Nourishing Students: Enrichment Activities for Grades K-5

• This collection of activities allows students to learn about California-grown fruits and vegetables through observations, investigations, taste testing, games, and movement.
• Students will learn about where these foods come from, how these fruits and vegetables grow, what they taste like, recipes for each, and why they are good for human health.

Positives

• These activities allow students to build skills in critical thinking, listening, memory, and concentration.
• The bright, engaging PDF is teacher-friendly and also fun for student use.

Additional Prerequisites

• The table of contents on page 5 allows teachers the ability to quickly locate materials within this resource.
• These enrichment activities would be appropriate for in-school, after-school, or summer programs.
• Be prepared to obtain samples of each produce variety that are ripe and in-season so that students may taste test them.

Differentiation

• Print out the five posters that accompany this resource in order to supplement the enrichment activities using the recommendations in the packet.
• Use the recommended reading lists for each fruit or vegetable as read-alouds, shared reading, or in guided reading groups when appropriate.
• While the activities are signified as K-2 or 3-5, consider using the K-2 activities as whole group activities in all elementary classrooms with a faster pace, more independence, and more advanced vocabulary for upper grades.
• Consider using the grades 3-5 activities in science or literacy centers.
• In K-2 classrooms, find ways to incorporate the upper grade activities as enrichment activities, possibly during small group instruction.
• For parts of the lessons that ask students to verbally name things, such as "name the different parts of a radish plant (leaf, root, stem)", consider having students create pictures or diagrams to supplement learning.
• Health or Physical Education classes could use the dances or movement activities while teaching this content and new vocabulary.
• Allow students to create their own posters, demonstrating what they know about common produce, or have them use these coloring sheets as inspiration.
• After participating in the taste tests provided within these activities, use this other resource as a guide for students to create advertisements for their fruit or vegetable and encourage others to try new fruits and vegetables.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.