Family Meal

Objective

Objective
Learn the importance of working together to create a healthy, affordable, and easy to make meal.
Key Teaching Messages
Social settings, especially family settings, have a powerful influence on child’s behaviors and habits.
Home cooking can be more nutritious than fast food and take-out options—and cheaper!
Family meals are beneficial for a child’s emotional, physical, and mental development.
Performance Standards
NATIONAL PRE-K–2nd grade HEALTH PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Identify how the family influences personal health practices and behaviors.
Common Core Standards: Kindergarten-Second Grade
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
Increase availability and accessibility of healthy foods in the home.
Control portion sizes.
Limit intake of high-fat and high-calorie foods that are low in nutrients.
Limit the availability and accessibility of sugar-sweetened beverages.
Limit the availability and accessibility of high-fat, high-calorie/low nutrient foods in the home.
Don’t feel intimidated by the cooking demonstration in this lesson. If you don’t have a chef available, you can lead your group through a simple healthy pasta salad recipe or yogurt parfait. Before you begin, act out movements associated with mixing, chopping, and shaking.
Educator Tip
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. Emphasize the vocabulary word: teamwork, and talk about how you work together to clean up the classroom.
Educator Tip
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Art
Personalized Placemats

Personalized Placemats

Personalized Placemats
Personalized Placemats
Materials
  • Alphabet letters
  • Glue sticks
  • Laminator or plastic sleeves
  • Markers
  • Oak tag
  • Pictures of healthy foods
Instructions
  1. Place pictures of food and alphabet in two separate piles, easily accessible to children. You can use templates or pictures from magazines.
  2. Give each child a piece of oak tag.
  3. Glue food pictures onto the placemat. Use the alphabet letters to identify each food.
  4. Adults only can use a laminating machine to laminate each placemat. Plastic sleeves work well, too.
Alternate Project
Materials
  • Fabric apron
  • Regular or fabric markers
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Plan your time wisely for this lesson. Keep in mind: cooking time, time for the art project and time to laminate the children’s artwork. Prepare as much as you can in advance.
Educator Tip
Literacy
Gregory, the Terrible Eater

Gregory, the Terrible Eater

Gregory, the Terrible Eater
Gregory, the Terrible Eater
Overview
In Gregory, the Terrible Eater, by Mitchell Sharmat, children learn about healthy eating habits, including the importance of trying new foods, eating the right amount, and eating together as a family.
Vocabulary
Animal Words: goat, ram
Body Words: legs, head, mouth
Descriptive Words: terrible, unhappily, rubbery
Math Words: one, two, eight, three, half
Action Words: jump, chewed, wiped, tossed, twisted, moaned, groaned
Challenge Words: fussy, revolting, develop, picky
Alternate Books
Don’t Let the Peas Touch
by Deborah Blumenthal
The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners
by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain
Buy at First Book
Click here
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This book offers a nice way to talk about the behavior that is often typical of a picky eater. You might want to explain that it’s normal for goats to eat garbage!
Educator Tip
Did You Know?
 
Did you know that doing family activities together can have an impact on children in school?
Family activities influence a child’s school success more than parent’s income or education!
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Activities

Activities

Children can create name or picture cards for each family member and then assign seats at the dinner table. This will allow them to be creative while also learning their letters, shapes, and colors.
Give children the responsibility of helping you choose the fruits and vegetables for the week. Help them practice counting skills and color recognition!
Educator Tip
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Recipes

Recipes

Using whole wheat pita break, spread low-fat mozzarella cheese, then add fresh peppers, onions, or even pineapple. Bake in over until cheese is melted.
Start with fresh lettuce. Have children tear leaves, then sort and toss tomatoes, sweet peppers, carrots, hard-boiled eggs, ham, cheese, cucumbers, and celery. Serve dressing made of ½ cup olive oil, ½ cup balsamic vinegar, and teaspoon of honey.
Educator Tip
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Printables
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New Words

  • New Words

  • Conversation
  • Family
  • Responsibility
  • Sharing
  • Teamwork

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