Students will sort fruits and vegetables by examining plants – grown in the school garden, purchased in the market, or featured in models or pictures – into the parts of the plant eaten as food, identify a serving size, and locate where on MyPlate the food belongs.

Students will match vegetable seeds with the vegetable and learn a basic food fact about each then participate in a relay.

The way we plant seeds is very important. If seeds are planted too deeply, the young plants can use up their food resources before they ever reach light and begin to make their own food. If planted in soil that’s too dry, seeds may not obtain the necessary moisture to germinate. Soaking-wet soil, on the other hand, may prevent seeds from getting oxygen, or may cause them to rot.

A significant reason to engage in gardening in schools is to teach students, and allow them to discover for themselves, how plants grow and what part of the plant we eat. That is the purpose of this activity.

Learning to read and utilize food labels and information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, students will compare nutritional value and caloric content of canned, frozen, and fresh fruits and vegetables, compare portions to serving sizes by actually measuring both and scale label information in direct proportion to recommended caloric intake.

The difference between human nutrition and plant nutrients is often one of the concepts that students misunderstand. This is proven in documented errors found in standardized test questions. Students hear the term “plant food” and take that term literally, believing that plants eat (as animals do) to obtain nutrients. The intent of this lesson is to clear up that misconception as well as to teach students about the actual nutrients that plants require and the source of those nutrients.

Using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Nutrient Database,” the students will compete to predict which vegetables or fruits grown in the school garden contain the highest levels of specific nutrients, graph the results and research the value of those nutrients to their growth and health.

Students compare their own similarities and differences. They then grow and compare several varieties of lettuce plants to explore variations within the same type of plant.

Grouping things with similar characteristics helps us make sense of our world.

This activity introduces what influences students’ own food choices and those of people in different cultures.

Students will evaluate their meal selections, determine the caloric content and evaluate eating and exercise options to maintain a healthy weight.