UNIT 8
Eating the Basic Way

 
 
 

To Know and Learn

I need to eat body building foods several times each day to grow big and strong.

Children need to select and eat body building foods several times each day. Young children are growing rapidly and need to eat body building foods that provide energy and nutrients. Because their nutrient needs are so high, young children can not afford to eat too many pies, cakes, chips and soft drinks which provide energy but very few nutrients.

Teacher Know How

One of the most important jobs of preschool parents and teachers is to use their energy and skills to help guide children toward achieving their full physical, social, emotional and intellectual potential. Parents and teachers can guide children to feel good about themselves and develop desirable habits.

In nutrition education, parents and teachers can help children learn and practice desirable eating habits at snacktime, breakfast and other mealtimes. The establishment of good eating habits early in life can contribute to a life of health and vitality.

Preschool children are curious and learn best when they actually perform a task or experience something firsthand. Head Start teachers can create many situations in which children can learn through their own discoveries. In nutrition education, preschool teachers must remember that preschoolers are beginning to develop an understanding of the world around them. Knowing how to experience and appreciate new things in their world using their senses is an important skill.

Healthy breakfasts and snacks are especially important for young children. Children should start each day with a good breakfast. A good breakfast can be more than just cereal, juice and toast. Omelets, beans, rice, leftover pizza dr hash, cottage cheese and fruit, muffins and juice or pancakes with fruit are other good breakfast ideas. A breakfast of body building foods helps young children to be alert in the morning and ready to learn. A good breakfast is the first step on the path to learning. Children also need body building foods at other times. These body building foods help active, growing children get the energy and nutrients they need to help them grow bigger and stronger.

Snacks are an especially important part of the young child's diet. Preschool children have small stomachs so they usually cannot meet all of their energy and nutrient needs just with foods eaten at mealtimes. So, foods selected for snacks should provide nutrients and energy. Also, snacks should be planned with the day's meals in mind. Good snack selections are essential and challenging. Body building snack ideas include cheese and crackers, fresh fruits and vegetables, raisins and nuts. It is important that preschool children learn to choose and eat body building foods for every meal and snack. Young children can use the food groups to help with the selection of body building snacks.

Objectives

Children will learn that body building foods help our bodies to grow bigger and stronger.

Children will learn that they need to eat a variety of body building foods several times each day.

Children will practice selecting and eating body building foods several times each day.
 
 

Feeding Alfonzo, Bernie and Fernando

To Know and Learn

Feeding the Three Pigs will help children learn that eating a variety of body building foods several times each day is important for good health.  They can also practice listening and dramatic play skills.

Materials Needed

Feeding the Three Pigs story on pages 8-3--8-5
food and story pictures on pages 8-15--8-17
flannel board, bulletin board, blackboard or wall
thumbtacks or felt tip markers
scissors

Directions

Color and cut out the food and story pictures on pages 8-15--8-17.

Review with the children why we need to eat several meals each day (to give us energy and nutrients to grow big and strong and be healthy).  Ask them to describe how they feel when they miss breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacktime.

Read Feeding the Three Pigs on pages 8-3--8-5 to the children.  To illustrate the story highlights, thumbtack or tape the food and story pictures to a flannel board, bulletin board, blackboard or wall when appropriate.

After the story, ask the children to answer the following:

What were the pig's names?
Why did Bernie build a stick house?
What kind of house did Fernando build?
Whose house couldn't the wolf blow down?
Did Alfonzo and Bernie learn to eat right?
How do they eat now?

Food and story pictures could be enlarged several times and be used as costumes by the children during a dramatic play.

The story could also be modified to show that the wolf who ate Alfonzo's and Bernie's food became weak ahd could riot blow the brick house down. After Fernando and the other pigs show the wolf how to eat properly, they all become friends and live together peacefully and healthfully.

The following books, learning kit and filmstrip can be used to further develop the concepts of this lesson:

Bread And Jam For Francis (R. Hoban, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1964).

