The following lessons for grades K-3 are designed to be taught by a nutrition educator. The lessons coordinate with the Pick a better snackTM bingo cards and family newsletters and follow a monthly tasting schedule. Be sure to review and practice these important food safety steps. Fact sheets and coloring pages may be used to supplement the lessons.
Each lesson promotes a fruit or vegetable and engages students in experiential learning through a food tasting and a physical activity demonstration.
Most lessons are 30 minutes. While the lesson in this video is a little shorter, it provides an example of a typical lesson.
To learn more about the efficacy of the program, check out the SNAP-Ed Toolkit.
Year Three Lessons (2021-2022)
Coming soon is a set of monthly lessons featuring fruits and vegetables that can be sourced locally in Iowa. Lessons will be posted this summer. For now, here is the schedule with possible tastings for each month:
September - Summer crops (tomatoes, cucumber, eggplant)
October - Fall fruits (apples, pears, melons)
November - Brassicas (cabbage, kohlrabi, Brussels spouts)
December - Root veggies (beets, potatoes, carrots)
January - Winter squash (pumpkin, butternut, etc.)
February - Food preservation (frozen, canned, fermented, pickled)
March - Seeds (corn, dried beans)
April - Leafy greens (microgreens, lettuces, baby kale, collard, spinach)
May - Spring root veggies (turnips, radishes)
*NEW* Year One Lessons (2020-2021)
These lessons offer more opportunities for hands-on learning. Each lesson begins with an Engage question, which allows all students to respond based on their experiences and prior knowledge and connects to the lesson. Next, students will Explore a fruit or vegetable, and finally, Reflect on what they learned. (Note: These lessons were not designed for social distancing or remote learning.)
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May