Comprehensive Materials Needed List
(Highlighted items are materials that are NOT included with this curriculum so regions
will need to purchase)
Lesson 1: Get on Board the Food Group Express
Materials Needed:
 5 brown paper bags with food group labels or colored paper bags (1 green, 1 red, 1 blue,
1 purple, 1 brown. (the bags represent the food groups but are also the train cars for each
food group)
 Dairy Council Food Cards/ or food models
 Picture of trains, or small train set
 Current [USDA Food Graphic ________] poster
 Masking tape
 Choose Mplate.gov handout for comprehension check (optional)
Lesson: Stoke Your Engine for a Healthy Lifestyle
Materials Needed:
 Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban (ISBN 978-0-06-083800-3)
 Current USDA food graphic (example 2011 is the New MyPlate)
 Black/white board and appropriate writing utensils for each
 White paper plates
 Tape
 Pictures of foods from the story (Albert’s meal page 26)
 Pictures of foods from the story (Frances’ meal page 43)
Lesson: Following the Engine
Materials Needed:
 MyActivity Pyramid poster*
 Following the Engine song*
 MyActivity Pyramid handout*
 MyActivity Log*
 Following the Engine song*
Lesson: Stoke Your Engine with Food Safety
Materials Needed:
 A picture of fireman/stoker that works on a train shoveling coal
 Data projector, smart board if possible if not make large copy of picture so that they are
visible to students
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Fight BAC Visual Aid (A, B, C & D) copies
Black/white board and utensils to write on either (chalk or white boards markers)
Lesson: BAC Aboard the Food Group Express
Materials Needed:
 You want to show students different receptacles people in the 1900’s carried their
lunches in. From this list chose a couple of items: Lunch basket or lunch box * Dish
cloth tied with its 4 corners * lunch pail (small bucket, old coffee can) * gunny sack *
box tied up with twine etcetera.
 Legal size paper (1 piece for each team; 4 to 6)
 Table or desk top for each team
 4 to 6 wads of cellophane
 4 to 6 small sponges or picture of
 4 to 6 empty dish soap bottles or picture of
 4 to 6 tissues
 4 to 6 plastic knives and 1 plastic knife for you
 Spray bottle with water
 National Dairy Council Food Model Cards (a variety of meats, cheese, vegetables,
breads, and condiments that are suitable for making a sandwich, each team needs a set
you will need to make copies of some pictures; a meat, a vegetable, a bread, American
cheese and a condiment)
Lesson: Make a Food Group Sandwich
Materials needed:
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[Current USDA food graphic __________]
Sliced lean ham (or lean chicken, roast beef or turkey)
Whole-wheat crackers (or pita bread, whole-wheat bread)
Sliced low-fat Swiss cheese (or cheddar, Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese)
Green pepper cut into thin, short strips (or tomatoes, cucumbers)
Canned pineapple slices (or strawberries, grapes
Mayonnaise or margarine (optional)
Plastic bags
Paper plates
Napkins
Warm water, soap and paper towels or hand sanitizer
Lesson 2: Oats, Wheat and Rice Ride the Rails
Materials Needed:
 Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris
 From Wheat to Pasta from Children’s Press
 Parts of a Whole Grain Seed handout (1per student)
 Crayons: specifically (yellow, orange, and brown)
 5 small grain boards: Supplies and instructions for making a grain board below.
o 5 pieces of 8 ½ X 11 card stock.
o White flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, brown rice, white rice, oatmeal, barley,
popcorn
o 35 self-closing snack bags
o Using a permanent marker label 7 snack bags, 1 bag per grain
o Put ¼ cup of each grain or grain product into its labeled bag
o Staple or use heavy tape to secure the bags of grain to cardstock
o Make 5 small grain boards with 7 bags of grain each
Lesson 3: Beet, Broccoli and Asparagus Coming Down the Tracks
Materials Needed:
 Large brown paper sack with a picture of a large stock kettle on it.
