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Classroom Resources

Monthly Themes

Nutrition Month

Writing Prompt

Instructions:

Good nutrition starts with healthful cooking. Have students write instructions for preparing a favorite healthful food or meal.

Activities

Grades K–2: Science
Place Mats

Colorful pictures of healthful food can stimulate even the pickiest appetite. Have each student cut out food pictures from magazines or newspapers and paste them onto a single sheet of construction paper. Then cover each sheet with clear plastic so that it can be used as a place mat.

Grades K–4: Social Studies/Science
Food Adventures

Eating right can be an adventure. Have students go on a food-tasting adventure and then mark their travels on personal passports.

  • Make Tasting Passports
  • http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/educators/lessons/chef-combo/chef-act-tastingpassports.asp
Grades K–4: Science
New Foods

Have students explore the produce section of the grocery store to find a fruit or vegetable they have never tried. Then hold a class discussion on the students' experiences. Ask them about the taste and nutritional value of the food.

Grades K–4: Science
Food Coloring

Foods come in a cornucopia of colors. Have students color an assortment of nutritious foods and then label each page with one describing word or sentence about the food. Students can make their own book of favorite foods if there's time.

Grades K–5: Science/Mathematics
Vegetable Sorting

Vegetables are loaded with nutritious vitamins and minerals. Have each student bring in one or two favorite vegetables. Then have students sort the vegetables by nutritional content, such as vitamins, proteins, or calories. Older students can organize their data with a chart or graph.

Grades K–5: Science
Interactive Bulletin Board

Create a blank food pyramid on a bulletin board, using different-colored papers for each of six categories. Label each category “Sweets/Oils,” “Fruits,” “Vegetables,” “Meats,” “Dairy,” and “Grains.” Have students cut out pictures of at least one food for each category from magazines or newspapers. (You can also have students draw their own pictures.) Then divide the class into two groups. Have one group use tape or tacks to place their pictures on the bulletin board in the wrong categories. Then have the second group place the foods in the right categories. Check the second group for accuracy.

Grades 1–2: Science
Milk Delivery

Have students help LaMilka Bones make a pyramid delivery by completing a maze.

  • The Milk Maze
  • http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/activities/milkmaze.asp
Grades 1–3: Science/Language Arts
Riddles

Have students test their food vocabulary skills while solving food riddles. Challenge students to write their own riddles.

Grades 1–4: Science/Language Arts
Track What You Eat

Do your students know if they eat enough fruits and vegetables every day? Have students keep track of their daily diet.

  • Track Your 5 A Day (PDF file)
  • http://www.dole5aday.com/Kids/pdf/ActivityChart-For-setgoal.pdf
Grades 1–8: Science
Nutrition in a Meal

Have students analyze the nutritional content of a typical meal.

Grades 2–4: Science
Boxed Pyramid

Have students use an assortment of empty cardboard boxes to build a food pyramid and learn about creating healthy meals.

  • Eat Right!
  • http://www.eduplace.com/activity/eatright.html
Grades 2–4: Science
Incredible Food

Students will learn to prepare and share a nutritious meal.

Grades 2–8: Science/Language Arts
Word Finds

Have students find words related to nutrition hidden in a puzzle.

  • Nutrition (grades 1–2) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/march/pdf/nutrition_easy_wf.pdf
  • Nutrition Answer Key (grades 1–2) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/march/pdf/nutrition_easy_wf_key.pdf
  • Nutrition (grades 3–5) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/march/pdf/nutrition_med_wf.pdf
  • Nutrition Answer Key (grades 3–5) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/march/pdf/nutrition_med_wf_key.pdf
  • Nutrition (grades 6–8) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/march/pdf/nutrition_hard_wf.pdf
  • Nutrition Answer Key (grades 6–8) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/march/pdf/nutrition_hard_wf_key.pdf
Grades 3–8: Science
Class Recipe Book

Have students create a recipe book of healthful recipes. Ask students to use the Internet to research recipes. Divide the class into groups, and have each group determine whether each recipe suggested is healthy. Students can copy the healthy recipes on decorative paper. One student can draw a cover for the book. Copy and bind all pages so that all students can bring home their own recipe book.

Grades 4–8: Mathematics/Science
Weigh In

Have students use a classroom balance scale to determine the weight, in grams, of their lunch or snack foods. You might want to have students predict the weight first and then compare their predictions with the actual results.

Grades 5–8: Science
Personal Pyramid

Have students build personal nutrition pyramids by tracking their diets for a day.

Grades 5–8: Science/Mathematics
One Size Does Not Fit All

A serving size determines the number of calories. Have students learn more about this important relationship.

Grades 5–8: Science
Why We Eat

Hunger is just one reason why people eat. Emotions, environment, and other factors also influence eating habits. Have students keep track of what they eat and why they eat for a day (or longer). Then have students analyze the results. Hold a classroom discussion on healthful and unhealthful eating habits. Have students devise strategies to break poor eating habits.

Grades 5–8: Science
It's All on the Label

Food labels are loaded with information. Have each of the students bring in the labels from two of their favorite foods. Then have students answer questions about each label to give them a better understanding of their favorite foods.

  • Labeling
  • http://www.uen.org/utahlink/lp_res/nutri065.gif
Grades 7–8: Science/Language Arts
Crossword Puzzle

Have students test their knowledge of nutrition.

  • Nutrition (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/march/pdf/nutrition_xword.pdf
  • Nutrition Answer Key (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/march/pdf/nutrition_xword_key.pdf
Houghton Mifflin