Fruit or Vegetable?

As children explore and taste different types of fruits and vegetables, they learn about different types of healthy foods. They also become more familiar with vocabulary relating to different types of food (fruit, vegetable, core, peeling, seeds, juicy, sweet, sour, etc.).

Setting:

Snack Shop

Focus:

Healthy Eating

Curricular Areas:

• Health and Physical Development
• Language Development and Communication

Suggestions:

1. Label one serving plate the “fruit plate;” label the other plate “vegetable plate.”
2. Invite children to share ideas about how to tell the difference between a fruit and vegetable.
3. With the children, cut a piece of fruit and discover the seed or seeds. Cut a vegetable, and note how there are no seeds.
4. Help the children examine and prepare the other food items. Make a “fruit plate” and a “vegetable plate.”
5. Encourage children to eat at least one piece of fruit and one type of vegetable for their snack.

Engaging Parents:

Give each child a notecard or “worksheet” for them to record (with their parent’s help) one type of fruit and one type of vegetable they ate before returning to school.