Additional Classroom Connections This storytime can be expanded to continue children’s exploration of the foods we like.
Music & Movement Finger Play Invite children to perform this finger play about a favorite food—apples! Then engage them in conversation about favorite fruits and vegetables. Apple Tree Way up high in the apple tree, (Hands above the head, swaying like a tree.) Two big apples smiled at me. (Big smile, looking down.) I shook the tree as hard as I could. (Shake the tree!) Down came the apples, (Arms above head and then “fall down.”) Mmmm—they were good! (Pretend to eat apple and then pat stomach.) Language & Literacy Vocabulary: Food Words To help children recognize healthy foods and their names, prepare pictures and labels for an apple, a carrot, rice, beans, and a piece of cheese. Then draw a plate with five sections labeled fruit, vegetable, grain, protein, and dairy. Say: We need to eat something from each food group every day. Let’s choose which of the foods pictured go into the fruit and vegetable parts of the plate. When the children pick the right food item, write the label for the item so they will begin to recognize these foods. Then continue with the remaining foods until the plate is completed and properly labeled.
Social & Emotional
Favorite Food Graph In this theme, children focus on food as a way to explore personal preferences and development of the self. Invite children to draw a picture of themselves enjoying their favorite food. Have them use this drawing as a way to share themselves with the class. Follow up by creating a wall graph so children can see how their preferences compare to others’ in the class. To create the graph, have each child attach his or her favorite food picture to the bottom row. If the child’s food is already on the graph, then put that picture on top of the same food. Talk about the results. Ask questions such as: Who likes pizza best? How many others like pizza? What food do the most children like ?
Classroom Interactions
Recognize and Respect Children’s Perspectives As you talk about food, children’s cultural, familial, and personal differences naturally come up. Take this opportunity to model how to regard and respect different perspectives. • Support each child’s choices. Reframe choices using affirming language. ( That sounds delicious. I would love to try that!) • Encourage children to share their choices in a way that is meaningful to them. ( When do you eat that food?) • Help make connections between different foods so that other children will learn to respect and regard different perspectives. ( That sounds like the food that _____ has with her family. So many of us enjoy foods that have _____ . Who else enjoys a food that is made of _____ ?)
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