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I am starting my nutrition unit when we return from the vacation. I noticed several resources on the home page which I am definitely going to utilize. Does anyone have any other suggestions as to how I can hook my fifth grade students to this topic? Daliz

Hi Daliz,
Besides the collection Adah put together, you might be interested in the discussion thread on this same topic under the Life Science Discussion Forum: Nutrition. There are several ideas shared by others - I think several will be of use to you.
Carolyn

There are lists of free resources on the USDA website and look up Arianna's Nutrition Expedition nutrition for upper elementary school students. Here's the link: http://school.fueluptoplay60.com/tools/nutrition-education/games.php

Thank you so much for the information. I am going to look into these resources over the weekend.

Daliz, I hope you find something you can use. The USDA will send you information if you go to their website and request it. I received a nice binder with content, activities and stories for young children (I teach 2nd grade). Here are a few more links: http://www.thesolutionsite.com/lesson/10155/lesson1.html http://www.thesolutionsite.com/lesson/10155/lesson2.html http://www.healthychoices.org/ http://pbskids.org/rogers/ http://www.dole5aday.com http://www.dairycouncilofca.org/edu/edu_prog_bhm.htm http://www2.cyber.vt.edu/whizquiz/ http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/chef_combo.html P.S. I'm curious...how do you pronounce your name?

Check with the dairy council. Also if you have a local dietician program they will come into your classroom for free.

Planting a school garden has been an invaluable resource for teaching kids about nutrition. The inherant stewardship over vegtables that comes simply from teaching lessons in the garden, often leads kids to their own conclusions about healthy eating. Even a small plot or raised bed that gives every kid a space to raise one plant and harvest a vegtable makes a HUGE difference.

Jason, Several years ago I started an initiative to get a schoolyard garden going for our school. It was a great project and well worth our efforts as long as we had administrative support. Students loved going out to the garden to plant seeds, work the soil, make observations, record data and enjoy the fruits of their labors. I think it was one of the best things I have ever done as a teacher. Last year I moved to another school, and I was excited to learn that there is great administrative support for a schoolyard garden. We already have a site cleared and work is underway. I feel very blessed!

I like to have my students keep a food diary for a couple of days. They log down what they eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. They also try to estimate how much they eat by cups or ounces. Once they have their food diary they create menu that is more healthy than their food diary. They will have to have a bit of knowledge before they create their healthy menu, but a lot of them are already knowledgable about nutrition. I also have my students bring in food labels to review. We talk about calories, fat calories, sugar, cholesterol, serving size, etc. We also discuss how much calories a person should intake in a day.

Cristey, Getting students to make a menu with healthy foods is well worth the time and effort it takes. Students take the time to make sure that all food groups are represented in the correct amounts. We usually find that most students don't eat the recommended amounts for each food group. Then they go home and show their menus to their parents. We get some interesting comments.