Exploring MyPlate with Professor Popcorn Grade 4: Energized by Food Grade 4: Lesson 3 (4:3) Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables: Vegetables Objectives Upon completion of Lesson 3, youth will: 1. State why it is important to eat foods from the Vegetables Group. 2. State one reason why it is important to eat different types of vegetables. 3. Name at least one vegetable from each subcategory (dark green, red and orange, dry beans and peas, starchy, other) 4. Identify healthier vegetable choices based on the amount of added fat. 5. Identify foods that should be kept separate to avoid cross-contamination. KCAS Health, Nutrition 2.31, 3.2 Health, Safety 5.4 Display board Visual packet for Grade 4, Lesson 3 (3:3) Optional cards for Vegetable Card Game (Lesson/Activity 4) Optional copies of in-class handout 4:3H, One Potato, Two Potato (Lesson/Activity 8) Optional grocery bags (Lesson/Activity 10) Snack supplies (Lesson/Activity 12) Copies of recipes (Lesson/Activity 12) Copies of take-home handouts: Parent Letter, Lesson 3 MyPlate Poster Evaluation Questions Addressed in this Lesson: #1 I eat vegetables #3 I choose healthy snacks #11 How sure are you that you can ask someone in your family to buy your favorite fruit or vegetable? #14 How sure are you that you can ask someone in your family to have vegetables cut up and in a place (refrigerator or bowl) where you can reach them?
1. Interest Approach Illustrated talk: Use Visual 4:3A to remind youth that Professor Popcorn is their guide as they explore the parts of MyPlate. Use Visual 4:3B, and discuss major concepts. Review MyPlate by asking questions such as: What are the food groups in MyPlate? Did you try any new whole grain foods? Did you look at any ingredient labels? What physical activity did you try? Introduce today s topic eating a variety of vegetables. Ask the youth to name some of their favorite vegetables. Then ask them to name some of their favorite foods. Point out the vegetables that may be in them pizza and spaghetti contain vegetables, such as tomatoes and mushrooms; tacos have lettuce and tomatoes, and maybe even beans, etc. 2. Why Vegetables Keep Us Healthy Illustrated talk: Using Visual 4:3C, ask, What do you think vegetables do to help keep us healthy? 3. Vary Your Veggies Illustrated talk: Use Visual 4:3D. Explain the concept that we need a variety of vegetables daily to stay healthy. Vegetables come in many shapes and colors. Scientists have found that we need to eat different types of vegetables to be healthy. Darker vegetables tend to have more vitamins in them. The five subgroups of veggies based on their vitamins and minerals are: dark green, orange, dry beans and peas, starchy, and other. Many people do not eat enough dark green and orange vegetables. Ask, Where would you place these vegetables? Which ones are easy to place? Which are harder to place? Dark green Red & Orange Beans and Peas Spinach Carrot Kidney beans Broccoli Pumpkin Pinto beans Romaine Sweet potato Black beans Kale Winter squash Split peas Collard greens Tomato Starchy Other Corn Cucumber Potato Green beans Green peas Green pepper Ask, What are some other vegetables that might be in these groups? Which of these have you tasted? Which ones would you like to try? 4:3A Professor Popcorn 4:3B MyPlate 4:3C Vegetables Vitamins (A & C) Growth Night vision Smooth, healthy skin Healthy blood vessels and gums 4:3D Vary Your Veggies Dark green Orange Dry beans/peas Starchy Other Cucumber Pumpkin Green beans Carrot Corn Broccoli Sweet potato Tomato Spinach Kale Winter squash Green peas Green pepper Pinto beans Kidney beans Black beans Split peas Potato Romaine lettuce Collard greens
4. Vegetable Card Game (Optional) Object of the game: Get five cards, one from each vegetable subgroup. You will need one deck of cards per group; each card has a single food/vegetable picture on it. To make each deck of cards, copy the Visual 4:3E two times, then cut into individual cards. 1. Divide larger group into small groups (groups of four work well since there are four vegetables in each subgroup). Have small groups sit down facing one another with a table or flat surface in the middle of the group. 2. Give each group a deck of cards (may need to shuffle before distributing decks since children may not have the skill needed). 3. Have one youth in each group deal five cards to everyone in the group, one card at a time. 4. Put remaining cards in the deck face down in the middle of the table; put the top card face up next to the deck. 5. Start with the person on the dealer s left. 6. This person can either pick up the card that is face up or pick a card from the top of the face-down deck; then the person discards one card (so will have five cards again). 7. The next person to the left repeats picking and discarding. 8. Continue rotating around the circle, picking and discarding cards, until one person has one card from each vegetable subgroup. That person calls Veggies, and the game is over. 5. How Much Should I Eat from the Vegetables Group? Illustrated talk: Use Visual 4:3F. Fourth-graders need 2½ cups of vegetables daily. What counts as ½ cup of vegetables? (One-half cup cooked or raw vegetables, or 1 cup raw leafy greens or ½ cup vegetable juice.) An easy way to get enough vegetables each day is to make half of your plate, or the foods you are eating at a meal fruits and vegetables like MyPlate shows. 4:3E Vegetable Card Game (optional) A deck is 40 cards, two cards for each of the following vegetables: Dark green Red & Orange Spinach Carrot Broccoli Pumpkin Kale Sweet potato Romaine Winter squash Tomato Dry beans/peas Kidney beans Pinto beans Black beans Split peas Starchy Other Corn Cucumber Potato, raw Green beans Green peas Green Pepper Baked potato 4:3F How Much? ½ cup cooked or raw 1 cup raw leafy greens ½ c. juice ½ c. measure 1 c. measure Fruits and vegetables also make great snacks. What kinds of vegetables would be good snacks?
