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Taste the Rainbow, Grow with Seasons!

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Lesson Plan

Taste the Rainbow, Grow with Seasons!

Students will identify various colorful fruits and vegetables and understand that different foods grow during different seasons.

Learning about colorful and seasonal foods encourages healthy eating habits from a young age and helps children connect with nature and the origins of their food.

Audience

Pre-K Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, visual aids, and a hands-on activity.

Materials

Rainbow & Seasons Slides, Printouts of various fruits and vegetables (different colors, some clearly seasonal), and Small baskets or containers for the activity

Prep

Gather Materials & Review Slides

15 minutes

  • Review the Rainbow & Seasons Slides to familiarize yourself with the content.
    - Print out pictures of various fruits and vegetables in different colors (e.g., red apple, orange carrot, yellow banana, green broccoli, blue blueberries, purple grapes). Include some clearly seasonal items like pumpkins (fall) or watermelons (summer).
    - Gather small baskets or containers for the 'Rainbow Food Hunt' activity.
    - Make sure the classroom has a projector or large screen for the slides.
    - Review the instructions for the Rainbow Food Hunt Activity and Seasonal Favorites Share Cool Down.

Step 1

Introduction: What Colors Do You Eat?

5 minutes

  • Greet students and introduce the exciting topic of colorful food!
    - Ask students what their favorite colors are.
    - Begin the slide presentation, showing the first few slides of Rainbow & Seasons Slides and engaging students in a discussion about the colors of food they already know.

Step 2

Exploring the Rainbow of Foods

10 minutes

  • Continue through the Rainbow & Seasons Slides, focusing on identifying different colored fruits and vegetables.
    - Ask questions like: 'What red foods do you see?' 'What green foods make you strong?'
    - Introduce the concept of eating a 'rainbow' to get all the nutrients they need.

Step 3

Growing with the Seasons

8 minutes

  • Transition to the seasonal growing section of the Rainbow & Seasons Slides.
    - Explain that some foods like to grow when it's warm (summer), and others when it's colder (fall/winter).
    - Show examples of seasonal foods and ask if they've seen them in stores or gardens during certain times of the year.

Step 4

Activity: Rainbow Food Hunt

5 minutes

  • Facilitate the Rainbow Food Hunt Activity. Hide the fruit/vegetable printouts around the classroom and have students find them and sort them by color into baskets.
    - Discuss the colors found and briefly recap some of the foods.

Step 5

Cool Down: Seasonal Favorites Share

2 minutes

  • Conclude with the Seasonal Favorites Share Cool Down to reinforce learning and allow for quick reflection.
    - Ask students to share one colorful or seasonal food they want to try.
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Slide Deck

Taste the Rainbow, Grow with Seasons!

Let's explore yummy, colorful foods and where they come from!

Welcome students and introduce the fun topic! Ask them about their favorite colors. This helps engage them right away and sets a positive tone.

What Colors Do You Eat?

Look at all these colors! What's your favorite food color?

Ask students to identify the colors. 'What red foods do you know? What about green?' Encourage participation and connection to their own experiences.

Red Foods Make Us Strong!

Strawberries, Apples, Tomatoes!

Focus on red foods. Ask 'What red foods do you see? Who likes strawberries or apples?' Emphasize that red foods help them be strong.

Orange & Yellow Give Us Energy!

Carrots, Oranges, Bananas, Corn!

Focus on orange/yellow foods. Ask 'What orange foods do you see? Who likes carrots or bananas?' Emphasize that these foods give them energy.

Green Foods Help Us Grow Big!

Broccoli, Spinach, Peas!

Focus on green foods. Ask 'What green foods do you see? Who likes broccoli or peas?' Emphasize that green foods help them grow big.

Blue & Purple Help Us Think!

Blueberries, Grapes, Plums!

Focus on blue/purple foods. Ask 'What blue or purple foods do you see? Who likes blueberries or grapes?' Emphasize these foods help them think clearly.

Eat the Rainbow Every Day!

All the colors make us healthy and happy!

Introduce the idea of eating a 'rainbow' to get all the benefits. 'When we eat all these colors, we get strong, have energy, and can think clearly!'

Where Do Our Foods Come From?

Foods grow in gardens and on farms!

Transition to seasonal growing. Explain that foods grow when the weather is just right. 'Just like you like to play outside when it's sunny, some foods like sun too!'

Summer Fun Foods!

Watermelon, Berries, Cucumbers!

Talk about summer foods. 'When it's hot and sunny, fruits like watermelon and berries love to grow!' Show pictures.

Autumn Harvest!

Pumpkins, Apples, Squash!

Talk about fall foods. 'When leaves change color, we see foods like pumpkins and apples!' Show pictures.

Winter Wonders!

Oranges, Carrots, Potatoes!

Briefly mention winter foods (root vegetables, citrus). 'Even in the cold, some foods like carrots and oranges are ready!'

Eat Healthy, Grow Strong!

Let's find our colorful, seasonal foods!

Recap the main idea: eating colorful foods and understanding seasons. 'Remember, eat all your colors and know where your food grows!'

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Activity

Rainbow Food Hunt!

Objective: To identify and sort colorful fruits and vegetables.

Materials:

  • Printouts of various fruits and vegetables in different colors (e.g., red apple, orange carrot, yellow banana, green broccoli, blue blueberries, purple grapes, purple eggplant, pink radish).
  • Small baskets or containers labeled with colors (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue/Purple).

Instructions:

  1. Preparation: Before the activity, hide the fruit and vegetable printouts around the classroom in easily discoverable spots.
  2. Introduction: Explain to the students that they are going on a special "Rainbow Food Hunt!" Their mission is to find all the hidden fruit and vegetable pictures.
  3. The Hunt: On your signal, students will explore the classroom to find the hidden pictures.
  4. Sorting: As they find the pictures, instruct them to bring them back to a central area where the colored baskets are located.
  5. Color Match: Guide students to place each fruit or vegetable picture into the basket that matches its color. Provide assistance and prompts as needed (e.g., "Where does the red apple go?").
  6. Discussion: Once all pictures are found and sorted, briefly review each color group. Ask questions like: "What red foods did we find?" "Which basket has the most food?" This reinforces color recognition and food identification.
  7. Wrap-up: Praise students for their great work in finding and sorting the rainbow of foods!
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Cool Down

Seasonal Favorites Share

Objective: To reflect on colorful and seasonal foods learned during the lesson.

Instructions:

  1. Gather: Ask students to sit in a circle or at their desks.
  2. Prompt: Say, "We learned about so many colorful foods today and how some foods like to grow in certain seasons. Now, I want you to think about one colorful food you saw today, or one food that grows in a specific season, that you would like to try or that you already love!"
  3. Share: Go around the circle and give each student a chance to share their favorite colorful or seasonal food. Encourage them to say the color and the food (e.g., "I love red strawberries!").
  4. Listen & Reinforce: Listen to their responses and offer positive reinforcement. Briefly connect their answers back to the lesson (e.g., "Yes, strawberries are a lovely red summer fruit!").
  5. Wrap-up: Thank everyone for sharing and reiterate the importance of eating a variety of colorful foods and appreciating seasonal produce. "Great job everyone! Remember to eat your colorful fruits and veggies to be strong and healthy!"
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