Eat Right!

Nutrition/Art Activity

WHAT YOU NEED

Food Pyramid (print and copy)
5 empty boxes close the same size, 1 box about twice as long as the others
Magazines, advertising supplements, supermarket fliers
Scissors
Large construction paper
Paste or glue

WHAT TO DO

Distribute the Food Pyramid and discuss with the class the kinds of food in each level and what the triangular shape means. (The wide part shows the foods you should eat most often each day, and the narrower parts the ones you should eat in lesser amounts.)
Arrange empty boxes in a triangular shape and label them with the names of the corresponding pyramid food groups.
Have partners scan magazines and other illustrated, consumable materials for pictures of food. Then ask them to cut out the pictures, sort them according to the food groups, and place the pictures in the appropriate boxes.
Tell partners that they are going to create a healthy "meal" by choosing pictures from each box. Remind students to consult the Food Pyramid to be sure they are using healthy foods. Allow them the opportunity to make replacements as necessary.
When students are satisfied with their healthy meals, distribute construction paper and ask students to use their pictures to make an attractive collage. The arrangement can be realistic or simply an attractive design that uses the varying colors and textures of the different foods.

TEACHING OPTIONS

Students can write a list of the different foods they used and attach it to their collages.
Make a poster-sized triangle for the bulletin board. Have students add gummed labels or colored pins to each section to represent the foods they chose.

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