Grocery Bag Activity

In this time-tested, hands-on activity, students categorize foods into MyPyramid's Five Food Groups then discuss how each food group helps to keep them healthy. It's a great activity to assess student's knowledge of the Five Food Groups.

Student Objectives
Students will be able to:

• Categorize foods into MyPyramid's Five Food Groups
• Explain how we know which foods belong in each food group
• State the number of servings children their age need from each food group
• State why MyPyramid has steps with a child running up them
  

Materials and Advance Prep:

• Make a large, "MyPyramid" on the floor using colored felt (this works best) or construction paper. For each food group section, use the following colors:
  Orange - Grain Group,
  Green - Vegetable Group,
  Red - Fruit Group,
  Purple - Meat Group,
  Blue - Milk Group and
  Yellow - Others Category
  
  Gray or white - Steps
  
  Note: Or, make a MyPyramid outline on the floor using masking tape instead. Label each section with colored construction paper.
  
  
• Place the large, MyPyramid on the floor
  
  
• Assorted empty, clean food containers representing foods from each food group and Others category. See list below for suggestions.
  
  
• 3 - 4 large, paper grocery bags
  
  
• Place empty food containers in grocery bags and place next to MyPyramid
  
  
• Download and reproduce Arianna's Nutrition Expeditions handout (pdf)
  

What You Do:
1. Open, pointing out the Pyramid on the floor. Ask if anyone knows what it is. Accept all reasonable answers.

2. Have everyone stand beside their desk. Have students:

• Reach for the ceiling with both hands if they have seen or heard of MyPyramid.
• Reach for the ceiling, first with one hand, then the other if they have not seen or heard about MyPyramid, but they want to learn more about it.

3. Next, introduce MyPyramid's Five Food Groups as follows.

• Orange is for the Grain Group; stomp five times for the Grain Group.
• Green is for the Vegetable Group; jump in place three times for the Vegetable Group
• Red is for the Fruit Group; circle your head two times in each direction for the Fruit Group
• Blue is for the Milk Group; hop on each foot three times for the Milk Group.
• Purple is for the Meat Group; bend two times to each side for the Meat Group

4. Tell students that now they are warmed up, you want their help sorting some foods. Invite students to come up and place the food containers where they think it should go on MyPyramid. They can consult with one another to decide. (Make a mental note of changes that need to be made. Highlight those changes as you review MyPyramid. For example, students may place cream cheese in the Milk Group. However, it belongs in the Others Category due to it's low calcium and high fat content.)

5. Have students return to their seats. Distribute Arianna's Nutrition Expedition mini-poster. (PDF) see above link.

6. Review each food group asking the following questions and making the following points. As you discuss each group, compare the food containers on MyPyramid to the handout and have students write the key nutrient for each group and the servings they need below each food group on the handout. Ask:

How did you decide where to place each food? How do nutritionists know where the foods belong on MyPyamid? Foods are grouped by the nutrients they provide, not by where they come from.

• Grain Group foods provide carbohydrates for energy.
• Vegetable Group foods provide vitamin A that helps us see in the dark
• Fruit Groups foods provide vitamin C for healthy skin and healing cuts and bruises
• Milk Group foods provide calcium for strong bones and teeth
• Meat Group foods provide protein for strong muscles. They also provide iron that helps our blood carry oxygen.

Why did I have you stomp five times for Grain Group foods and bend to each side three times for the Milk Group? We need a certain amount from each food group to help us stay healthy. I had you stomp for the number of servings that kids your need from each food group.

5 servings from the Grain Group
3 servings from the Vegetable Group
2 servings from the Fruit Group
3 servings from the Milk Group
2 servings from the Meat Group

I also had you stomp, hop, bend, reach for the ceiling, etc. because you also need to be active every day. Being active every day reminds you to balance the foods you eat from MyPyramid with physical activity every day.

Why didn't I have you do a movement at the beginning of this lesson for the yellow strip on MyPyramid? The yellow portion of MyPyramid represents extras like cake, soda, and chips. This is not a food group. It is the Others category. These foods do not provide enough nutrients to help keep us healthy.

Why isn't cream cheese in the Milk Group if it is made from milk; jam in the fruit group if it has fruit; or cookies in the Grain Group if they are made with flour? They are Others category foods. They are extras. They don't have enough nutrients to be in the Milk, Fruit or Grain Group. If you are active - one or two of these foods are okay, as long as you also eat the foods you need from MyPyramid's Five Food Groups. These foods should not replace foods from the Five Food Groups.

7. Have the class check the placement of food packages on the felt pyramid. Ask them if there are any changes they'd like to make. Correct the pyramid

Suggested list of Food Packages
Milk- low-fat and flavored milk containers, yogurt containers, cheese packages.
Meat- tuna cans, peanut butter jars, nut containers.
Fruits- toy, plastic fruits, frozen or canned packages.
Vegetables- toy, plastic vegetables, frozen or canned packages.
Grain- cereal boxes, English muffin, tortilla, bread/pita wrappers, whole-grain cracker boxes.
Others- butter, cream cheese, candy wrappers, chip and soda containers, jam or jelly jars.