has anyone done a nutrition unbit -- prek or kindy?

[Momma Aimee]

What did you do? What books did you read, how in depth did you go?

Looking for ideas.

thanks

[Fairy4tmama]

I haven't done a unit but we have and love Eat Healthy Feel Great from the Dr Sears Children's Liabrary. We have also "read" What the World Eats which is such a cool book!

[earthmama369]

Our preK/K co-op has done this in the past. I don't remember which book we used, but we did a field trip to Whole Foods and tried different fresh foods, talked about eating a rainbow of colors, a bit about nutrients and how food gives our body the energy it needs to grow and play, the difference between organic and conventionally grown or produced foods, and the basic food pyramid.

[AAK]

I did a unit with our Daisy troop that included nutrition. I took my information from Dr. Sear's L.E.A.N. kids book. We talked about where food came from and what food does for us. We also used his (Dr. Sears) traffic light concept. (Some foods are red light foods, some yellow, some green). We made traffic lights and then cut out items from magazines and pasted them in the correct circle. Example: fruits and veggies were in the green circle, ice cream was yellow, and pop was red.

Amy

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by Fairy4tmama

I haven't done a unit but we have and love Eat Healthy Feel Great from the Dr Sears Children's Liabrary. We have also "read" What the World Eats which is such a cool book!

We have teh Dr Sear books and have been reading it more recently -- which is actually what made me think of this.

Also we are working on teh family diet -- and i thought that rather then jsut "nope not buying THAT anymore" we could make it more of a learning process -- that is when he is not crying like his heart is breaking over the loss of a fav food rol

AMy I like that craft / hands on idea. thanksl

[Aubergine68]

We are working with Canada Food Guide materials (3 and 6 year old boys of my own, and their 5 year old friend) and discussing what choices we make for meals and snacks and why.

We also just made our own version of Candyland called "Healthy Choices", with collages of pictures of healthy food representing fruits/veg/dairy and alternatives/ meat and alternatives/ and bread and cereals. We're using color-coded cards for moving across the board, like in Candyland.

The boys used mostly grocery store flyers and had some great discussions about whether foods were healthy or not.

They have been really into board games and are totally excited about this project.

[Holiztic]

I think at that age just learning about nutrition by being involved in the family's food: shopping, csa/farm pick-ups, cooking, serving, etc. is the most valuable! My DS (almost 3) knows way more about food than the average 6 year old because he's SOOOO involved in our food!

[AAK]

Originally Posted by Holiztic

I think at that age just learning about nutrition by being involved in the family's food: shopping, csa/farm pick-ups, cooking, serving, etc. is the most valuable! My DS (almost 3) knows way more about food than the average 6 year old because he's SOOOO involved in our food!

Don't forget about including the opportunity to grow your own food! My kids think it is quite a treat to snack from the garden during the summer. I LOVE garden fresh, and it has carried on in my kids. If they are asked if they like carrots (or whatever) they will ask the person if they mean "garden" carrots or store carrots (still talking about the fresh, not canned or frozen ones). They let the confused person know that garden carrots are way better. We also have an open snacking thing going on during the garden months. If they are hungry, they don't need to ask--just go to the garden and find a snack!

If you don't have space for a garden, container gardening can still give the child the experience/pride of growing their own food.

Amy

[Grace and Granola]

We have been using the Sears book as a model for our family's nutrition since my oldest was under 2. We also refer to some foods as "muscle foods." That's how I get my boys to like healthy foods that they're not sure about! But I think if you can take that one book (or another you like) and just be consistent about the message, your kids will get the picture. Even now at age 4.5, my ds is always talking about make healthy choices. He wants to choose foods that will give him energy and help him grow.

We had a couple of birthday parties in the last week and we talked alot about those "red light foods." After the last one, he told me he was done with treats. No more! So, today I told him that we have another party tomorrow, and he sighed and said, "Ok, but that's the last time for treats!" Like he was putting his foot down or something! It's quite hilarious. But he GETS it.

Back to your question--Keep it simple and make sure you find something you can use in your daily conversation. I plan on taking that one book to use as our foundation and then just add to it gradually, like growing our own foods, eating organic...all of it as they are old enough to understand.

As far as the "Nope, not buying that!" It's a great opportunity to talk about making good choices. Do you want your muscles to grow? Do you want to choose a food that helps you run fast or makes you feel tired? Red, Yellow and Green light also works well at the grocery store.

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by Aubergine68

We are working with Canada Food Guide materials (3 and 6 year old boys of my own, and their 5 year old friend) and discussing what choices we make for meals and snacks and why.

We also just made our own version of Candyland called "Healthy Choices", with collages of pictures of healthy food representing fruits/veg/dairy and alternatives/ meat and alternatives/ and bread and cereals. We're using color-coded cards for moving across the board, like in Candyland.

The boys used mostly grocery store flyers and had some great discussions about whether foods were healthy or not.

They have been really into board games and are totally excited about this project.

Healthy Food Game -- great idea

we did garden last year and will this year -- right now the garden is still under 4 feet of snow