To Know and Learn
By singing the Breakfast Today song, children will know that eating a good breakfast is important. They will also understand that many different foods can be a part of a good breakfast. Fine motor, reading readiness and counting skills can be practiced by making Breakfast Moon Slushes.
Materials Needed
Breakfast Today song, see below
Breakfast Moon Slush picture recipe on page 8-19
milk
fresh fruit (for example: banana, peach, strawberry, coconut, pineapple,
blueberry or watermelon)
wheat germ
ice cubes
blender
knife
cutting board
spoons
paper cups
Directions
Review why it is important to eat a good breakfast everyday. Describe good breakfast ideas that the children may not be familiar with, such as muffins, pizza, sandwiches, cottage cheese and fruit and milk shake drinks. Describe breakfast ideas that can start the day off right.
Sing Breakfast Today, see below, to the children. Have them repeat each line until they know it well. After they sing the song, ask them to answer the following questions:
When do we eat breakfast?
How many times a day do we eat breakfast?
Do we need to eat breakfast every day?
Review the Breakfast Moon Slush picture recipe on page 8-19.
Have the children explain all of the steps for making the drink. Have the children:
- pour milk into blender
- add wheat germ and pieces of fresh fruit
- blend together
- add crushed ice* and blend until smooth
What foods were used to make the Breakfast Moon Slushes?
What is the shape, color, origin and food group of each ingredient?
Could we eat Breakfast Moon Slushes for a good breakfast?
The following books and poster can be used to further explore the concepts of this lesson:
Tigger And Breakfast (A. Milne, E. P. Dutton and Company, New York, 1958).
Green Eggs And Ham (Dr. Seuss, Random House, New York, 1958).
What Did You Have For Breakfast This Morning? poster (National Dairy Council, 6300 North River Road, Rosemont, Illinois 60018).
Food For Thought
Ask the children when they should eat breakfast. Have them name good breakfast selections.
* Ice can be crushed by placing ice cubes into a clean paper bag and
hitting the ice cubes with a
hammer or mallet.
To Know and Learn
Children will identify a variety of foods that are part of a good breakfast by creating a Breakfast Beauties bulletin board. Children will also practice reading readiness and fine motor skills.
Materials Needed
paper
bulletin board, blackboard or wall
glue or tape
crayons, felt tip markers or paint
scissors
food pictures (optional, pictures from other lessons can be used)
Directions
Review the variety of body building foods that can be eaten for a good breakfast.
Have the children draw or paint pictures of foods that they could eat for breakfast.
Glue or tape the drawings to a large sheet of paper with Breakfast Beauties written at the top. Have the children name some of the foods included in the picture.
Food For Thought
Tell the children to pretend that they are making breakfast for themselves.
Ask them to name the foods they would prepare.
To Know and Learn
Children will be able to recognize good snack selections by listening to the After School Snacker Chant and making a Snacking Good Diorama. This lesson will also help children practice listening and fine motor skills.
Materials Needed
After School Snacker Chant, see below
food pictures (pictures from other lessons can be used)
construction paper
small boxes (for example: shoe or oatmeal boxes)
glue or tape
crayons or felt tip markers
scissors
Directions
Name body building foods that make good snacks. Include foods such as fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, yogurt, other dairy products, grains, breads, cereals, nuts, seeds, beans, meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Read After School Snacker, see below, to the children. Have them repeat each line until they know it well.
Have the children make a Snacking Good Diorama. To do this the children should:
- draw or cut out pictures of foods that make good snacks.
- glue or tape the pictures to the inside edges of the box.
- cut a hole at one edge of the box. Make the hole just large enough to look through with one eye.
Children could make their drawings into a collage or mobile instead of a diorama.
The following filmstrips can be used with this lesson:
Snacking Mouse and Snacking Mouse Goes To School (The Polished Apple, 3742 Seahorn Drive, Malibu, California 90265, 1977).
Food For Thought
Ask the children to identify good afternoon snack selections.
To Know and Learn
Children will identify grapes and raisins as healthy snacks by reciting the Munching Microchips rhyme and tasting these fruits. They will also have the opportunity to practice language arts, discrimination and fine motor skills.
Materials Needed
Munching Microchips rhyme, see below
raisins
grapes
Directions
Review with the children the importance of eating several times each day. Also talk about the need for good snacks. Good snacks for children are important because their stomachs are small and they need to eat enough food to grow and develop fully. Good snack ideas include fresh or dried fruits.
