Learning Objectives:
- Healthy food choices
- Nutrition
- Describing and tasting whole-grain products
Materials:
- Pieces of bread/crackers/cereals
- Paper plates, cups for water
- Ingredient labels from breads or other foods
- Spread (butter, margarine, peanut butter, or jelly) (optional)
Tools:
- Clear, clean surface
- Tongs or spoons
- Kitchen or area with tables. Be sure to clean and sanitize surfaces first. All kids (parents and children) should wash their hands before this activity.
Steps:
- Wash your hands
- Prepare bowls or plates with four to eight food items to sample. You may wish to select all cereals, all crackers or breads, or a combination.
- Provide cups of water. Drinking water between samples is important to be able to taste the differences among samples.
- Have tongs or spoons available with each serving container. Place a number by or on each serving container. Provide paper plates, and have children “number” the area on the plate next to the samples they select.
- Rate each sample on a scale of four (ex: Love It!, Like It, It's OK, and Dislike It)
- After rating samples, reveal what the products were.
- Discuss which items were made from whole grains.
- Look at food packages together and show where the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient label are located.
- Look for whole-grain ingredients on packages. Whole grains often have whole wheat, whole-grain oats or oatmeal listed first. Some carry a health claim.