Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.1C Grade 2 CPI 3

 

Standard: 2.1 - Wellness

 

Strand: C - Nutrition

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 3 - The student will explain what information can be found on food and product labels.

 

Grade: 2

 

Sample Activities:

 

·        BUILDING THE PYRAMID - Brainstorm favorite foods and write on the board. Ask the students if all the favorites they have mentioned are healthy and good for them. Tell them that nutrition specialists have devised an easy way to decide if you are getting enough healthy food in your diet—they devised the Food Guide Pyramid. Display a large poster or model of the Food Guide Pyramid and introduce each of the areas. Then distribute pictures of various food products to each student (cardboard food pictures are available from the Dairy Council, or use pictures cut from magazines). In turn, each student states the name of his/her food item and attempts to place it in the appropriate area of the Pyramid. (Draw a Food Guide Pyramid on the chalkboard or have a second large poster available so students can attach their food pictures to the correct area.) As students become more familiar with the Food Guide Pyramid, they can indicate the correct number of servings. Correct any errors, summarize, and conclude by asking each student to appropriately color a black-line master of the Food Guide Pyramid and finish this statement: “I will build a strong body by...”

Variation: Hold a healthy snack day. Students identify the type of food and where it fits on the Food Guide Pyramid. Be sure to include new foods and ethnic and cultural items as part of the activity.

Variation: Divide the class into small groups. Each group assembles a food folder that contains pictures from magazines and newspapers representing foods in the various sections of the Food Guide Pyramid. Each group uses the pictures to design a Food Guide Pyramid collage or papier-mâché
model.

 

      Variation: Students record all food eaten for a five day period and then try to match the foods on their list with the recommendations on the Food Guide Pyramid.

Variation: Outline a large Food Guide Pyramid on the playground or gym floor. Announce the name of a food. Students move to the correct place on the pyramid and perform an exercise that represents the recommended number of servings for that food.

 

·        SWEET SUGAR - For this activity, you need 10 test tubes with caps, sugar, a test-tube holder, and a measuring spoon. Ask students: “How many of you really like sweet foods like candy, soda, or cookies? Have you ever been told you eat too much sugar? What can too much sugar do?” Each student selects a favorite snack item. Using a sugar-content chart, students measure the amount of sugar in their snack choice. Place the sugar in a test tube and label. Observe and compare the amount of sugar in 10 different snack foods. Explain that sugar is in almost everything we eat. Too much sugar can lead to health problems, especially dental caries. Assist students to read the labels of several other snack foods and identify those lower in sugar. Students list three low-sugar snack foods they can add to their diet.

 

      Variation: Organize a sugar-free or low-sugar snack day. Students taste various nutritious snacks and create a poster about their favorite healthy snack.

Variation: A similar activity can be done with fat. Students identify foods high in fat and place corresponding amounts of solid shortening in small plastic bags to represent the amount of fat in foods. Students read the labels of common food products and record the amount of fat consumed over the
course of the day.

 

·        WHAT KIND OF PRODUCT? - Display an assortment of empty, labeled boxes, bottles, and containers of common food, household products, and medicines. Ask students: “How can you tell what kind of product this is? How do you know if a product is safe to eat?” Brainstorm other information that can be found on the product label, and discuss the importance of reading and following directions and heeding warnings. Create three large cardboard signs: one marked “food”, one marked “household products” and one marked “medicine”. Students select an item from the assortment of products you have provided and place the item under the correct sign. Students justify the placement. If their answer is incorrect, allow another student to attempt to place the item in the correct spot.

 

      Variation: Select food items from different cultures. Students read the labels and determine what the product is, how to cook or eat the product, and any special information about the product. If possible, students from that cultural background may wish to share a special dish made from the product and share a family story about the product or dish.