Socks For Supper (J. Kent, Parents Magazine. New York. 1978).

The Very Hungry Caterpillar (E. Carle, World Pub lishing Company, New York, 1970).

Kim Likes To Eat (Yakima Home Economics Association, P.O. Box 2424, Yakima, Washington 98902).

Gregory The Terrible Eater (M. Sharmat, Scholastic Book Service, New York, 1980).

A Child's Garden Of Learning (Weight Watchers International, Inc., 800 Community Drive,
Manhasset, New York 10030, 1979).
Learning kit

Nutrition For Little Children filmstrip (Educational Activities Inc., P.O. Box 392, Freeport, New York 11520, 1973).

Food For Thought

Ask the children to act out The Three Pigs and to describe why they need to eat body building foods throughout the day.
 
 

FEEDING THE THREE PIGS

Once upon a time there were three little pigs. The first little pig, Alfonzo, never ate his breakfast. He was always sleepy in the morning and no matter what was fixed for him, he would not eat breakfast.

What do you like for breakfast? That sounds good to me, but Alfonzo would never eat that for breakfast. Do you know what happened to that pig? He was always tired. He did not have energy to run and skip and jump. He could not think clearly or put puzzles together.

The second pig, Bernie, always ate his breakfast. But after breakfast, he always munched on foods like potato chips and cup cakes. He had "giddy up & go" in the morning, but ran out of energy by the end of the day. He did not know that he needed good food all day long to have fun with his brothers and friends.

The third pig, Fernando, was really smart. He always ate a variety of foods all day and started his day with breakfast. He always made sure that he ate enough vegetables, fruits, breads, milk and meat at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Now that we know the three pigs, Alfonzo, Bernie and Fernando, we can talk aBout them. When they were old enough, they went to seek their fortunes. The first pig, Alfornzo, who was really tired after walking about five steps, met a farmer with some straw.

"Please, sir", he said, "will you give me some straw to build a house?" The farmer gave Alfonzo some straw. The first pig used the straw to build a house. He built the house quickly so he could take a nap. When the house was all finished, he went to sleep.

The second pig, Bernie, met a woodcutter with a bundle of sticks. "Please, sir", he ask, "may I have some sticks to build a house?" The wood cutter gave him some sticks and the second little pig began to build his house of sticks. He spent the morning building his house because he still had energy from his breakfast. After his morning work he too needed a nap and went to sleep.

Finally, the third little pig, Fernando, met a bricklayer with a load of bricks. "Please, sir", he asked, "may I have some bricks to build a house?" The bricklayer gave him some bricks and the third little pig built his house of bricks. It took him several days to lay all the bricks the right way. But the third pig did not get tired because (why?) he ate good food all day long.

The three little pigs were in their houses when a nasty, old wolf came to the first pig's house built of straw. He knocked on the door. "Little pig, little pig, let me come in," said the wolf. "No, no", cried the first little pig. "Go away! I am not going to let you in."

Then the wolf said, "Then I will huff and puff and blow your house in." The wolf blew and knocked down the straw house. Alfonzo ran as fast as he could to Bernie's house of sticks with the wolf close behind him. But Alfonzo did not have much energy, so it was really hard for him to reach Bernie's house before the wolf caught him. Bernie heard Alfonzo's cries for help and quickly let him into his house. Again the wolf said, "Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in." "Go away!We are not going to let you in" cried Alfonzo and Bernie. The wolf said, "I will huff and puff until I blow your house in." And he did.

The two little pigs ran as fast as they could to the third little pig's house of bricks. Fernando heard their cries for help and quickly opened the door for them. They barely made it through the door before the wolf arrived. They were so tired! The wolf again said, "Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in."

