I Love My Veggies!

Objective

Objective
Learn the importance of eating a variety of vegetables every day.
Key Teaching Messages
Vegetables are nutrient-dense foods. “Nutrient-dense” means foods that have many nutrients per serving.
Vegetables have some nutrients you cannot get from any other source.
Vegetables are naturally a GO food, but how they are prepared can make a difference.
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 vegetables daily.
Increase availability and accessibility of healthy foods in the home.
Limit the availability and accessibility of high-fat, high-density/low nutrient foods.
This lesson helps children understand why eating vegetables is so important. The Fruit and Vegetables Body Benefits chart, a graphics handout download, is especially useful. Have children compare the different colors and shapes of vegetables.
Educator Tip
Music & Movement
The Vegetable Song
This playful song, sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, is fun to sing before snack time or lunch time to reinforce the importance of eating crunchy, healthy veggies. Highlight vocabulary words in the song and check for comprehension.
Educator Tip
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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
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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
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Art
Body Benefits Collage

Body Benefits Collage

Body Benefits Collage
Body Benefits Collage
Materials
  • Glue stick
  • Large pieces of butcher paper
  • I Love My Veggies! Graphic Handout
    Markers
Instructions
  1. Secure butcher paper to the floor.
  2. Have children work in pairs to trace each other on the paper using a pencil or marker.
  3. In a separate work area, have children color in the vegetable templates.
  4. Using glue sticks, help children glue their vegetables onto their body tracings. Vegetables can be affixed to the body part that it benefits most.
Alternate Project
Materials

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The life-size collage is a great team project, which gives children a chance to work and think together. Children love decorating the huge, personalized drawings with their own vegetable creations.
Educator Tip
Literacy
Lunch

Lunch

Lunch
Lunch
Overview
In Lunch, by Denise Fleming, children are reminded to use their senses in making healthy food choices and to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day.
Vocabulary
Descriptive Words: crisp, tasty, sweet, tender, tart, sour, shiny, juicy, crunchy
Color Words: white, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, red, pink, black
Alternate Books
Growing Vegetable Soup
by Lois Ehlert
I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato
by Lauren Child
Buy at First Book
Click here
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Lunch is a fun book with vibrant, colorful graphics that allows for lots of conversation and interaction with children. Have them guess which fruit or veggie the hungry mouse will eat next! Incorporate vocabulary words into the reading and ask which fruit or vegetable is crunchy? Or, has seeds?
Educator Tip
Did You Know?
 
Did you know that canned peas are as nutritious as fresh peas?
Canned, frozen or fresh, they’re the same great source of vitamins A and C.
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Activities

Activities

Use whole wheat English muffins. Add tomato sauce, low-fat cheese, and fresh vegetables to create a delicious vegetable pizza. Fun tip: Add the vegetables in the shape of a face!
Include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple vegetables. Cut them up in to cubes, mix them together, and enjoy!
Educator Tip
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Recipes

Recipes

Place steamed broccoli on a plate. Sprinkle low-fat cheddar cheese on top. Microwave in 30 second intervals until cheese is melted to perfection.
1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon
Blend all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. You can serve immediately with fresh cut vegetables like carrots, celery, broccoli, and green peppers.
Add small pieces of cooked carrot and corn to pasta dishes.
Educator Tip
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Printables
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  • Teaching Health Through

    Music & Movement

    Music & Movement

    The Vegetable Song

    I Love My Veggies!

  • Teaching Health Through

    Art

    Art

    Body Benefits Collage

    I Love My Veggies!

  • Teaching Health Through

    Literacy

    Literacy

    Lunch

    I Love My Veggies!

  • Teaching Health Through

    Music & Movement

    Music & Movement

    The Hello Song

    I Love My Veggies!

  • Teaching Health Through

    Music & Movement

    Music & Movement

    The Clean-up Song

    I Love My Veggies!

New Words

  • New Words

  • Crunchy
  • Hard
  • Seeds
  • Soft

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