Can you imagine a better way to learn about the importance of good nutrition and physical fitness for the body than to be-come a food, get inside a human body and take a walk around?

That’s what more than 500 children from Trautwein Accelerated in the Mehlville School District recently did as the Show-Me Body Walk exhibit came to the school.

Pupils entered the Body Walk exhibit through the mouth, wearing tags identifying themselves as a food item, such as a hamburger, slice of cheese or carrot.

They were “absorbed” through the intestines and traveled through the bloodstream to the heart, lungs, bones, muscles, skin and brain stations.

At every station, the children were en-gaged in learning activities, checking their heart rates, building strong bones and testing flexibility and strength, according to a news release from the school district.

The Body Walk was coordinated by the Missouri Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Health, in partnership with the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the University of Mis-souri Outreach and Extension.

Trautwein Accelerated counselor Lois Arconati secured a grant through the Mehlville/Oakville Foundation to arrange for Body Walk to visit the school. To help make the event go smoothly, she enlisted the help of several parent volunteers.

“Our students had a great time traveling through the human body,” Arconati stated. “I think the children had so much fun they didn’t even realize how much learning was going on while they traveled through this hands-on experience. Also, the mental health station, where they learned ways to avoid smoking, is very beneficial for them.”