Food Model Activities

Where Food Grows

Grade Level: Preschool / Kindergarten
Rating:

Activity Synopsis
Children select different fruit and vegetable Food Models and decide whether they grow on a tree, above the ground or below the ground.

Activity Outcomes
Students will be able to:

• State that vegetables and fruits grow above or below the ground
• Identify different fruits and vegetables
• For each fruit or vegetable identified, decide as a group whether it grows on a tree, above the ground or below the ground

Materials and Advance Prep

• Arrange a field trip to a garden or orchard so children can observe fruits growing on trees, as well as on plants growing above and/or below the ground. It can be as simple as a walk to a garden in a neighbor's backyard. Or, it can be a bus trip to an orchard or a farm.
• Obtain a picture book about how fruits and/or vegetables grow
• Create a flannel, felt, magnetic or bulletin board display that includes a tree and a line indicating the ground
• Large bag or basket for Food Models
• Place Food Models for several fruits and vegetables in a bag or large basket

What to Do

1. Select and read a story about how plants grow, such as Growing Vegetable Soup or Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert, From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons, or Gus and Button by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers.
2. Visit a garden or orchard and talk about how fruits and vegetables grow. Point out fruits on trees, as well as fruits and vegetables growing on smaller plants above the ground. If the garden has vegetables growing underground, such as carrots, beets or potatoes, ask the owner if s/he is willing to dig out a plant to show the class.
3. Back in the classroom, let each child take turns choosing a Food Model from the bag/basket. As a group, have the class name the fruit or vegetable and decide if it grows on a tree, above ground or underneath the ground. Have the children attach the Food Model on the appropriate spot on the board.

Going Further

• Let children grow their own vegetables from seeds. Or, purchase plants and watch the vegetables grow.
• Taste "above the ground" and "below the ground" vegetables with yogurt dip.
• Cut a potato into small chunks so each chunk has an "eye." Let each child plant their potato eye and see what happens.
• Sprout seeds in a clear jar. Cover the seeds with a moist paper towel. Each day, have the class look at the seeds and describe what is happening. They should sprout in two to three days.

Contributed by:
Students of Child Development 6
El Camino College
Torrance, California

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