6. More Than We Need? Remind the youth that during the grain lesson we said that foods that have fewer calories have less fat and added sugar. Usually vegetables are a healthy food because they are filled with healthy things such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber. However, how we prepare vegetables can add more calories than we need. Foods with fat and added sugar are not healthy food choices. 7. Preparation = Changes in Calories Professor Popcorn (Visual 4:3G) is going to help us explore how the preparation of vegetables can change the amount of calories in them. Most of us have learned to like the tastes of sugar, salt, and fat, and we add them to many foods. When we add fat or sugar to basic foods, we are adding more calories. Can you make a list of foods that have been altered by adding fat or sugar? Let s start with some examples. Where would you place these on MyPlate? Can you think of other examples? (Note: These are just some examples. Discuss examples from your specific area that might fit this concept.) Potatoes french fries or potato chips Corn creamed corn or corn with added fat, such as butter Green beans green bean casserole or green beans with fat Greens greens with bacon or ham hocks Sweet potato butter and brown sugar To incorporate physical activity, have everyone stand. If they think a food is a healthy choice (low in fat and added sugar), crouch down. If they think it s high in fat and sugar, stand and stretch their arms above their heads. 4:3G Preparing Vegetables Professor Popcorn investigating Baked potato French fries Potato chips Corn Green beans Greens Sweet potato
8. One Potato, Two Potato (Optional) To explore further, let s see how we can enjoy a vegetable most of us like, and how preparation and serving methods can add extra fat and calories. Distribute in-class handout 4:3H, One Potato, Two Potato. Explain the graph and discuss how preparation methods (frying vs. baking) and methods of serving (small pat of margarine/sour cream on a potato) influence the number of calories. Activity: Form the youth into groups. Have them answer the questions on the handout. ANSWER KEY: One potato has 150 calories. One serving of french fries has 225 calories. What is the difference between the two? 75 calories Which form of potato has the fewest calories? Baked potato Which form of potato has the most calories? Hash browns What is the difference between the two? 200 calories What ingredients add calories to the potato? Sour cream, butter, and grease for frying Of the five potato choices on the chart, which is healthiest? Baked potato Why? No added fat 4:3H In-class handout (optional) One Potato, Two Potato 9. Physical Activity Let s pretend we are working in the garden planting and harvesting our vegetables. We ll make believe we are doing this in our backyard gardens, not with farm equipment! Planting bending, digging, stretching Weeding bending, pulling, hoeing Harvesting bending; picking; stretching up if we have trees; leaning over for cucumbers; pulling carrots, radishes and potatoes out of the ground; picking green beans and peas
10. Food Safety Activity Professor Popcorn has helped us learn the four Fight BAC! Rules, and we have talked about one of those rules so far clean. (Show Visual 4:3I.) Today we ll try to keep it straight about separate! Many of us know that the baggers at the grocery store try to keep foods separate from chemicals. But did you know that you need to keep raw meats away from other foods? We do this so the meat juices don t get on foods you aren t planning to cook. For example, would there be a problem if raw chicken juice and blood leaked on your strawberries? The next time you are at the store with your parents, you can keep an eye on how the food is bagged. If you see raw meat mixed with other foods, say something. It s better than getting sick. Activity: Using Visual 4:3J, have the students tell you what item should go into which bag. (Optional: Use real grocery bags.) Bag 1 Bag 2 Bag3 Soap Apples Hamburger Shampoo Carrots Chicken Lotion Cheese 11. Let s Review Ask the youth to answer these questions: What do vegetables provide to help keep us healthy? Why is it important to eat different types of vegetables? Name at least one vegetable from each subcategory (dark green, red & orange, dry beans and peas, starchy, other). Identify healthier vegetable choices based on the amount of added fat. 12. Snack Rainbow Veggie Pockets Veggie Dip Sundae Veggie Pizza 4:3I Fight BAC! Rules Clean Separate Cook Chill 4:3J - Bag It! Bag 1 Bag 2 Bag 3 Cheese Lotion Hamburger Raw Chicken Shampoo Carrots Apples Soap Real grocery bags (optional) Vegetables Recipes 13. Take Home Parent Letter, Lesson 3 Take-home handout Parent Letter, Lesson 3 Adapted by Texas A & M AgriLife Extension from original work: Frischie, S. (1993). Switzer, B. (2002). Vandergraff, D., & Coleman, G. (2006). Exploring My Pyramid with Professor Popcorn, Purdue University Extension/Consumer and Family Sciences/4-H Youth Development. Adapted with permission for use in Kentucky, from adapted materials: Scott, A. (2012). Exploring MyPlate with Professor Popcorn, Texas A & M AgriLife Extension. Brooke Howard-Jenkins, M.S. Nutrition Education Program Curriculum Coordinator Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.