Lesson Plans:
Nutrition
Got Dirt? is funded by the
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and
Public Health’s Wisconsin Partnership Program
Visit www.gotdirtwisconsin.org for more information
Sources
United States Department of Agriculture (2009, September). My Pyramid. Retrieved from
www.mypyramid.gov
United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services (2005). Pyramid Go
Fish. Retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/go-fish.pdf
Table of Contents
Using this Manual……………………………………. 5
Background…………………………………………
6
The Food Pyramid………………………………….
Go Fish
Relay Race
7
Serving Size: How Much is Enough?......................... 9
Comparative Tasting………………………………… 10
Additional Activities………………………………… 11
Using this Manual
Description
This unit covers the topic of nutrition. Various activities will reinforce the importance of good
nutrition and how many servings of fruits and vegetables children should eat each day.
Feel free to go more in depth with your students. Activities may need to be adapted to reflect
the age and grade level of your students, either by simplifying or expanding the activities.
Supplementary materials, worksheets, and information can be found on the Got Dirt? website
(www.gotdirtwisconsin.org) under the Teaching Tools section.
Gardening Connections
The nutrition lessons can be used as you plant and care for your garden to get students excited
about trying the fruits of their labor.
It also works well when harvesting your garden to reinforce the benefits of eating a variety of
fruits and vegetables daily.
Feedback
Upon completing these lesson plans, we would love your feedback.. Please send comments,
questions and suggestions to Kristen Buettner at Buettner_KM@co.brown.wi.us or
920-391-4655
5
Background
Background
The USDA divides the Food Pyramid into seven categories:
• Grains
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Milk
• Meats and Beans
• Oils
• Physical Activity
According to the USDA, “the new MyPyramid symbolizes a personalized approach to healthy
eating and physical activity.”
The pyramid’s design represents the need for moderation. “The wide base stands for food with
little or no solid fats or added sugars.” However, with increased physical activity, foods with
solid fats and added sugars can be added into the diet.
The width of each item in the food pyramid “suggest how much food a person should choose
from each good.”
Finally, the colors of the food pyramid remind us to include items from each category into our
daily diet.
For more information about the Food Pyramid, visit www.mypyramid.gov
The amount of fruits and vegetables that kids and adults should be eating each day is based on
our age, gender, and physical activity levels. For adults, based on a 2, 000 calorie diet, we
should be eating about 2 cups of fruits and 2.5 cups of vegetable each day. For kids, it varies.
Generally speaking, each day kids should eat:
2-3 years old
4-8 years old
9-13 years old
6
1 cup fruit
1 cup fruit
1.5 cups fruit
1 cup vegetables
1.5 cups vegetables
2 cups vegetables
Estimated Prep Time: 1 hour
Food Pyramid: Go Fish
Overview
Students will play a game to reinforce and identify where foods are located in the food pyramid.
Materials
• Nutrition Go Fish Cards (to be prepared ahead of time)
•
•
Go to www.gotdirtwisconsin.org and print off enough sets of cards for your class.
•
Cut out the cards and glue them to index cards to make them sturdier
Food Pyramid Worksheet from www.gotdirtwisconsin.org (optional)
Activity
1. Explain the food pyramid to students.
2. Divide class into groups of three or four students.
3. Tell students to give each player five cards and put the rest in the middle.
•
Students will play a game of go fish, each time asking whether or not another player
has a grain/fruit/vegetable/dairy/meat/oil. They do not have to match the
corresponding food, just the category from the food pyramid.
•
Continue until all the pairs are completed.
•
The student with the most pairs wins.
4. For homework, have students complete the food pyramid worksheet. They should
identify one thing from each category of the food pyramid that they ate during the day.
Encourage students to try at least one new food.
7
Estimated Prep Time: 20 min
Food Pyramid: Relay Race
Overview
Students will complete a relay race and identify where foods are located in the food
pyramid. They will also learn that exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.
Materials
• Nutrition Go Fish Cards, from “Go Fish” Activity
•
Food pyramid categories (if completing activity indoors, visit www.gotdirtwisconsin.org
for samples)
•
Masking tape or chalk
•
Large room or playground space
Preparation
• Create outlines of two food pyramids either outside or in the classroom. Make sections
large enough for students to stand in and place their cards.
• Outside on the playground, use chalk to draw two food pyramids and label each
category.
• Inside the classroom or another large space, using masking tape to create two food
pyramids. Use food pyramid category worksheets to label each section of the food
pyramid.
• Draw a line about five feet from the base of the pyramid. This will be where each team
stands.
Activity
1. Ask students to identify the categories of the food pyramid and examples of food in each
category. Don’t forget that physical activity is an element of the food pyramid.
2. Divide classroom into two teams and have them line up behind each line.
3. Give each team Nutrition Go Fish Cards.
4. Students will compete in a relay race in order to complete the food pyramid. One at a
time, each student will pick up a card, walk/run to the food pyramid and place the card in
the correct category. The student will return to the line and “tag” the next student.
