the anniversary of the launch of the Lets Move! Initiative:

Robin Schepper is Executive Director of the Let's Move! initiative. 

First Lady Michelle Obama is briefed by base leadership at Fort Jackson Drill Sergeant School in Fort Jackson, S.C., January 27, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

 

During the briefing, we heard about the challenges the Army faces because of the childhood obesity epidemic. Of the 120,000 Army recruits they get every year, 40% are overweight or obese. The Army gave a presentation that included some alarming data such as the increasing rates of stress injuries and rising dental care costs. In the year 2000, 42% of their recruits needed dental care before they could be deployed. In 2009, this number jumped to 62%.  

General Hertling and his team attribute the poor fitness of their recruits to many factors including the increase in supersizing, sugary foods and beverages in children’s diets, the lack of milk consumption, and the consequences of many schools cutting physical education and nutrition education in the mid-1990s.
 
But there is hope. There are lessons we can learn from the Army.  The Army realized that talking about healthy eating and exercise was not motivating enough to change behavior.  They started a program called “Fueling the Soldier” which has three components: fitness, athletic training and nutrition.  With education, General Hertling and his team has said recruits are learning how to eat for high performance and how to take care of their fitness. And the most surprising thing that they learned was that it did not take long for the recruits to adopt the program and it did not cost them any additional money to change the menus in the mess hall.

First Lady Michelle Obama attends Basic Training Graduation at Hilton Field in Fort Jackson, S.C., January 27, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

 

The First Lady saw firsthand the nutrition initiative and spoke with soldiers about their experiences with the Army’s new nutrition and training programs.  Mrs. Obama then addressed the 1st Battalion 34th Infantry's graduation to celebrate the newest recruits’ achievement with their families:

“[Making healthy choices] this isn’t just an issue that’s important to me as First Lady.  In recent years, military leaders across the country have been speaking out about how proper nutrition is vital to the success of our armed forces.  And so they’ve designed some wonderful programs like the ones here at Fort Jackson with the goal of ensuring that every one of you is fit to serve.  And this is an important step, and one that I hope that each of you can keep with you for the rest of your lives.  I hope that these are lessons that you can take back to your own families, your own children, as you move forward.”

Robin Schepper is the Executive Director of the Let’s Move! Initiative.

First Lady Michelle Obama, with students from Bancroft and Tubman Elementary Schools and members of the Culinary Olympic Team, participates in a White House Kitchen garden harvest on the South Lawn of the White House, October 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

The rain stopped and the sun came out just in time for the First Lady’s Fall 2010 Kitchen Garden Harvest.  Joined by more than 25 students from Washington, DC’s Bancroft and Tubman Elementary Schools, the First Lady and several world-renowned chefs spent the afternoon in the White House garden digging up sweet potatoes, clipping herbs, picking tomatoes, and admiring the pumpkins before sitting down to enjoy a fresh salad from the garden.

The school-children were paired with chefs Daniel Boulud and James Kent as well as several White House chefs.  Armed with large baskets and wheelbarrows, they scoured the garden for peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce and other fall vegetables. The First Lady joined them, rolling up her sleeves, to dig up enormous sweet potatoes, including a near record-breaking four pounder, and to pick deep purple egg plants.  The children and the First Lady also admired the two pumpkins growing in the garden – just in time for Halloween.

First Lady Michelle Obama, with students from Bancroft and Tubman Elementary Schools and members of the Culinary Olympic Team, participates in a White House Kitchen garden harvest on the South Lawn of the White House, October 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

First Lady Michelle Obama, with students from Bancroft and Tubman Elementary Schools, look participates in a White House Kitchen garden harvest on the South Lawn of the White House, October 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

First Lady Michelle Obama, with students from Bancroft Elementary School, watch closely as a sweet potato from the White House Kitchen Garden fall harvest is weighed on the South Lawn of the White House, October 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

In less than an hour, the children and chefs brought baskets brimming with vegetables and overflowing wheelbarrows to weigh-stations where several hundred pounds of food was collected and washed.

The festivities continued when the children joined the famous chefs to slice and dice vegetables for a garden salad meal.   

The White House garden is part of the Let’s Move! Initiative which seeks to end childhood obesity within a generation through improved nutrition and increased physical activity.  In the spring of 2009, the First Lady and students from the DC area broke ground for the garden and since then nearly 1,600 pounds of food has been harvested. The produce is used in the White House but is also donated to local area food banks. The White House Garden has inspired communities across the country to plant similar gardens at schools, in abandoned lots, and in community spaces. 

Connecting chefs, gardens, and schools has been a critical component of the Let’s Move! initiative.  Through the Chef’s Move to Schools program and the Healthier US Schools Challenge hundreds of schools and communities are improving the health of America’s children. What are you waiting for? Plant a garden at your school or in your community and have a harvest yourself.