By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Students at John L. Ory Magnet School in LaPlace on Tuesday were treated to an interactive trip through the human body as part of an in-school field trip to encourage healthy eating.

Eighth-grade students served as the guides as kindergarten through fifth grade students toured the heart, lungs, stomach, brain and other organs as part of the Body Walk, a 35-foot-by-45-foot walk-through exhibit representing the human body.

“The complete walk has 10 learning stations that are designed to let students explore models of various organs to learn about the effects of different foods on each organ,” said Body Walk Manager John Albarado of the LSU Ag Center. “Students learn about the importance of good nutrition choices and being physically active through interactive activities.”

Albarado explained that at each of the stations, a pair of volunteer presenters from the eighth-grade engages the students in a five-minute activity focused on healthy choices.

“The message is to be smart from the inside out,” Albarado said.

The trip starts in the brain, then moves on to the mouth, stomach, small intestine, heart, lungs, bones, muscles and skin.

The tour wraps up at the pathway for life, where the students learn the values of healthy eating and regular activity.