5. Continue until the students have a card from each category of the food pyramid or have
used all of their cards.
6. When both teams are finished, go to the pyramids to see if all of the pictures are in the
correct category.
7. The team that completed the relay the fastest and with the most correct images, wins.
8. Conclude the activity by again discussing the categories of the food pyramid, identify any
errors, and remind students that this is a great form of physical activity.
8
Estimated Prep Time: 15 min.
Serving Size:
How Much is Enough?
Overview
Using estimation and measurements, students will learn the recommended serving size of fresh
fruits and vegetables they should eat each day.
Materials
• Several types of fruits and vegetables
•
•
Examples: baby carrots, celery sticks, grapes, cherry tomatoes
Measuring cup or container that equals the serving size appropriate to your grade level
(i.e. a class with mostly 7 year olds would need a 1 cup container and a 1.5 cup container,
see page 6)
Activity
1. Explain to students that fresh fruits and vegetables are part of the food pyramid and a
healthy diet. We need to eat fruits and vegetables in order to grow big and strong.
2. Ask students to name examples of fruits and vegetables.
3. Ask students how many of these fruits and vegetables they think they should eat each
day.
4. Explain to students the correct amount of fruits and vegetables they should eat each day.
Remind students that the fruits and vegetables they already mentioned are good examples
of what we should eat.
5. Show students the container corresponding to the appropriate size and tell them that each
day we should eat enough fruits and/or vegetables to fill this entire container.
6. Ask students to guess how many carrots, for example, will fit in this container. Record
the answers on the board.
7. Have students count as you add one type of fruit or vegetable to the container and then
record the number it takes to fill the container.
8. Compare what the students guessed with the actual number.
9. Repeat the process with the other fruits and vegetables.
Extension
• Ask students to name their favorite fruit or vegetable. Tally each response and identify
which fruit and vegetables the students like the most. You can then use these as the fruits
and vegetables in the lesson plan.
• Using a variety of common foods, such as cereal, popcorn, or chips, have students guess
the proper serving size, according to the food’s nutrition label. Discuss how to read a
food label. Then compare the students’ estimates with the actual suggested serving size
on the label.
9
Estimated Prep Time: 30 min
Comparative Tasting
Overview
Students will use their five senses to note all the different ways we experience food. Students
will also be encouraged to try new foods.
Materials
• Four types of the same fruit or vegetable, enough samples so that each student can have a
taste of each type
•
Examples: Four varieties of tomatoes, apples, microgreens from the Microfarm, etc
•
Knife
•
Cutting board
•
Plates
•
Napkins
•
Tasting Chart from www.gotdirtwisconsin.org (optional)
Preparation
• Rinse fruit or vegetables before slicing. Avoid putting them in the refrigerator since it
dulls the flavor and changes the texture
•
Have students wash and sanitize their hands before tasting
Activity
1. Explain to students that they will act as investigators and will use their senses to observe,
describe, and compare fruits/vegetables.
2. Give each student a plate, napkin, and the “Tasting Chart.”
3. Give each student a slice of tomato, for example. Have them observe and describe it.
Encourage them to taste it. Tell students that you don’t expect everyone to like it, but it is
important to try new healthy foods.
4. Either record student descriptions or have them fill out the “Tasting Chart.”
5. Repeat these steps for each tomato variety. Encouraging students to use specific and
descriptive vocabulary.
6. Briefly review and compare descriptions. Have students vote for their favorite variety.
7. Have students help clean up and wash their hands.
Extension
• Compare food in different forms. For example, compare raw tomatoes to salsa, tomato
soup, ketchup, or sun-dried tomatoes.
10
Additional Activities
Balanced Diet
Have students make a food pyramid mobile, symbolizing the idea of eating a balanced diet.
Students can draw or cut out images of foods for each portion of the food pyramid and attach
them with yarn to a hanger or dowel.
Nutrition Jingle
Have students create their own advertisement for a fruit or vegetable. Students will have to
research some of the qualities and nutritional benefits of their fruit/vegetable and use it to
persuade their audience to purchase their product.
11
For more information about the Got Dirt? Garden Initiative or
for comments and suggestions about lesson plans, please contact:
Bill Wright, Brown County UW-Extension
1150 Bellevue Street, Green Bay, WI 54302-2259
Phone: (920) 391-4658; Fax: (920) 391-4617
Email: wright_wp@co.brown.wi.us
Website: http://www.gotdirtwisconsin.org
Kristen Buettner, Brown County UW-Extension
1150 Bellevue Street, Green Bay, WI 54302-2259
Phone: (920) 391-4655 Fax: (920) 391-4617
Email: Buettner_KM@co.brown.wi.us
Cultivating Gardens
for
Improved Health
The Got Dirt? Garden Initiative is funded by the UW-School of
Medicine and Public Health’s Wisconsin Partnership Program.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
UW-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA.