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#240. Nutrition for a multi-age classroom

Nutrition

Objectives:
- Every child knows what the food guide pyramid is about.
- Every child knows how to use the food pyramid.

Activities:
1. Observe the children's knowledge on the importance of healthy eating:
Discuss the following questions:
How does food help us grow?
Are some food better for us then other foods?
2. Explain the importance of eating properly:
Why is food important to how we grow?
How do we feel when we don't get enough food?
Can we think well and pay attention when we are hungry?
I wonder why we get tired why we haven't eaten properly.
3. Talk about how food gives us energy and helps us grow.
GIVES US ENERGY
to work hard, to play, to think, to learn.
HELP US GROW
teeth, bones, muscles, organs.
4. Show a picture of the food pyramid.
- Tell the children about each group of the food pyramid.
5. Make before the lesson cards (or make homework from it; let each child
cut 3 pictures from each food group. If you do it before the whole
lesson, mention the different food groups). Each card is a picture from
a food product you have cut out of a magazine and glued on some
carton. You can put plastic fole over it to use it longer/once again.
6. Each child gets some cards, which they have to put in the picture (I
drew a big food pyramid on a huge paper for this.
7. Do a role play: four children are in the restaurant. You make four
groups of children. Each group has to "prepare" a good meal for one
child (you need paper plates, spoons, forks, knifes, glasses and
napkins). You discuss with the children if the meals are good or not
so good and why. What would you change in the meal and why?
8. Give each child the paper plate (draw a dish, knife, fork and spoon
and a glass on the paper plate and make a copy for each child), and let
them draw their favorite meal. Discuss with each child if it is a good
meal according to the food pyramid.
9. If you have the opportunity to cook or make food at school, make some
healthy treats with the children. A good book for this is: Healthy
snacks for kids, by Penny Warner, isbn 1-55867-159-5.

Resources for materials on food:
1. The food pyramid:
http://www.bennygoodsport.com/food.htm
http://www.ganesa.com/Food/Foodpyramid.html
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/cons0693.txt
http://www.cheshire-med.com/services/dietary/nutrinew/pyramid.html
2. Introduction to the Food Guide Pyramid (also in spanish)
http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~vista/abstracts/aFOODGIDE.html
3. High school kit:
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/catalog/teachkit.html
4. For the 8-12 grade:
http://kauai.cudenver.edu:3010/
5. Vegetables and fruit:
http://www.dcpc.nci.nih.gov/5aday/
6. This one has also a kids page with cooking for children and classroom
materials:
http://www.cspinet.org/
7. Kids Food Cyberclub+ Lesson plans
http://www.kidsfood.org/
8. Information for Educators:
http://ificinfo.health.org/infoedu.html
9. Ontario Agri-Food Education, Teaching Resources:
http://www.oafe.org/resourcelist.html
10. Classroom Presenters; AGRI-FOOD ADVOCATES
http://www.oafe.org/cpresent.html
They've also a newsletter for teachers.
11. Food education program
http://www.est.gov.bc.ca/comm/bcednews/jan96/food.html