Read Munching Microchips, see below, to the children. Let them practice each line until they know it well.
Give the children a grape and a raisin. Ask them to hold up the correct food as they recite the rhyme.
After the rhyme has been recited, ask the children to describe the grape and raisin using their senses.
Have them eat the fruits and describe the taste of grapes and raisins. Explain that grapes and raisins are fruits and that grapes turn into raisins when they are dried.
Children can make their own raisins by laying grapes on paper towels, covering the grapes and placing them in a sunny window. It takes about a week for the grapes to dry out. The raisins can be used to make oatmeal-raisin cookies or add them to the Amazing Trail Mix recipe on page 8-20.
Raisins are sweet and stick to teeth like candy. Thus, children should brush their teeth after eating raisins as they would after eating candy.
Food For Thought
Ask the children to name other fruits that make good snacks.
To Know and Learn
By reciting The Snack Pac rhyme and making granola, children will learn to identify good snacks. These activities will also allow children to practice reading readiness, dramatic play, counting and fine motor skills.
Materials Needed
The Snack Pac rhyme, see below
Amazing Trail Mix picture recipe on page 8-20
oven or toaster oven
oatmeal
wheat germ
shredded coconut
sunflower or sesame seeds
peanuts
powdered milk
cinnamon
honey
vanilla
cookie sheet
bowl
spoons
napkins
paper cups
Directions
Talk about body building snack foods with the children. Also discuss
why snacks are important
and why children need to make good snack selections to grow optimally.
Good snacks can include many different foods.
Ask the children to name as many good snack foods as they can remember. Read The Snack Pac, see below, to the children and have them practice saying and acting it out until they know it well.
Review the Amazing Trail Mix picture recipe on page 8-20 with the children until they know the directions well. Have the children:
- mix the dry ingredients in a bowl
- add honey, vanilla and, if necessary, a small amount of water and stir well
- bake on cookie sheet
Describe the food's origins.
Name the food group of each food.
"Read" the picture recipe.
Describe when they could eat snacks.
Ask the children whether they would like to make and eat the Amazing Trail Mix again for a snack.
Food For Thought
Ask the children to name other food snack foods.
Children will learn to recognize snacks from the milk and dairy food group and practice reading readiness and fine motor skills by making Pudding in a Cup.
Materials Needed
Pudding In A Cup picture recipe on page 8-21
instant pudding mix (for example: vanilla or butter scotch)
milk
spoons
paper cups
refrigerator
Directions
Review examples of body building snacks. Include foods from the fruits and vegetables group, breads and cereals group, and the meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dried peas and beans group. Also mention that products in the milk and dairy foods group provide good snack foods.
Review the Pudding In A Cup picture recipe on page 8-21 with the children until they know the directions well. Give each child a spoon and a small paper cup with his or her name written on it. Have the children:
- put 1 Tbsp. instant pudding mix and 1/4 cup milk in a small cup
- stir rapidly until set
- cool in refrigerator for 15 minutes
What foods were used to make the Pudding In A Cup?
Describe milk and pudding using the senses.
Name the animal that gives us milk.
What are other foods in the milk and dairy group?
Is Pudding in a Cup a body building snack?
What are other good snacks we can eat?
When can we eat snacks?
Food For Thought
Ask the children to name other milk and dairy foods that are good snacks.
To Know and Learn
Children will try a new snack Space Critters. They will also practice reading readiness, counting and fine motor skills.
Materials Needed
Space Critters picture recipe on page 8-22
oven or toaster oven
flour
egg
honey
baking soda
salt
ginger
cinnamon
molasses
margarine
cookie sheet
spatula
spoon
cookie cutter
bowl
Directions
Ask the children to name a variety of body building snack ideas.
Review the Space Critters picture recipe on page 8-22 with the children until they know the directions well. Have the children:
- mix the wet ingredients
- add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, slowly, in a bowl until a soft dough forms
- chill
- roll on floured surface and cut with cookie cutters *
- decorate if desired
- bake until set (about 5 minutes at 400 F)
- Circular cookie cutters (for flying saucers) and star shaped cookie cutters could be used.
Food For Thought
Have children name body building snacks they think are both fun to eat
and good for them.