Chef Combo®

Milk Grows Strong Bones and Teeth

Growth

Nutrition Activities

Grade Level: Pre-k / K
Rating:

Synopsis:
Students learn the names of five Milk Group foods and vote for their favorite.

Activity Objectives:
Students will be able to:

• State that milk comes from a cow
• State that foods made from milk help their bones and teeth grow
• Vote for their favorite food from milk

Materials and Advance Prep:

• Reproduce pictures of cows. Use finger puppet patterns PDF.
• Tape
• Draw the following chart on a poster board or large flip chart:
  Favorite Food from Milk
  

  Milk
  Cheese
  Ice Cream
  Pudding
  Yogurt

• Empty food containers or pictures of the following foods: milk, yogurt, ice cream, pudding and cheese
  (Note: Instead of food packages, you can order and use the Foods from A to Z poster. Have students find pictures on the poster as you discuss the foods. Have them tape their cows on the poster instead of the chart to cast their vote. For pricing and shipping call 800-426-8271.)
• Optional: Sheet music "A Dairy Treat Day" PDF song lyrics

What to Do:

1. Open by asking:
   • How many of you want to be strong and healthy? Why?
   • How many of you want to grow?
   Tell students that food helps them to be strong and healthy and to grow.
2. Have children feel different bones. Ask them to touch:
   • a lower leg bone
   • an elbow
   • their skull
   Now, have them touch their ear lobes. Explain that there aren't any bones in their ear lobes.
3. Have students touch their skull again and then an ear lobe again. Ask:
   • What's different about how your ear lobe and skull feels? (The skull is hard; the lobe is soft.)
4. Next, have students gently tap one of their teeth. Ask:
   • Do your teeth feel more like a bone or your ear lobe? Why do you say that?
   Generalize that their teeth and bones feel hard while their ear lobes, which have no bones, feel soft.
5. Explain that certain foods help their bones and teeth grow strong. Today they are going to learn about those foods. Point out the empty food packages.
6. Show a small cow picture and ask:
   • What animal is this? (A cow.)
   • What food does a cow make? (Milk. Foods that help bones and teeth grow strong come from milk.)
   • Who can find the milk among these foods?
   Attach a small cow to the milk container. Tell students you've attached the cow to remind us that cows give us milk.
7. Next, ask:
   • Which one of these foods starts with the letter "C"? (Cheese)
   Attach a little cow to the cheese container.
8. Repeat the process by identifying the other three foods - ice cream, pudding and yogurt. Summarize, explaining that milk and other foods made from milk are important to help bones and teeth grow.
9. Give each student a small paper cow. Have them tape their cow next to their favorite Milk Group food on the "Favorite Foods from Milk" chart. As a class, count the results to see which dairy food is most popular.
10. Optional: Sing "A Dairy Treat Day."

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