Bend park and rec camp mixes healthy eating with cooking fun

Bend park and rec camp mixes healthy eating with cooking fun

Published 11:00 pm Wednesday, July 2, 2025

1/2

Swipe or click to see more

Nine-year-olds, Maeve Hemingway of Boston, from left, and her partner Ella Brodie, of Bend, get verbal directions from their instructor Colene Stoernell, a registered dietitian, as they make a healthy chips for their breakfast during a Bend Park and Rec cooking camp at Cascade Middle School in Bend Wednesday morning. 6-25-25 Andy Tullis/The Bulletin

The Bend Park & Recreation District is running a multi-session cooking camp this summer that combines learning to cook with kitchen safety and healthy eating.

Taught by registered dietitian Colene Stoernell, the camp will run four days a week across three sessions. The first week focused on breakfast, next week tackles snacks and the final session in early August will teach kids to make simple dinners.

“One of the activities we were talking about was how to do a balanced breakfast and what food components to have,” said Stoernell. “I change it to components rather than food groups just out of just neutrality, because that’s the biggest thing I see missing in nutrition education, is food neutrality.”

From her work as a dietician, Stoernell knew that this kind of camp would be useful. She brought up the idea to the park district last fall and was excited to get started. Eleven kids are in the first camp, and she said it was going well. The kids put together pancakes and breakfast burritos, and by the middle of the week they were expected to use knives and the oven on their own. Stoernell’s enjoyed helping them through challenges and teaching them that cleaning is part of cooking as well, she said.

“The biggest (challenge), which I know because I have a kiddo myself, is ovens. And so today was like a huge win for a lot of kiddos because they were terrified when we first started because they looked at me like, I have to put this in?” she said. “And I’m like, yes. So it’s just building skills and confidence and also allowing them just to create whatever they want because a lot of kids just don’t have that opportunity at home.”

During the second week, when kids talk about snacks, Stoernell wanted to focus on getting them to try new things.

“They’re going to be creating trail mixes, making … energy balls. So next week’s actually a little bit more low-key, but it’s still an important thing for them to be able to just understand what a balanced snack is and what kind of food components we’re looking for in a snack instead of just popcorn or something like that,” she said.

Stoernell wants kids to gain confidence and know that it’s okay to explore.

“It’s okay to make mistakes. And it’s also okay to not feel quite comfortable for trying something at a particular time,” she said. “You know, let’s explore what we can do. And that, again, just giving them that safe space.”

Cooking is a valuable skill for anyone, she said.

New opportunities at park district

Brian Hames, art and enrichment supervisor for the Bend Park & Recreation District, manages the camp. Each session has 12 slots for kids ages 9 to 12. Hames said the park district has held various cooking camps, especially focused on cultural cooking, but less so on nutrition. Parents reached out asking for a camp based on healthy eating, he said.

“So part of the camp is cooking, but the other part of it is also learning about balanced diet eating,” he said. “Very important for youth today, especially with the growing rates of obesity and diabetes and things like that. Giving kids an opportunity to learn that healthy eating can be fun.”

The camp is held at Cascade Middle School, which has a space big enough for a larger group, unlike other park district facilities.

“I would say my goal would be kids could walk away with A) learning a new skill whether it be something they’ve never cooked before or just a new technique in the kitchen,” said Hames. “The other part would be learning some better eating habits. So learning about foods that you know go together well and help grow healthy strong communities. And I think C) would just be kind of like a combo of those things where healthy eating can be fun and delicious so that they shouldn’t be scared to try new foods as well. That’s a great resource for these kids to be able to learn to start feeding themselves or, you know, ‘hey, thanks for the camp. Let me mom and dad or whoever paid for the camp, let me let me cook you something in return.’”

About Noemi Arellano-Summer

Noemi Arellano-Summer is schools, youth and families reporter at the Bulletin. She previously reported on homelessness and the 2020 eviction moratorium with the Howard Center of Investigative Journalism through Boston University. She was raised in Long Beach, California, where she started her journalism career reporting for her high school newspaper. In her free time, she can be found meandering through a bookstore or writing short stories.

