meal_appeal

Promoting Fruits and Vegetables
Check out the
Science 4 Kids Web
site, the National
Agricultural Library
Kids Science Page
Web site, and the Ag
in the Classroom
Web site.
At Manatee Elementary in Florida, the kindergarten students sang a song
about several specific fruits being buried under the snow. After the song, the
students were able to sit with the teacher and make a fresh fruit cup with those
fruits and a plop of light-whipped cream on top, like “snow.” Another kindergarten
class was studying about Nigeria. They learned that Nigerian children
love to eat fruit and were treated to a cup of mixed fruit including cantaloupe,
honeydew, pineapple, and grapes. If the manager cannot always provide fruit
for individual classrooms to taste, local grocers or growers may be willing to
provide samples.
• Incorporate nutrition education into your education emphasis programs—
such as reading.
Pioneer Elementary School in Merced, California, combined reading and
nutrition education in a monthly foodservice promotion. Teachers worked with
foodservice staff to encourage students to identify foods in the books they read.
The class with the most different books that had foods in them received a fruit
smoothie party. The foodservice director brought ingredients such as fresh
strawberries, nonfat yogurt, and honey to the classroom and made smoothies
for all the students. She gave them the recipe to take home, too. Needless to say,
the promotion was a big success with the students and teachers.
• Check out the Science 4 Kids Web site at www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/, the
National Agricultural Library Kids Science Page Web site at
www.nal.usda.gov/kids/, and the Ag in the Classroom Web site at
www.agclassroom.org/ for useful information. Another source, which
includes lesson plans, is the Canned Vegetable Council, Inc. Web site, Love
those Vegetables, at www.cannedveggies.org.
26