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Food and Nutrition Theme

Introduction for food and Nutrition themes
This unit will help kids learn the importance of nutrition in keeping them
healthy plus how to keep ourselves healthy all the time.
The kids will learn about the food group
Circle time
Welcoming words reading Qur’an, DOA, ask who is absent? Day and date.

- Explain for kids that healthy food is important for everyone. Tell them
how Allah create the healthy food for us and forbid the unhealthy food
(use your own aids).
- Read for them:
( َ‫ش ُك ُروا هَّلِل ِ ِإنْ ُكن ُت ْم ِإ َّياه َت ْع ُبدُون‬ ِ ‫) َياَأ ُّي َها الَّذِينَ آ َم ُنوا ُكلُوا مِنْ َط ِّي َبا‬
ْ ‫ت َما َر َز ْق َنا ُك ْم َوا‬
- Explain for them that A cup of water is a blessing, a loaf of bread is a
blessing, a piece of cheese a blessing. However, we should eat what
Almighty Allah allow us to eat.
- Tell the kids to remember the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most
Merciful, tell the kids that we need to learn how to eat in respectful way.
- Tell the kids that There are five food groups on the food pyramid

Every day song for Healthy food

There are five food groups on the food pyramid
That I should choose from each day.
Vegetables, grain, meat, dairy, and fruit
Will help my body work and play.
Each food group supplies needed nutrients
To help my body to grow.
The fats and oils used sparingly,
that is something that I should know.
 Day1: CONCEPT:
PEOPLE EAT FOOD TO HELP THEIR BODIES GROW HEALTHY AND STRONG
Activity: You need (Props/pictures which illustrate food and non-food items.
Two large bags - one labelled Things We Can Eat, the other things we cannot
ea). Materials for a food collage (magazines, scissors, glue, etc.)VOCABULARY:
food, eat
Have students cut food pictures from magazines and stick them onto the
Letters. Be sure to include country foods. Display on the bulletin board orange
from the ceiling.

Day2: Food Groups:

Tell the kids about the food groups and they are five.
(Grains Group, Vegetable, Fruit, Dairy, Protein Foods.)

What foods are in the Grains Group?

Tell the kids that any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or
another cereal grain is a grain product.
Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals examples of grain products. Use real
material for demonstration.
Activity: Bread Art
What You Need: Butter- Food Colouring -Bread -Sugar (optional)
What You Do: Put butter into a few small dishes. Add different colours of food
colouring to the butter. Let your children spread the butter on the bread to
create a colourful creation. Finally toast the bread (sprinkle some sugar to
make it even more Yummy!) and let your children have an edible treat.
Pasta Shapes
What You Need: Pasta -Paper -Markers Crayons
What You Do: Have your children create a picture of something they like. Then
give them pasta and let them outline the item with the pasta. When the pasta
dries, you it will be shaped like their picture! Alternatively, you can have them
trace their name, or a pre-made design.
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Day3: What foods are in the vegetable Group?
Tell your kids how vegetables are particularly important for the healthy body
Show them some real vegetable; ask them about their favourite kind.
Use poster flashcards make game.
Young children often have the perception that vegetables come from the local
grocery store, not a farm. Doing a unit on vegetables helps children understand
how the vegetable gets from the garden to your table. A unit on vegetables also
teaches children how to be healthy.
Activity: Vegetables Basket Craft, you need: paper or construction paper,
scissors. Glue or glue stick, string, or ribbon.
Here is a craft that will help the children remember these
vegetables and it can be used as a note holder or just as a cute
decoration. Print the templates of your choice in colour
or black and white. Ideally the black and white version is more challenging so
they can colour or paint.
Idea: Note Holder or Decoration.
After the basket is completed, you can add a piece of magnet sheet to the back
to put on the refrigerator or glue a small piece of cardboard to the back of the
handle to reinforce it, use a punch hole and add a string or ribbon to hang on a
wall. Affix a post-it note pad to the front of the basket.
Potato Stamps
Create artwork by making vegetable stamps. In front of the class, cut a potato
in half. Carve a design in the half, such as a heart or stars. Let the children
stamp the potato in paint and onto their paper to create artwork. You can also
turn this into a math activity by having the children make patterns with their
potato stamps.
Day4: Health Lessons
Show your kids the health pyramid. Talk to the children about how many
vegetables they should be eating per day.
Send home a chart for students to record how often
they eat vegetables over the course of a week.
Bring in a variety of vegetables and have children sort the vegetables based on
shape, texture, and colors. After sorting, wash the vegetables and allow the
students to have samples to broaden their vegetable exposure.
Tell your kids how vegetable has vitamins that help their bodies grow and fight
germs...Give your kids paper to color some vegetables. Activity: Vegetable soup
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Day5: What foods are in the Fruit Group? Tell your kids how fruits are
especially important for the healthy body, show them some real fruits; ask
them about their favourite kind. Use poster flashcards for demonstration. Give
them paper to colour. Young children often have the perception that fruits
come from the local grocery store, not a farm. Doing a unit on fruits helps
children understand how the fruits get from the trees to your table. Also
teaches children how to be healthy. Ask them about their favorite juice. Make
half your plate fruits and vegetables; ask your kids if they can tell the
difference.
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Day6: Activity: Fruits > Apple, banana, and pear (real not pictures)
For this presentation, it would be great to have the actual fruits on hand to
touch, smell, and taste. Have some cut-up fruit ready for snack with the
children's favourite topping or their favourite yogurt.
Fruit Craft Basket: Colouring and cutting:
Give your kids the basket to colour and the fruit.
To colour and cut then place them in the basket.
Do with your kids the fruit salad it will be nice.
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Day7: What foods are included in the Dairy Group?