"No, nol We will not let you in! cried the three pigs. The wolf really wanted to catch the three little pigs so he decided to climb up onto the roof and go down through the chimney. The pigs heard him coming down the chimney and Fernando quickly took the lid off the big pot of water on the fire. Splash! The wolf fell into the pot of hot water. He jumped up and ran howling out the door, never to return to bother the three little pigs again.

Fernando invited his two brothers to stay with him until they built new homes made of bricks. While they were at his house, Fernando made beautiful breakfasts, luscious lunches and super suppers. Soon Alfonzo and Bernie had enough energy from the good body building foods to make their own homes and play all day. When Alfonzo and Bernie moved to their own brick houses, they decided to eat body building foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.


 
 
The Feed Me Rock

To Know and Learn

By singing The Feed Me Rock song, children will discover that they need to eat body building foods several times a day.
 

Materials Needed

The Feed Me Rock song, see below
paper, placemats or paper plates
crayons or felt tip markers
 

Directions

Talk about why it is important to eat body building foods several times each day (to grow big and strong and be healthy). Ask the children to name the major mealtimes and snacks. Have them
describe these as the times when we eat body building foods.

Read The Feed Me Rock song, see below, to the children. Have them repeat each line until they know it well.

Sing the song and ask the children to answer the following questions:

When do we eat?
What do we eat during these meal times?
Why do we need to eat body building foods during
these meal times?

Ask the children to draw a picture of themselves eating breakfast, lunch or dinner on a piece of paper, placemat, or paper plate.

Display the drawings around the room.

Food For Thought

Ask the children to name the major mealtimes and times when they could eat snacks. Explain why it is important to eat body building foods (to grow big and strong and be healthy).

The Feed Me Rock
(can be sung to the tune of Rock-A-Bye Baby)
Feed me some good food,
(rock to melody)
Three times a day.
Start of with breakfast,
(swing arms to the right)
I am on my way.
Cannot wait until luchtime
(point to clock or watch on wrist)
Food is so good.
Add dinner and
I will grow as I should.
(bend down and lift arms over head)
 
 



Breakfast With the Stars

To Know and Learn

Children will learn about the importance of eating breakfast everyday by singing the Breakfast Stars song. They will also practice reading readiness, counting and fine motor skills by preparing Zucchini Muffins.

Materials Needed

Breakfast Stars song, see below
Zucchini Muffins picture recipe on page 8-18
oven or toaster oven
zucchini
oil
honey
flour
baking powder
salt
cinnamon
bowl
spoons
muffin tins
walnuts (optional)
 

Directions

Talk about why it is important to eat a good breakfast (to grow big and strong and be healthy). Also talk about the variety of good breakfast foods. Ask the children to name some body building foods they could eat for breakfast.

Discuss why we can eat foods, such as cereal,, toast, muffins, sandwiches, spaghetti, beans,
milkshake drinks, pizza, cottage cheese and fruit, vegetables or leftovers as part of a good breakfast.

Sing Break fast Stars, see below. Repeat each line until the children know it well.

Review the Zucchini Muffins picture recipe on page 8-18 with the children until they understand the directions for making the muffins. Have the children:

After the Zucchini Muffins are baked, serve and eat them.

Ask the children the following questions:

What foods were used to make the Zucchini Muffins? Could Zucchini Muffins be eaten for breakfast?

What other foods could you eat with Zucchini Muffins to make a good breakfast?

The following filmstrip can be used with this lesson:

Nutrition Education Filmstrips For The Preschool Grades
(Break The Fast) (The Polished Apple, 3742 Seahorn
Drive, Malibu, California 90205, 1976).

Food For Thought

Ask the children to name people who should eat breakfast. Also have them name foods that are a part of a good breakfast.
* An adult may need to grate the zucchini, especially if a metal grater is being used.




BREAKFAST STARS
(can be sung to the tune of Frere Jacques)
I eat breakfast. I eat breakfast.
(point to self)
So should you. So should you.
(point to others)
We should all eat breakfast,
(open arms wide)
Every day,
Every day.


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