LiveWell Kids
LiveWell Kids is a comprehensive school well-being program developed specifically for elementary school students.
Launched by Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) in 2007, LiveWell Kids is a comprehensive school well-being program developed specifically for elementary school students. All transitional kindergarten through fifth grade students in the Redondo Beach Unified School District (RBUSD), the Hermosa Beach City School District and Robinson Elementary in Manhattan Beach currently receive the program.
LiveWell Kids was created in response to a high rate of obesity, 20 percent in 2007, among elementary school students in the RBUSD. Since the program’s inception, there has been a 75% decline in RBUSD student obesity, to 5% in 2024.
The LiveWell Kids program includes both garden and nutrition education. It is comprised of six interactive lessons focused on educating students about the process and benefits of growing their own food, improving nutritional knowledge, and making healthy eating choices. All lessons are delivered in the fresh air of the school gardens by trained volunteers. Funded by BCHD, the gardens are maintained by a dedicated group of Garden Angel volunteers.
2024-25 Curriculum
- Lesson 3, Soil Health & Minerals: Kindergarten
- Lesson 3, Soil Health & Minerals: 1st Grade
- Lesson 3, Soil Health & Minerals: 2nd Grade
- Lesson 3, Soil Health & Minerals: 3rd Grade
- Lesson 3, Soil Health & Minerals: 4th Grade
- Lesson 3, Soil Health & Minerals: 5th Grade
- Decomposers in the Compost Pile
- Do The Rot Thing Compost
- Find My Match
- High and Low Sodium Signage
- Sodium Relay Answer Key
- Label Fitness
- Food and Environment Landfill
- Nutrition Facts Label
- Ready, Set, Riddle
- Lesson 5, Plants from Pollination to Food: Grade K
- Lesson 5, Plants from Pollination to Food: Grade 1
- Lesson 5, Plants from Pollination to Food: Grade 2
- Lesson 5, Plants from Pollination to Food: Grade 3
- Lesson 5, Plants from Pollination to Food: Grade 4
- Lesson 5, Plants from Pollination to Food: Grade 5
- Anatomy of a Flower
- Flower to Fruit Process
- How Seeds Travel
- Parts of a Plant
- Plant Parts Title Card – SEEDS
- Plant Parts Title Card – ROOTS
- Plant Parts Title Card – STEMS
- Plant Parts Title Card – LEAVES
- Plant Parts Title Card – FLOWERS
- Plant Parts Title Card – FRUIT
- The Life Cycle of a Plant
- How Seeds Travel
- Plants We Eat Reference List
Additional Volunteer Materials:
Garden Resources:
Nutrition Resources:
Childhood Obesity Decline in Redondo Beach
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in partnership with Beach Cities Health District. Recent Trends in Childhood Obesity Prevalence in the Redondo Beach Unified School District: A Case Study; June 2020.
Palacios, C., Simon, P., Steward, A., Garner, T., Hameed, H., & Shetgiri, R. (2022). Impact of an Elementary School-Based Wellness Initiative on Child Obesity Prevalence: LiveWell Kids. Health Promotion Practice.
LiveWell Kids Program Reports
Education Standards
LiveWell Kids aligns with the [1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricula using the 2021 Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT), [2] California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and [3] Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
For more information, please contact:
Mishell Balzer
School Health Programs Coordinator, Garden
Mishell.Balzer@bchd.org
(310) 374-3426 ext. 8264
Garden Angel volunteers maintain the school gardens. Interested in becoming a Garden Angel volunteer for the LiveWell Kids Program? Apply today!
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