Short description of activity: Students color and fill a bowl poster with their favorite fruits and veggies.
Type of activity: Content Connection, Food and Nutrition
Minimum Time Needed for Activity: 15 Min
Grade Level: Pre-k through 3rd
Subject Area: Health, Farm-to-school, ELA, Science

Materials:

• Print out of the RiseVT Fruit Bowl poster
• Printouts of RiseVT Coloring Fruit (includes vegetables)
  • Students may draw their own if preferred, or cut out from seed catalogs or grocery ads.

Set up:

1. Review the six food groups (Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy, Protein, Grains, Sometimes) and discuss examples of each.
   • Use literature connections (see Bibliography).
   • Use MyPlate Curriculum.  
   • Refer to the school cafeteria menu, or a photograph of the school salad bar.
   • Talk about the school garden if there is one, or if students have gardens at home.

Play:

1. Label the bowl/poster with the name of the classroom/classroom teacher.
2. Have students choose a fruit or vegetable that is their favorite. 
3. Students can color, label and cut out the food they chose.
   • If a color picture is used, have the student label with its name, and their name.
4. Students can glue the fruits and veggies into the bowl, to represent many of the favorite fruits and veggies in the classroom.
   • Ask students to partner share or share with the class what they chose and why. 
   • Have students come up with a list of descriptive words (more than yummy or disgusting). See if they can name textures or qualities of the food.

Variations:

• Change prompt to:
  • “Fruits and veggies you would like to try,”
  • “Fruits and veggies that grow in our town”
  • “Fruits and veggies that are available in this season”
• Make multiple bowls that answer different questions to compare.
• Print the bowl on 8.5” x 11” paper, one for each student. Have them put their favorite food IN the bowl, one they have not yet tried to one side of the bowl, and one they do not like on the other side of the bowl. 
  • Hold taste tests to explore foods liked, not tried or disliked foods. See if the bowls change after the taste test activity. Use Taste Test Activities, or Eat the Rainbow activities.

Standards:

ELA/Health:

1. Use sight words, spelling or vocabulary words regarding the fruits and vegetables and category.
   1. Write a short story to use vocabulary and spelling words.
2. Have students do research to identify nutrition facts about a ½ cup serving of one or two vegetables or fruits. Compare to other food students chose.

Math/NGSS:

1. Have students create a list of fruits and vegetables chosen by the whole class. 
   1. Rank fruits and vegetables in order of dis/liked, not tried, etc.
2. Sort fruits and vegetables according to seasonality or growing zone.
   1. Which were (can be) grown in your town? Grown in the school garden?
   2. Which traveled the farthest? Does one travel farther than another?
   3. Which grow on a tree, on a plant or vine, or under the ground?
3. Sort fruits and vegetables according to plant part
   1. Vegetables are part of the plant that we eat: root, stem, stalk, flower, leaf.
   2. Fruits are the product of a fertilized flower, and contain seeds..
4. Represent the answers using a graph or table.
   1. Identify average, median, range, etc.
   2. Calculate percentages
   3. Can students identify trends?

ELA Standards > Reading: Informational Text > Key Ideas and Details; Integration of Knowledge and Ideas; Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

ELA Standards > Writing > Text Types and Purposes; Research to Build and Present Knowledge; 

ELA Standards > Speaking and Listening > Comprehension and Collaboration; Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Math Standards > Measurement & Data > Represent and interpret data; Geometric measurement: understand concepts of volume

PE Standards> The physically literate individual demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness; The physically literate individual recognizes the value of physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and/or social interaction.

NGSS Standards> Life Sciences> From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Health Education Standards: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7

National Core Arts Standards: 1, 3, 4, 5