Discussions
Unit 11
Materials Needed
Pictures of matching ripe and unripe fruits and vegetables
Discussions
Discussion 11a: The teacher leads a discussion about harvesting.
The teacher starts the lesson by telling the children that today they are talking about how to harvest plants and fruit from the garden.
The teacher asks children if they know what it means to harvest before giving them the definition. Harvesting means to pick fruits and vegetables that are ripe.
The teacher tells children that fruits and vegetables let us know when they are ready to be harvested by changing color, growing to a certain size, and by the “ripe” smell.
First, the teacher asks the children what veggies/fruits look like when they are ripe.
Then, to illustrate this point, the teacher shows the children pictures of ripe and unripe fruits and vegetables.
Discussion 11b: The teacher reviews the concepts of the session, prompting children when necessary.
The teacher asks the children questions:
“What does it mean to harvest?”
“How do you know when a [insert fruit/vegetable] is ready to harvest?”
Tummy Mindfulness and Experiential Eating Protocol
Unit 11
Instructions
Tummy Mindfulness and Experiential Eating Protocol:
Direct children to wash their hands before their taste testing.
Food should be served to the children with gloved hands.
After washing their hands, the children are presented with fruits and vegetables from the garden (or grocery store if needed) to sample. Images of a body with an empty belly, too full belly, and just right belly are available for the children to compare. The teacher describes the feelings of hunger and fullness to the children to increase their understanding of these concepts . They then discuss how every person eats a different amount of food to get a just right tummy and that it is important to pay attention to your body
Lay out or hang up the Tummy Dolls, images of a body with an empty belly, too full belly, and just right belly
Before sampling the fruits and vegetables, the teacher asks the children if they are too full, just right, or hungry by asking them to point to the appropriate images.
The teacher then calls on a few children and asks them to describe what hunger or fullness feels like. The teacher tells the children to pay attention to if they’re feeling hungry or if they’re feeling full. If they are hungry, the teacher lets the children know that eating more food will give them energy they need for the day. If they are full, then that means their body already has the energy it needs, and they do not need to eat more at that time.
After sampling the fruits and vegetables, the teacher asks the children if they are too full, just right, or hungry (point to the images).
While the children are tasting, encourage positive conversation by making statements and asking questions that prompt the children to identify the color, smell, taste, and texture of the fruit or vegetable they are tasting, the sounds they make when they bite and chew, and what do they feel happening inside their mouths while they are chewing. Avoid statements that are coercive, like “just take a polite taste,” or “everyone has to try it.”
For example:
“What sound was made when you chewed the celery? What do you feel happening inside your mouth while you chew? [That celery was really crunchy and juicy.]”
“How does the tomato taste?”
“What does the bell pepper smell like?”
“What does the cucumber feel like in your hand? [It’s nice and cool.]”
“What color are the strawberries that we are tasting?”