Embedded Files
Tummy Mindfulness and Experiential Eating Protocol
Unit 4
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?”
Celery Experiment Instructions
Unit 4
Materials Needed
Celery stick
Water
Jar
Blue food coloring
Instructions
In order to demonstrate that plants are filled with water, the teacher leads the children in the Celery Experiment.
Be sure to use celery that is fresh and firm.
Cut a small section off the bottom of a celery stick.
Place the celery stick in a jar filled with water that has been colored with 4-5 drops of blue food coloring.
Over time the water will diffuse through the celery, turning it blue.
(This experiment should be started at the beginning of the lesson in order to show the best results).
Leaf Drying Experiment Instructions
Unit 4
Instructions
To reinforce the need for water, the teacher will lead the Leaf Drying Experiment. As the children head back to the classroom have them pick a leaf from the garden and place it in a safe place in the classroom. The leaf will slowly dry out to demonstrate what happens to the leaf when it becomes dehydrated.
Teachers can check the leave at the next lesson (if desired) to show how the plant dries out and dies if it doesn’t have enough water
Discussions
Unit 4
Materials Needed
Large pictures of active activities, including gardening activities
Large picture of water content in human body
2 Liter bottle with water to fill to 1.2 liters
Discussions
Discussion 4a: In order to review the importance of physical activity, the teacher shows the children pictures of the activities with gardening tools that were used in the last lesson.
Discussion 4b: In this lesson, the teacher explains the importance of drinking water by telling the children that water makes up about 80% of their body.
The teacher shows the children a picture to demonstrate this.
Using a 2 L bottle, the teacher fills it up to 1.2L to show the children how much water they should be drinking every day.
The teacher then asks the children to help identify how and where they can drink water at school (e.g. there is a water fountain by the front office or Mom and dad can pack a water bottle in our lunch bags).
Discussion 4c: In order to further review concepts covered about how plants store water, the teacher gathers the children around the celery experiment.
The children break it in half to see how far the food coloring has traveled up the celery.
Give the students the opportunity to pass the celery stick around.
Discussion 4d: In order to further review concepts covered about the importance of water, the teacher transitions over to the drying leaf.
Ask the children questions about why water is important for them (prompt the children to answer that it helps keep them hydrated to be physically active).
Ask what happens if a plant becomes dehydrated.
The teacher asks the children what will happen to the leaf next time they check on it and asks for someone to SHOW what will happen to the leaf (act it out) the next time they see it.
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