Tell your kids that all fluid milk products and many foods made from milk
are considered part of this food group. Most Dairy Group choices should
be fat-free or low-fat.
Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content are part of the
group. Use poster flashcards for demonstration. Give them paper to colour. It
will be great if you bring real dairy.
Activity: Dairy Basket Craft. You need: paper or construction paper.
Scissors. Glue or glue stick, string, or ribbon.
Glue basket templates back-to-back only on the edges leaving an opening on the
top (handle). Recommendation: Apply glue up to where the handles start.
Assemble and glue images in template2 on one side of the basket. Cut out
images, older children may be able to practice their scissor cutting skills
particularly with the basket image. You can choose to cut out the basket to
make a nice decoration or simply leave as is and the children can glue the
vegetables. Write the first letter of the vegetable inside the image.
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Day8: What foods are in the Protein Foods Group?

All foods made from meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed
soy products, nuts, and seeds are considered part of the Protein Foods Group.
Beans and peas are also part of the Vegetable Group.
Use poster flashcards for demonstration. Give them paper to colour.
Activity: Acorn or Nut Craft. You need: something to colour with
card stock or regular white paper. Scissors glue or glue stick
Suggested assembly:
For large groups read and present the steps for assembly
1. Paste upper section of acorn over lower section of acorn.
2. Paste eyes (or large) plastic wiggly eyes, nose, and mouth.
3. Paste oak leaf (or substitute with a real oak leaf.
4. Paste acorn over arm section.
5. Paste leg template under lower part of acorn.
6. Children or adult assists to write name in one of the arms of the acorn.
Other ideas:
1. Substitute paper eyes with large plastic wiggly eyes.
2. Substitute the paper leaf with a real autumn leaf.
3. Attach to a craft stick to hold as a puppet. Write the proverb in the back of
the craft.
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Day9: Healthy Food Picture Menu.
The healthy food picture menu will give your pre-schooler the freedom to
choose foods and you will be content knowing any choice is a healthy one. Use
the menu for any food occasion - snacks you bring in for preschool, dinner ideas
or post-game snacks for your pre-schooler's sports team. Use the menu to set
a standard of healthy eating!

What You Need: Large heavy weight paper or poster board Glue or tape
Pictures of healthy foods, meals, or snacks
How to Make the Healthy Food Picture Menu
Step One: Collect pictures of individual healthy snacks or meals.
Step Two: On your paper or poster, title the menu with your intended use -
"Preschool Snack Menu," "Jack's Favourite Dinner Menu," "Post-Game Snack
Menu"
Step Three: Arrange pictures on the paper/poster and glue/tape down.
Step Four: If you would like to include the name of the food with the picture,
position the pictures in a vertical row with labels beside each. Otherwise,
jumble the pictures on the page or create multiple rows of pictures.

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Day9: Make a "My Favourite Foods" Book.

Which fruits and veggies do your child like best?

Find out as he uses prints to create his own, "My Favourite Foods” book.
Making prints of his favourite fruits and vegetables.
Is a wonderful way to get your young child interested in nutrition?
As he works, he will be using his creativity, and he will practice colour
recognition at the same time.

What You Need: Coloured construction paper-Scissors- Knife

Tempera paints-Paintbrushes-Muffin Tin-Fruits and vegetables
Cutting board-Newspaper-Paper-Towels-Markers- Ribbon
Clear adhesive shelf paper-Hole punch.
What to do:
Start by preparing the materials. Have your child pick out which fruits and
veggies he wants to use. What are some of his favourite vegetables? Which
ones look the most interesting? After he is picked out the ones he likes, slice
them yourself.

1. Have your child pour about two tablespoons of each paint into the muffin
tins and have him put one brush with each colour.
2. While he is doing that, cut out at least 10 pieces of construction paper to
4” by 6” for the book’s pages, and cut two sheets to 5” by 8” for the
covers.
3. Now you are all ready to print! Invite your child to practice on newspaper
first. Brush the cut side of the vegetable lightly with paint, press onto
the paper, and lift straight up. Wipe the veggies with a paper towel
between prints.
4. Allow him to decorate the pages any way he likes. He can print once or
twice per sheet, or completely cover the paper with prints! Move the
finished papers to a flat surface to dry as he finishes.
5. Help him to choose up to 10 pages to bind and have him write out the
names of the veggies on each page, helping when needed.
6. Now it is time to laminate your pages. Roll the shelf paper out and peel off
the adhesive, setting the backing aside for later use.
7. Have him carefully lay a print on the adhesive, print-side-down, then
smooth from the centred out. Repeat, allowing 2-3 inches between prints.
8. Replace the backing, turn the whole thing over, and trim the pages
yourself, allowing a one-inch margin of laminate all around. He can
decorate the covers with marker as you cut pages.
9. Next, assemble the pages. Working with two prints at a time, have him
peel the backings off, then help him align the paper corners back-to-back
(not the laminate corners) and smooth. Repeat.
10. Now you can put the book together! Have him stack the prints
between the covers. Align the left edges and punch holes along the left
edge every inch yourself. Have him thread ribbon through the holes and
tie a knot.
11. Finally, trim the uneven edges, and you are all done! Now that he is
finished his very own book, encourage him to make more. He can print
leaves, flowers, his hands, anything he can imagine. Soon, you will have a
whole library of your child’s own creations.

Good luck, English supervisor: Suhair Oraif