Fruits

Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the Fruit Group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed. Of course the Chef suggests fresh fruit.

Vegetables

Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the Vegetable Group. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed. The Chef says the more color the better and raw vegetables retain more of their nutritional value.

Grains

Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products. The Chefs suggestion is whole  grains over

Proteins

All foods made from meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts, and seeds are considered part of the Protein Foods Group. Beans and peas are also part of the Vegetable Group. The Chef wants you to not get fooled a number of foods contain protein not just meats, even foods contained in the other food groups.

Dairy

All fluid milk products and many foods made from milk are considered part of this food group. Most Dairy Group choices should be fat-free or low-fat. Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content are part of the group. Foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not. Calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage) is also part of the Dairy Group.

Look for additional posts related to kids nutrition, eating fresh foods and Myplate.

To encourage social and family discussions during meal times while teaching children proper table manners.

What You will Need:

Two or more players

“We love the Company” book

Playing Instructions:

•Begin by singing the Table Round song (sung to the tune of the Wheels on the Bus)

Keep the conversation going round and round, round and round, round and round.

Keep the conversation going round and round, all through the meal!

•Select the first host/hostess. That person will select a topic. Then, going clockwise around the table, the host/hostess will ask each person about the selected topic.

•After everyone has spoken, the person to the left of the host/hostess selects a topic and begins a new table round. This is done until everyone has had a chance to be a host/hostess.

•Be careful…talking out of turn will cause you to lose a turn and sit silent until the next round.

•Suggested favorite topics: table manners (do’s & don’ts); favorite foods, family trips; things for which you are grateful.

To encourage healthy eating for preschoolers through stories, songs, movement and felt board activities.

What You will Need:

We Eat Food That’s Fresh! • Flannel Board • Felt Activity Template1

Felt Board Activity and Action Song:

•Begin by reading the “We Eat Food That’ Fresh!” book

•Felt Board Activity:  Healthy eater, healthy eater, what do you eat?

I eat apples (place felt apple on flannel board), because they’re healthy for me!

Healthy eater, healthy eater, what do you eat?

I eat oranges (place felt orange on flannel board), because they’re healthy for me!

Note: Repeat this sequence substituting other healthy foods of your choice-bananas, grapes, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, etc. You can even use healthy foods that are eaten in other countries. Be Creative!!

•Action Song:  If You’re Healthy and You Know It*(“If You’re Happy and You Know It” tune):

If you’re healthy and you know it, clap your hands (clap twice) repeat twice

If you’re healthy and you know it, then your body (hold up both arms to show muscles) really shows it.

If you’re healthy and you know it, clap your hands (clap twice).

Repeat each verse replacing “clap your hands” with: Stomp your feet (stomp feet twice) Shout HURRAY! Do all three (clap clap, stomp stomp, HURRAY)

To engage children and caregivers in creative movement using a play on words. This is designed to be a non-locomotor song, which means that it can be performed with your feet remaining stationary on the floor.

What You will Need:

Smart & Yummy 1:  Good Food Tunes CD

One or more children

Playing Instructions:

•Move to the beat of the song.Practice the simple chorus and come up with your own creative move for the 2 simple lines:

Does a pumpkin pump? Does a pumpkin pump, up and down before your eyes?

Does a raisin rise? Does a raisin rise, right on up into the sky?

Does a turnip turn? Does a turnip turn, front to back or side to side?

Ohhhhh, I don’t know, I kinda think so. Ohhhhh, I don’t know.

•Use these examples of movements:  Does a pumpkin pump? Pump your arms, legs and other body parts up and down, or in and out; Does a raisin rise? Rise up and down on your tippy toes, start with your hands at your toes and raise your hands to the sky. Or, simply sit and stand.

•Think of other body parts or everyday things can we pump, raise, and/or turn.  Can the kids mimic the use or actions of those things?  “I kinda think so.”

To engage children in fun, creative movement activity using sequence and repetition.  The interactive CD used in this game is currently featured in Head Start’s “I am Moving. I am Learning.” anti-obesity campaign.

What You will Need:

We Eat Food That’s Fresh! book

Smart & Tasty 1: Good Food Tunes CD

One or more children

Playing Instructions:

•Begin with a simple pattern of repetitious moves which speed up (or condense) as the song progresses, until you feel like you are shaking, mixing, pounding, and rolling as fast as your body will allow.

•Imagine that you are shaking and mixing a healthy salad dressing, then pounding and rolling dough for a homemade pizza. You can shake an imaginary seasoning bottle using just your hands, shake your entire body, or just specific body parts.

•Mix ingredients with the flick of a wrist, or mix with both of your hands in a big

cauldron (enough to feed an army!).

•Pound one fist into the opposite palm, or alternate pounding both of your arms and fists like you are doing the old dance, “The Monkey,” for full range of motion.

Finally, grab your imaginary rolling pin and roll out the dough, add a hip roll for more movement.

Tips:

Try introducing colorful juggling scarves or colorful paper napkins to bring exciting new visual and physical aspects to this music & movement activity. The children can hold a single scarf, or one in each hand, while they work through the simple moves.

To teach children proper etiquette and table manners.

What You will Need:

We Love the Company book

Laminated placemat1

Place setting kit

Two or more players

Playing Instructions:

•Show each player the placemat and describe where each item goes on the table.

•Put the placemat out of sight and place all the place setting items in a pile.

•Sing the timing song until each player has restored the place setting to its proper place.

•Take out the placemat to see who placed the items correctly.

To reinforce positive experiences with fruits and vegetables.  Also reinforces shape and color recognition for younger players.  Game comes with age-appropriate levels of play designed for ages 5 to adult. It’s quick, it’s easy, and

it’s…worth a taste!

What You will Need:

We Eat Food That’s Fresh! book

Making Faces card game

One or more players

Playing Instructions:

•Supervised children under age 5 can play Level 1, or play a memory match

game (face up or face down).

•Young players pull from the deck and trade with opponents to make as many faces as they can.

•Mature players pull, trade, and take cards for their matches in an attempt to match the faces worth the most points. Stay alert, or you’ll miss a match that’s right in front of you!

To encourage healthier eating choices and to introduce new fruits and vegetables.

What You will Need:

We Eat Food That’s Fresh! book

Fruity Veggie bingo cards1

Fruity Veggie bingo call sheet1

Fruity Veggie markers or stickers

Two or more players

Playing Instructions:

•Read the We Eat Food That’s Fresh! book and talk about the different types of fruits and veggies shown in the book (over 65 different types shown).

•Give each child a Fruity Veggie bingo card.

•Encourage each child to try a new fruit or veggie using the book for suggestions.

•Place a marker in the box on the Fruity Veggie bingo card each time a child tries something new.

•Reward the child with  a small prize after he/she has eaten or tried an entire row of new fruits or veggies.

We Eat Food That’s Fresh has won two silver Moonbeam Awards. The first is for Best Picture Book – Preschool and the second is for Best Illustrator. We Eat Food That’s Fresh was published in June 2009 and was written by Angela Russ-Ayon and Illustrated by Cathy June.

The Moonbeam Awards are presented by Jenkins Group and Independent Publisher Online. The awards are designed to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. Awards are given in 36 categories covering the full range of subjects, styles and age groups that children’s books are written and published in today. You can read about the awards and other winner at The Independent Publisher.

Congratulations Angela and Cathy for producing such a wonderful book! The award is much deserved.