Skylink Learning Theater - Soaring Into Science



Understanding of Food NC Standard: 4.03, 4.05 Activity: Food Pyramid Question: What is the food pyramid? Vocabulary: Pyramid, balanced diet, protein Materials: Magazines, glue, poster board, crayons, colored pencils, food pyramid chart Background: The food guide pyramid is one way for people to understand how to eat healthy. A rainbow of colored, vertical stripes represent the five major food groups plus fats and oils. Orange -- grains Green -- vegetables Red -- fruits Yellow -- fats and oils Blue -- milk and dairy products Purple -- meat, beans, fish and nuts This is a revised pyramid (2005). A balanced diet is one that includes all the food groups. The bands of meat and protein and oils are thinner than the others. You need less of those linds of foods than you do fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy foods. The person climbing the stairs on the left of the pyramid is a way of showing how important it is to be active and exercise every day. The bands start out wider and get thinner as they go towards the top point. That shows you that not all foods are created equal, even in a healthy food group. Apple pie might be in that thin part of the fruit band because it has a lot of added sugar and fat. A whole apple would be down in the wide part because you can eat more of those within a healthy diet. How much you should eat to stay healthy depends on your age, whether you're a boy or girl, and how active you are. Children who are more active burn more calories, so they need more calories. Orange -- grains -- The body needscarbohydrates mainly for energy. The best sources of carbohydrates are whole grains such as oatmeal, whole-wheat bread and brown rice. Green -- vegetables and Red -- fruits -- Fruits and vegetables are good for our heart. They can decrease your chances of having a heart attack or stroke, protect from a variety of cancers, lower blood pressure and guard against vision loss. Blue -- milk and dairy products -- These build strong bones. Dairy products are a main source of calcium and Vitamin D. Purple -- meats, beans, fish and nuts -- These foods contain iron and lots of other important nutrients. Procedures: Have students cut pictures of foods from the magazines. Students will draw and color a food pyramid, gluing the food pictures where they belong. Students should label at the bottom of the pyramidwhat each group is and what it does for our bodies. Conclusions: __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Line of Learning: This line is drawn to provide students with a space to share their experimental learning in words or pictures. __________________________________________________________________________________________

Understanding of Food

Procedures: Have students cut pictures of foods from the magazines. Students will draw and color a food pyramid, gluing the food pictures where they belong. Students should label at the bottom of the pyramidwhat each group is and what it does for our bodies.