In Your Classroom
Kids vs. Nutrition
Core Connections
By, Alisha McClure, North Calloway County Elementary
Have you ever driven by the local McDonald's in the middle of the day and cringed at the number of cars in the drive-thru lane? If you said yes, then this unit is for you and your class. Nutrition is a very important aspect of every person's life, especially a child's. Parents teach their children the same eating habits they were taught. If they were raised not to care about nutrition, then odds are that their children won't care either. Since so many parents neglect to instill the importance of being healthy in their children, teachers often have to take the role of dietician along with their regular teaching duties.
Teachers must start this task by teaching students about the food pyramid. Many times, students are amazed that potato chips are not a food group, and are surprised when told they should eat four servings of vegetables a day. It is a teacher's job to educate students about the wide variety of foods in each group and that they should be able to find at least one they like. The Internet has a plethora of kid-centered information that can be used to aid in this area.Once students understand the food pyramid, then they must be persuaded to eat the recommended amounts from each group per day. This is often a difficult thing to do since junk food does not really fit into any of the food groups. Teachers would be delighted to get help from parents. If adults will be a good model and eat healthy foods, children will follow those habits. Most kids want to be just like their parents, so why not be a good role model? Students need to learn about the vitamins and minerals their bodies need in order to function properly.
It seems easy to teach children how unhealthy smoking is for them, so why can't we teach them how terrible it would be if their body lacked the right amount of iron? No energy = No playing. That is an equation every child can understand. This type of simple equation could be created with any vitamin or mineral. It is so important for children to learn to be healthy. No matter who teaches them, the parents or the teachers, the essential thing is that they be taught. Eating healthy is the key to a long healthy life. Use this unit to educate your students.
Related Links
- Explore the World of Nutrition with Nutrition Explorations - An interactive website with recipes, information and games.
- Nutrition for Kids - Welcome to Nutrition for Kids, sponsored by 24 Carrot Press. Find out more about our books, teaching kits, other resources, for news, articles, tips, recipes and more.
- Childrens' Nutrition Guide - Complete information on children's nutrition for all age groups.
- Food Pyramid - Complete information about the new updated food pyramid.
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