There was a whole lot of slurping going on at Franklin School on Thursday. And there may have been a few children suffering from brain freeze.

For the second time this year, lunchtime was turned into a lively nutrition lesson as kids participated in a "Mix It Up" activity focused on the benefits of eating fruit. Their reward for paying attention? A frozen 5-ounce serving of a "strawberry whirl" or "pomegranate paradise" smoothie from Jamba Juice.

"It doesn't just taste good, it tastes really good!" said first-grader Raghav Bangalore.

During each lunch session, students were randomly assigned to one of six tables and asked to brainstorm different ways to eat a banana, apple, cantaloupe, strawberries, raspberries or pomegranate.

Fifth-graders Kole Bartley and Kieley Trempy found themselves sitting at the "pomegranate table." They said they loved pomegranates and described the taste as between sweet and sour.

"You have to eat the seeds," said Kieley, to nods of agreement from Kole. "But you don't want to eat the stuff attached to the seeds because that tastes like sponges."

Middle school student council leaders also helped each group identify the variety of fruits found in the lunches at their table, whether they were brought from home or purchased at school.

Sixth- through eighth-graders sitting at the banana table listed 29 different fruits in their lunches and earned an extra prize of a coupon for a free smoothie the next time they visit the Jamba Juice store.

The whole idea is to generate enthusiasm for healthy eating, explained Gigi Sims, a health education specialist assigned to Franklin and Cheldelin Middle School.

Sims, who also works for the Oregon State Department of Education, helped the school get a three-year Healthy Kids Learn Better grant from the Centers for Disease Control. In this second year of grant implementation, the Mix It Up activities represent just one of several ways a healthy lifestyle is emphasized.

In November, the students "mixed it up" to talk about the food pyramid and how important it is to eat a variety of foods each day. In April, the theme will be vegetables and will feature products from another community partner, the First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op.

The campaign also encourages nutrition education in the classroom and at monthly staff meetings, extra physical education activities, walking field trips, participation in walk and bike to school days and the district's "Great Start" program, which offers a free breakfast to all students once a month.

Food service staff members have moved the salad bar so students buying lunch will select fruits and vegetables first before the main entrée, and teachers work with parents to promote individual and class snacks that are packed with more nutrients than sugar.

The activities at Franklin are just a sample of what's happening throughout Corvallis schools since the district adopted a new wellness policy in 2006. That policy created a district wellness council and encouraged each school to have its own wellness representative. It also sets nutritional standards for all foods and beverages served in local schools and requirements for nutrition education and physical activity levels at every age level.

Sims said she enjoys seeing children at Franklin beginning to practice better eating habits and active lifestyles as a result of the Healthy Kids Learn Better initiative.

"I think we've created awareness and we've created enthusiasm," she said. "We're providing them with tools like the food pyramid, which is simple and yet it definitely relates to their everyday performance whether that's academic, athletic or musical."