FACS: Nutrition Jungle Adventure

Summary

This lesson can be used as a teaching tool or review tool for the foods unit.

Materials

• Powerpoint: Nutrition Jungle Adventure
• 12 brown lunch sacks (labeled group 1-4 challenge 1-3)
• Color-copied MyPlate laminated and cut into pieces
• Copies of varieties of foods (use foods in attached supplies powerpoint if desired)
• Small container or box with food labels still attached, one per group (can be the same or different) EXAMPLES: Rice-A-Roni, Popcorn, Fiber One Granola Bars, Macaroni and Cheese, etc. You just want it small enough to fit in the brown paper sack for that challenge)
• 4 Maps with answers for challenge 3 written on the maps (I get these laminated too.)
• Brown paper crumpled into "rocks". I use tape to be sure they don't fall apart.
• Scene setters from a party store (if desired) Kids really love it!
• Indiana Jones soundtrack music (I only use the theme and play it over and over again. Kids really don't notice it is the same song over and over again, they just think it's cool.)

Instructional Procedures

• Prepare challenges and put them into brown paper sacks.
• Decorate room with scene setters of a jungle or tiki room kind of scene, if desired.
• Get Indiana Jones music to play during activity.
• Optional: I dress like Indiana Jones for fun.
• Set up challenges in the front of the room. (I have a cheap party tablecloth that has Indiana Jones on it that I put on the table of challenges.)
• When students arrive, give them a jungle passport. I tell them they can put DR. in front of their name if they want, but don't make up a pretend name because the pretend name will get credit instead of them.
• CHALLENGE 1: Put together the MyPlate icon, including the foods in the correct food groups. (I keep the foods packets out and have them realize they are missing them, then send up the youngest to grab the packet of foods.)
• CHALLENGE 2: Find information from food label and write it in passport. "Watch out for falling rocks" is on the slide for this challenge. I usually try to distract them now by throwing some "rocks" into the groups. They realize that I threw them and I encourage them to throw it at others. After a few minutes of rock throwing pandemonium, I have them throw the rocks back into my box, and we continue on.
• CHALLENGE 3: Match up the map with the little answer pieces (I cut them up and put them in with the map.)
• That's it! I have them make sure they have their passport all completed and they turn it in. Sometimes I even use this activity as their quiz score since we sometimes run out of time for a quiz in the foods unit.