Sub-Project: Exploring vegetable food groups by colors!
Description: Having a balanced diet is so important for us, particularly for children who are growing and need to have their vitamins and minerals for a healthy development! This project explores the concept of a healthy diet through color!
There are 5 main color groups when it comes to categorizing fruit/ vegetables:
1. RED
Red-Fruit: red apples, blood oranges, cherries, cranberries, red grapes, pink/red grapefruit, red pears, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon
Red-Vegetables: beets, red peppers, radishes, radicchio, red onions, red potatoes, rhubarb, tomatoes
2. YELLOW/ ORANGE
Yellow/ Orange-Fruit: yellow apples, apricots, yellow figs, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, oranges, papayas, peaches, persimmons, pineapples, tangerines, yellow watermelon
Yellow/Orange-Vegetables: yellow beets, butternut squash, carrots, yellow peppers, yellow potatoes, pumpkin, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, yellow tomatoes.
3. WHITE OR TAN/BROWN
White or Tan/ Brown-Fruit: Bananas, dates, white nectarines, white peaches, brown pears.
White or Tan/ Brown-Vegetables: cauliflower, garlic, ginger, Jerusalem artichokes, jicama, kohlrabi, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, turnips, potatoes, white corn.
4. GREEN
Green-Fruit: avocados, green apples, green grapes, honeydew, kiwifruit, limes, green peas.
Green-Vegetables: artichokes, arugula, asparagus, broccoflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts. green beans, chinese cabbage, celery, green cabbage, cucumbers, endive, leeks, lettuce, okra, peas, green peppers, spinach, sugar snap peas, watercress, zucchini
5. BLUE/PURPLE
Blue/ Purple-Fruit: blackberries, blueberries, black-currents, dried plums, elderberries, grape juice, purple figs, plus, raisins.
Blue/ Purple-Vegetables:black olives, purple asparagus, purple carrots, eggplants, purple endive, purple peppers, purple potatoes, black salsify
Talk about the fact that most fruit and vegetables can be eaten raw and belong to the “anytime” foods that can be eaten anytime as long as they are fresh and have been steamed (for fruit/vegetables that can’t be eaten raw).
Go on a seasonal fruit/ vegetable hunt at the market and see how many fruit/ vegetables you can find for each category. Are some colors easier to find at different times of the year? Can you keep a seasonal chart of fruit/vegetables you find by color?
As a next step to this project, form groups or keep as individual project. Give each child or group 5 wooden die. Each dice represents a food color group. Next have them choose a fruit/ vegetable for each side of the dice. Repeat the activity for each food color group.
Once all the die have been concluded, have children roll their die. What healthy food recipes can you come up with? Roll as often as you want. Have children document their recipes on a piece of paper or classroom recipe book.
Collaborative Project: Participate with another school and exchange recipes. Create fun recipes with the different ingredients you find between countries! Create a recipe book between classrooms!
Learning Objective: Develop healthy eating habits. Understand the concept of balanced diet, particularly eating fruit and vegetables. Creative development by creating your own healthy recipes with food dice!
Time Frame: All year, multiple times a year.
Collaboration Form
The Global Classroom 