MISSISSIPPI STATE – Body Walk, a larger-than-life model of human body systems, got its first new major components since the program started teaching elementary school children in 2005.

Katie Bouchillon, Body Walk coordinator with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, wrote a grant to fund the facelift for the popular children’s health education exhibit.

“We’ve taken good care of the materials, but after eight years of traveling across the state and after thousands of elementary school students have been through the display, we needed a substantial amount of new equipment,” Bouchillon said.

A grant from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation paid for pop-up display tents, an entrance, a head-shaped dome, a model of an esophagus, prop boxes, new storage bags for the tooth-shaped stools that students sit on, and more.

“I think the high demand for the program shows its impact and the need for factual information about human health and nutrition,” she said. “We book up quickly every year.”

Bouchillon schedules the Body Walk exhibit exclusively through county Extension agents. Agents book the exhibit, schedule volunteers, serve as station presenters, and help with set-up and clean up. Schools interested in booking the Body Walk exhibit should contact their county Extension office. 

Mississippi is one of just six states with a Body Walk program. Other states include Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Georgia.