Today it is “code: red”. In the classroom of the 3rd grade in the “Bratya Miladinovi” Primary School – Burgas, not just learning – something is happening here. There are no notebooks on the desks, but colorful plates with red fruits and vegetables – juicy strawberries, tomatoes, red apples, crispy pepper. Children discuss, show, compare. Someone explains why the tomato is useful, another adds, a third is already ready to try. The air is full of energy, voices and laughter.
The day is part of the “Healthy Rainbow Week” initiative – a time when students learn how to eat healthy and tasty. Because here an important truth is not just told, but proven in practice – healthy can be delicious.
In just 15 minutes, the classroom becomes a small laboratory of health. Children don’t just eat – they explore, ask questions, make connections. They understand what foods give their body and why choices matter. The lesson is not taught, but experienced.
This is the basis of the program “PHOENIX for the Next Generation of Healthier Bulgarians” – interactive learning in which children are active participants, not passive listeners. There is no boring theory here, but real situations that build habits.
“Healthy Rainbow Week” is one of the most inspiring highlights. After “code: red” come “orange”, “green”, “blue” and finally “mix” – a real colorful journey through the world of healthy food. Every day brings new knowledge, and every bite brings a new meaning.
These “vitamin-rich 15 minutes” are joined by guests from the school community – management, teachers and parents. They do not just observe, but participate – they put color stamps in each child’s personal “Diary of the Week”. A small gesture that turns effort into achievement. And in return, they receive a “Recipe for Health and Superpowers” – a symbolic but powerful message.
The initiative continues at home. Third-graders challenge their parents – to get involved by choosing a fruit or vegetable in the same color for the day. Thus, the lesson goes beyond the classroom and becomes a common mission.
Behind these colorful moments there is serious and consistent work. Together with their class teacher Marina Krasteva, the students go through key topics such as “What does it mean to be healthy?”, “How to take care of myself?” and “My body is one”. They learn that health is a balance – between eating, moving, sleeping, and emotions.
Knowledge is strengthened through practice – projects about the human body, crossword puzzles, quizzes, real cases. Children don’t just know – they understand and apply.
And the strongest evidence of the success of the program is the students themselves. “I am very happy to participate in the program because it teaches us to be healthier,” says Simona. “I am becoming healthier, smarter, stronger and more energetic,” says Eva. Stoyan, on the other hand, is categorical: “We need to eat healthy, move and sleep well.” And Teodora sees the big picture: “We create habits for life.”
23 children – 23 little ambassadors of health who already know that change starts with them.
For their teacher Marina Krasteva, this is more than a program – it is a cause.
“Health is the most valuable wealth. And when learning is interesting and shared, it stays for life,” she shares.
And if you have to describe in one word what is happening in this classroom – it is “meaning”.
A meaning that tastes like strawberry, rainbow color, and a future that starts today.
Mrs. Marina Krasteva is one of the 99 teachers supported in the second edition of the program “PHOENIX for the Next Generation of Healthier Bulgarians”.
The program was created in response to increasingly worrying trends related to children’s health and aims to promote a healthy lifestyle among students from 1. up to 4. grade through educational activities, practical training and active engagement of the school community.
“PHOENIX for the Next Generation of Healthier Bulgarians” is implemented for the second consecutive year by the Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation (WCIF) with the support of PHOENIX in Bulgaria and in partnership with the Parents Association.