Eat the Five Food Group Way!®

Meet the Five Food Groups

Grade Level: 2nd Grade / Primary Elementary
Rating:

Synopsis:
Students are introduced to the Five Food Groups and review the foods in each group.

Activity Objectives
Students will be able to:

Identify the Five Food Groups and foods within each group
Identify foods in the 'Others' category

Material and Advance Prep:

A food, food picture or food package from each food group - Milk, Meat, Fruit, Vegetable and Grain- and the 'Others' category
Print and duplicate the Eat the Five Food Group Way!® handout (PDF, 1 per student)
Write the names of different foods pictured on the Eat the Five Food Group Way!® handout on slips of paper so there is 1 for each student. Try to have the same number of slips for each food group and the 'Others' category.

Note: To make this activity more challenging, include foods not pictured on the handout.

What to Do:

Begin by asking students to raise their hands if they've heard of the food groups. Ask:
- How many food groups are there?
- What are they? (List on chalkboard - Milk, Meat, Fruit, Vegetable and Grain.)
Explain that you have brought in some things today to help students learn the names of the food groups and what foods are included in them. Show students the 6 foods, food packages or pictures.
Distribute slips of paper to students. Ask them to look at their slip of paper but not to show it to anyone else.
Distribute the Eat the Five Food Group Way!® handout. Beginning with the Milk Group, have students identify which food/food package represents the Milk Group. Have them identify other foods in the Milk Group depicted on the Eat the Five Food Group Way handout. Discuss:
- What do foods from the Milk Group have in common? (They come from a cow; they are milk or made with milk.)
- Why don't eggs belong in the Milk Group? (They come from a chicken, not from a cow.)
Ask students who have a slip paper with a Milk Group food to raise their hand and name their food.
Follow the same procedure to introduce the other food groups:
- Name the food group.
- Have students select the food/food package that represents the group and identify foods from the group depicted on the Eat the Five Food Group Way!® the handout.
- Discuss characteristics that foods in each group have in common.
- After you discuss each food group, have students who have a slip with the name of the group being discussed raise their hands and name their foods.
When you're finished discussing the Five Food Groups, have any children who still have a slip of paper raise their hands and name their foods. Write the food names on the chalkboard and show students the remaining food package. Ask students what the foods listed on the board have in common. Explain:
- Foods like soft drinks, chips, cookies, candy and other sweets are 'Others' foods. Have students identify any 'Others' category foods that are not listed on the chalkboard.
- 'Others' foods aren't bad. They just don't help our bodies stay healthy.
- It's okay to eat 'Others' foods but most of the foods we eat for meals and snacks should be from the nutritious Five Food Groups.
Close the activity by having students complete one of the following activities in the blank star next to each food group on the Eat the Five Food Group Way!® handout:
- Draw or write your favorite food from each food group.
- Draw or write a food from each food group that is not shown in the picture.
- Draw or write a food from each food group that would be a good snack.
- Draw or write a food from each food group that starts with the same letter as your name.

When students are done, compare answers.

Optional: Have students color their handout at home and bring it back to school. Keep it in a special "Five Food Group" folder to use with other lessons.

Going Further
Snack Idea For birthdays and other special occasions, serve (or ask students to bring) nutritious snacks that begin with the same letter as students' names such as: