Fabulous Fruits

Objective

Objective
Learn the importance of eating a variety of fruits every day.
Key Teaching Messages
Eat two to four servings of fruit a day to help build healthy bodies and reduce the risk of developing certain diseases.
Fruit provides nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that benefit the body.
Fruits are nutrient-dense. (Nutrient-dense means foods rich in nutrients).
Fruit is a GO food.
Performance Standards
NATIONAL PRE-K–2nd grade HEALTH PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Identify that healthy behaviors impact personal health.
Common Core Standards: Kindergarten-Second Grade
Language:
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.5a
Speaking and Listening:
Comprehension and Collaboration
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.4
Reading Literature:
Key Ideas and Details
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.3
Craft and Structure
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.4
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.7
NIH Health Messages
Eat a variety of fruit daily.
Increase availability and accessibility of healthy foods in the home.
Limit the availability of high-fat, high-calorie/low nutrient foods in the home.
There are so many good reasons to eat fruit, and many ways to help children remember them. Reinforce that we eat a rainbow because each color adds a different important nutrient to our diets. Show children images of various fruits and vegetables. Talk about the different shapes and colors. Emphasize that fruits aren’t all the same color.
Educator Tip
Music & Movement
Pick a Strawberry
Pick a Strawberry is a fun, playful song. Children love acting out the different movements. Have fun substituting other fruits. Ask the children to offer suggestions for additional fruits you can all sing about.
Educator Tip
Close
Music & Movement
The Hello Song
Ask children to share some of the songs they sing at home as part of their bedtime routines. You can also sing a variation of this song, substituting the words good night for hello.
Educator Tip
Close
Music & Movement
The Clean-up Song
Just like a family meal, clean-up time is a family activity as well. In school, this song can be used with any lesson, and is a nice way to keep children moving through clean-up activities.
Educator Tip
Close
Art
Model Magic Fruit Baskets

Model Magic Fruit Baskets

Model Magic Fruit Baskets
Model Magic Fruit Baskets
Materials
  • Large popsicle sticks
  • Model Magic
  • Small paper bags
  • Watercolors and large paintbrushes (or markers)
Instructions
  1. Set up each child with a small ball of model magic and watercolors or markers.
  2. Encourage children to create fruit shapes with their model magic.
  3. Use markers and watercolors to color them in and create different textures.
  4. Allow model magic to dry and harden overnight.
  5. While the ‘fruits’ dry, have children decorate their paper bags ‘fruit baskets.’
  6. Place hardened fruits into paper bags.
Alternate Project
Materials
  • Collage Materials
  • Construction paper
  • Glue Sticks
  • Recycled materials: cardboard, newspaper, plastic, foil, etc.
Close
Before giving children the model magic, talk to them about the different fruits they might want to make, and perhaps demonstrate how a ball can become a cherry or orange, a banana, etc.
Educator Tip
Literacy
Blueberries for Sal

Blueberries for Sal

Blueberries for Sal
Blueberries for Sal
Overview
Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey, helps children see the importance of eating healthy fruits, while also introducing early math vocabulary.
Vocabulary
Weather Words: winter
Math Words: small, large, little, more, three, four, lots, big, long, few, many, whole
Action Words: picked, walked, hurried, dropped, run
Descriptive Words: tin, cold, little
Challenge Words: struggles, hustle, trampling, tremendous
Alternate Books
Oliver’s Fruit Salad
by Vivian French

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear
by Don Wood
Buy at First Book
Click here
Close
In this book, children are introduced to the idea that fruit can be eaten fresh OR saved for use later on. The first and final picture in the book is of Sal and her mother in the kitchen, canning blueberries. Ask the children if they have eaten jelly or jam. Explain that berries, tomatoes and cucumbers can become jelly, tomato sauce and pickles, all tasty ways to make sure extra food is not wasted.
Educator Tip
Did You Know?
 
Did you know that the true nutrition of an orange is in the meat of the fruit?
With natural sugars and lots of nutrients, it’s a GO food. Orange juice is a SLOW food because it’s full of added sugar.
Close
Activities

Activities

Use a variety of fruits cut into shapes for mouth, nose, eyes, ears, and hair. Arrange on your plate. The best part is eating the face when you are done!
While shopping, try to spot the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).
Using celery sticks, fat-free or low-fat cream
cheese and raisins, design what looks like
ants crawling along a straight, crunchy log!
Educator Tip
Close
Recipes

Recipes

Cereal with fat-free or low-fat milk and blueberries.
Fat-free or low-fat cheese melted over apple slices, on whole grain toast.
Apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon.
Bowl of frozen cut grapes (red or green). Hint: cut before freezing!
Educator Tip
Close
Printables
Close
New Words

  • New Words

  • Crunchy
  • Juicy
  • Sticky
  • Sweet
  • Smooth

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