She can be reached at noemi.arellano-summer@bendbulletin.com and 541-383-0325.

email author
More by Noemi

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

healthy broccoli cauliflower casserole

20 Healthy Casserole Recipes for Lighter Comfort Food

1 Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole Ralph Smith 2 Curried Veggie Lattice Pot Pie Ralph Smith Underneath that lattice crust you’ll find kale, butternut squash, and mushrooms. Creamy coconut milk and a healthy dose of curry powder make eating your veggies more flavorful and fun! Get Ree’s Curried Veggie Lattice Pot Pie recipe. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Central City Co-Op Helps Fuel Healthy Eating in the Heights

Central City Co-Op Helps Fuel Healthy Eating in the Heights

Central City Co-Op offers healthier alternatives for Houstonians, all while supporting local farmers. The city of Houston is inundated by big name grocery stores—we have our beloved Texan brand, H-E-B, along with Kroger, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s—but in the mix of it all, there are still people determined to support smaller local business like

地捫Del Monte聲請破產!逾130年歷史罐頭界巨頭/香港有無影響?

地捫Del Monte聲請破產!逾130年歷史罐頭界巨頭/香港有無影響? | U Food

地捫破產|地捫食品(Del Monte Foods)聲請破產!一個陪伴無數人成長、深入香港家庭的經典食品品牌傳來震撼消息,擁有逾130年歷史的地捫食品在7月1日正式向美國法院申請第11章破產保護,這消息震驚全球,有不少粉絲擔心這會否影響到香港市場。 地捫Del Monte聲請破產 Del Monte 品牌首次亮相在1892年,目前已有逾130年歷史。地捫食品作為全球領先的罐頭水果和蔬菜品牌,其產品如罐頭菠蘿、玉米粒等,早已是許多家庭廚房的常備品,承載著一代又一代人的飲食記憶。 根據地捫食品發表的聲明,公司已與貸款機構達成重組協議,並自願啟動第11章破產程序,以執行協議條款。這一步是公司經過全面評估所有可能方案後,認為在法院監督下出售資產,是加速公司轉型並打造更強大、可持續發展的地捫食品的最有效途徑。 地捫又指,公司已從現有貸款方獲得9.125億美元的融資承諾,其中包括1.65億美元的新融資,以確保在出售過程中擁有足夠的流動性,並承諾將繼續為客戶提供服務。 地捫Del Monte聲請破產  香港及美國以外業務不受影響 儘管美國地捫食品申請破產保護,但地捫食品在聲明中特別指出,部分非美國子公司並未被納入破產保護章程程序,將會繼續照常運作。這意味著,香港市場的Del Monte產品供應預計不會立即受到影響。地捫太平洋公司也表示,Del Monte Foods聲請破產不會影響其在美國以外地區的營運,並正評估整個集團可能產生的財務影響,若有任何重大影響,將依相關上市規定對外公告。 Source link

Do You Really Need to Eat 3 Meals a Day? We Asked an Expert Dietician

Eating three balanced meals per day is often touted as the healthiest way to maintain a healthy diet and get adequate nutrition. But if you’re like me and have an unpredictable eating pattern, getting three meals in each day can be tough. I love to snack throughout the day, I don’t like putting effort into

The Real Food Academy Expands Nationally, Bringing Healthy Cooking Education to More Communities

The Real Food Academy Expands Nationally, Bringing Healthy Cooking Education to More Communities

The Real Food Academy (TRFA), a leading culinary education center specializing in nutrition-focused cooking, is expanding nationwide through franchising. With a well-established presence in Miami, TRFA is now offering franchise opportunities in key markets, responding to the growing demand for hands-on nutrition education and healthy cooking experiences. Recently, TRFA hosted an exclusive Discovery Day for

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x