Nutrition Theme Kindergarten and Preschool Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Activities

Read the book "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss. The book and activities listed below would be followed by a discussion on how eggs provide nutrition to us. The children would enjoy the experience of cooking eggs in a variety of different ways.

Emergent Reader Used as a Follow-up to Teach Beginning Reading Skills

There is also a version in the theme unit but this is the revised edition to follow the alphabet program. The story is about unusual and funny looking eggs. The children are required to color the eggs as directed in the story line. It also introduces the letter Ee. The story line is repetitive and easy for young children to follow along. The sentences could be written on sentence strips and the pictures added to give the children clues as to what the sentences say. These could be placed in a pocket chart.

The story line reads: (children required to color the eggs accordingly)

This is an extraordinary green egg.

This is an extraordinary red egg.

This is an extraordinary blue egg.

This is an extraordinary yellow egg.

This is an extraordinary purple egg.

This is an extraordinary orange egg.

Draw your extraordinary egg.

As a follow-up to to reading the story, the children design their own extraordinary egg and print a brief description of it by using a model or dictating their ideas to an adult. After, they can read back their ideas. The writing template is found on page 13 of the theme unit.

Sample Page from the Reader

Follow-up Preschool and Kindergarten Number Activities

In the theme unit or member's area you will find number egg templates. These would be used for matching the correct number to the corresponding dots. The eggs could be cut in half to match or cut like a jigsaw puzzle to help the matching process.

Preschool and Kindergarten Alphabet Review

In the theme unit or member's area you will find alphabet egg cards. Duplicate copies of them could be made for younger children to match the same letters and older children can match the upper-case to the lower-case letters. The eggs could be cut in half to match or cut like a jigsaw puzzle to help the matching process.

Introducing the sound of "Ee" for Egg

Letter "Ee" Recognition - Picture Mnemonics

This craft activity involves children being actively involved in associating the picture to the letter sound. The purpose is to have them associate the letter "e" to the initial sound heard in "egg". There are two templates available. In the first template the children create their own extraordinary funny egg with the letter "e" template. Broken eggs shells could be glued on the extend the effect. In the second template, the children just cut and color.

Tip: If you are adding egg shells, white glue must be used. Pour a small amount in a reusable container and have the children spread it with a Q-tip.

More Preschool and Kindergarten Nutrition Lessons

Preschool and Kindergarten Literature Activities

The book Showdown at the Food Pyramid by Rex Barron is a great book to introduce the concept of eating healthy foods and the food groups. It introduces the concept in a fun and entertaining manner. The children will really enjoy this book. Using the emergent reader, The Healthy Food Story in the members' area as a follow-up shared reading experience to the book is a very effective way to teach the concept. In both the book and the emergent reader, foods take on human characteristics to teach the concept effectively. In the members' area you will find food templates that the children will enjoy adding human characteristics to as shown in the book and the reader. A sample of the craft is displayed to the right.

Note: There are enlarged pictures and words of the emergent reader to make a big book to use as a shared reading experience.

Nutrition Preschool and Kindergarten Theme Activity

A Balanced Meal Craft

After reading the emergent reader printable story The Healthy Food Story from the Nutrition theme unit as a shared or guided reading experience the children can plan their own balanced or healthy meal by doing the craft below. In the story, different food group characters take on human characteristics and explain how they help them be healthy. The text is simple and predictable, it is especially designed for young children to begin the reading process on their own.

Sample Page from the Reader

These printable emergent readers are excellent for a preschool or kindergarten take home activity. Parents are thrilled to have a resource that can assist in giving their child an early start to reading.

Materials for the Craft

paper plate
paint optional
food pictures from grocery store ads or also found in the members' area

Instructions for the Craft

1. Collect pictures for the craft from all the different food groups. Members will find these pictures in both black and white and color in the members' area supplementary resources or Nutrition theme on pages 5-7 in the theme unit.

2. paint the base of the paper plate (optional)

3. Once the paper plate is dry, the children can cut one picture from each food group to represent a balanced meal.

Printable Kindergarten Activities

Picture Sorts for Kindergarten and Preschool

Food Sorting

Children sort according to if it is a healthy food or treat food. All pictures can be found in black and white or color in the members' area or theme book.

More Difficult Sorting

Divide a large piece of paper into four sections. Children sort the pictures according to correct food groups. All the pictures for this activity is found in the members' area. You will find both color and black and white.

Preschool and Kindergarten Nutrition Activity Three

Food Prints

After reading the emergent reader printable book Colorful Food from the Nutrition theme unit the craft to the right would be a perfect follow-up.

Materials for the Craft

different foods to make prints with (food with flat surfaces work best such as an apple, cucumber, potato and orange cut in half).
different colors of paint
paper
construction paper

Instructions for the Craft

1. Prepare different foods for making the prints (apple, orange, potato, strawberry, broccoli, carrot cut in half).

2. Place each food at a different color. Children move from one food and color to the next. They brush the paint on the food and make an imprint of it on the paper.

3. After, the picture can be glued onto a piece of construction paper.

Preschool and Kindergarten Nutrition Activity Four

Food Color Painting

In the members' area you will find foods that represent different colors. This was also used in conjunction with the Colors theme but you may want to use these for this theme unit.

Literacy Station Ideas

1. Read around the room, post the pictures found in the members' area in the left hand sidebar link throughout the classroom, children can use special pointers to read the words.

2. Combine the pictures into making a Healthy Food booklet and the children can read the picture words to each other.

3. Post the pictures on a bulletin board with a little plastic bag beside it. Give each child a bag with the names of the different foods posted. Can they find the matching name? Once they think they have found a match they place it in the plastic bag. After, see how many names were correctly matched. This is a good visual discrimination activity.

More Preschool and Kindergarten Math Lesson Plan Ideas

Food Shapes

Included in the theme unit you will find color and black and white food pictures. These could be cut and added to the shapes that match as displayed in the photograph.

Connect the Alphabet Dots

Apple Picture Worksheet

Connect the Alphabet Dots Apple

Visual Discrimination Activity Integrated With Connect the Dots Worksheet

Sort the Words to Match the Sentence

Information on How to Gain Access to This Theme Plus