 Copies of vegetable coloring pictures, enough for each child to have a different one (see
attached coloring pictures) cut pictures in 1/2
 1 copy of each - tomato juice , garlic, and salt and pepper
 Fresh Vegetable picture cards – need 1 card for each student
 Crayons
 2 wooden spoons (optional)
 2 paper chefs hats (optional, can be ordered through MU Extension office)
 2 plastic bags that are self closing (8 oz. size)
 Water to fill both gas ½ full
 1 baking potato with skin, unwashed
 1 vegetable scrub brush
 Paper towels
Lesson: Vegetable Musical Chair Game
Materials needed:
 Chair for each student minus one chair
 Review questions (see #6) from “Beets, Broccoli and Asparagus Coming Down
the Tracks”
Lesson 4: Fruits Rumble Down the Tracks
Supplies Needed: (See individual activities for supplies needed)
 MyActivity Pyramid poster*
 Fruit Bingo cards*
 Scrap paper or plastic disks (can be ordered from wholesaleBingosupplies.com 250
disk/$1.95)
 Scroll handout
Lesson: Fresh, Frozen, Canned and Dried the Fruits have Arrived
Materials Needed:
 Black/white board and appropriate writing utensils
 Copy of the Fruit Alphabet (for teacher use)
 Pictures of unusual fruits (or actual fruit when possible)
 Canned, dried, frozen, juiced and fresh examples of fruits
 Example of canned fruit in plastic packaging (fruit cocktail, mandarin oranges)
 Large paper bag (grocery bag)
 Blindfold (a piece of fabric large enough to tie or safety pin over the eyes)
Lesson 5: Clickety, Clack, Down the Track ---Don’t Spill the Milk
Materials Needed
 Pictures of a cow, camel, goat, sheep, yak and water buffalo
 Milk to Market Maze handout
 A Healthy Milk Choice handout (copied to the back of Milk to Market Maze handout)
 Writing utensil (pencil or crayon)
 Clear 1 cup liquid measuring cup
 Yellow food coloring (you will need 3 ½ teaspoons)
 A pitcher with 4 cups of water
 4 clear plastic cups that can hold 1 cup of water or 4 clear liquid measuring cups
 Measuring spoons: ½ tsp. and 1tsp.
 Masking tape and a marker (Use the masking tape to make 4 labels: whole milk, 2%
milk, 1% milk and fat-free milk. Put labels on the 4 small clear plastic cups.)
 Table or desk top surface
 Paper towels to use for any spills
Lesson 6: Protein Palooza on the Pullman Car
Materials Needed:
 I’m Thinking Of??? Handout
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Pencils
MyActivity Pyramid
Lesson 7: Groovin’ and Movin’ Down the Track
Materials Needed:
 MyActivity Pyramid handout (copy printed on inside of SNN folder)
 Jump rope
 Variety of balls (basketball, football, baseball etc)
 A CD package of a video game
 A basket with things that can be folded (dish towels, t-shirts,)
 2 chairs
 Blackboard/whiteboard and chalk/markers for whichever is accessible to use
 Spriggles book by Jeff and Martha Gottlieb (number the pages in the book)
 Small box with the picture of a train car on it that says “Grove and Move”
 Spriggles cut outs, cut and folded (put inside of “Grove and Move box”
 MyActivity Log
Lesson: Don’t Be a Loose Caboose, Get the Scoop on Advertising
Materials Needed:
 Book John Henry by Julius Lester (Caldecott Honor Book) or John Henry an
American Legend by Ezra Jack Keats
 Vegetable cards (5 or 6) from National Dairy Council Food Model Cards
 Play money, at least 10 sets. (Set includes 1 copy each $10, $20, $15, $5)
 Cut sets of money and place into small, closeable, plastic bags.
 2 boxes of cereal (1 a name brand and 1 a generic brand or colored pictures of both)
Lesson: Riding the Rails with Healthy Snacks
Materials Needed:
 Healthy Snacks With Blue by J-P Chanda
 Fresh Fruit Photos (apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapes, oranges, raisins,
raspberries, and watermelon )
 Large clear receptacle such as a (large self-closing plastic bag or bowl)
 6 (½ cup dry measuring cups)
 Fruit Salad Picture: Ingredient Nutrition Facts Food Label handout
 Fruit Salad Nutrition Facts Food Label (handout)
 8 small, plastic, closeable bags
 Pencils for each student
 Small table or desk
Special Instructions Preparation: Use 6 large, plastic, closeable bags for coloring cotton balls * 3
dozen cotton balls * Food coloring all colors. In a large plastic bag place 8 white cotton balls
and a few drops of red food coloring; close the bag and shake until all cotton balls are colored
red. Repeat the process coloring 7 cotton balls blue; 6 cotton balls yellow; 5 cotton balls purple
(mix red & blue purple); 4 cotton
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balls orange (mix red & yellow); 3 cotton balls brown (mix red, green); leave 2 cotton
balls white and make 1 cotton ball green.