Food is Elementary, Lesson One: Food Pyramid and Hygiene

For our first lesson facilitating Food is Elementary, the children learned about the food pyramid and why foods with larger stripes form the foundation for a healthy diet. The larger stripes on the new revised pyramid that we focused on were the grains, vegetables and fruits. These food groups were highlighted, since studies consistently show they are under served in most children's diets. We did discuss Dairy, Oils and Meats, discussing the healthiest choices from each group. Check out the great website for teaching aids at: http://www.thefeltsource.com/Nutrition.html We used a felt food pyramid with cut out pictures of foods from this site. The children learned about each of the food groups and had a fun activity placing the different foods where they belonged. We also discussed the importance of hand washing, discussing and reading a book on Germs. Much of the lessons have a sensory experience. We used a lavender soap and then had the children rub rose water on their clean hands. They learned how to properly wash and also appreciate clean, sweet smelling hands. All lessons are one hour or less and incorporate a hands-on activity each week. Hundreds of local children experienced this class this week and it is the start of a program that will impact not only our children's lives, but many of the adults too. Thank you to all site supervisors for bringing this dynamic programming into your school.