The elementary years are a critical time for children to develop healthy eating habits, understand where their food comes from, and engage in hands-on activities that foster a deeper connection with nutrition and wellness. This supplement offers a range of resources designed to make learning about food fun, interactive, and educational for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade. From creative crafts to engaging storybooks, these materials introduce young learners to the basics of nutrition, food safety, and healthy eating through simple yet impactful lessons. Below is a collection of exciting and informative activities and books that will inspire children to appreciate the food they eat while helping educators and caregivers easily integrate these lessons into the classroom.
An Apple a Day
(1992)
This 64-page book features over 20 apple-themed activities for children aged 4-10. Kids can create apple clowns, dried apple wreaths, apple prints, bake apple bread, and much more.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: 64-page book
Apples
Discover everything about apples in this 48-page book, from apple traditions and growing techniques to grafting and the different varieties of apples. It also includes two kid-friendly apple recipes for cooking.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: 48-page book
Bananas!
(1999)
This lively, 32-page book by Jacqueline Farmer and Page Eastburn O’Rourke is filled with colorful illustrations and humor. Learn how bananas grow (surprisingly, not on a tree!), what animals eat them, and how they travel from the plantation to your breakfast table. Includes banana recipes, jokes, silly songs, and a limerick.
Audience: Child Care, Elementary
Format: 32-page book
Broccoli Power
Follow “Charles” the broccoli as kids learn about the nutritional benefits of broccoli, its plant parts, and how it’s grown and harvested. With fun, hands-on activities, this lesson is designed to engage young children in a 30-minute nutrition lesson with minimal preparation.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: Nutrition lesson package
The Carrot Seed
(1945)
This classic storybook for children aged 3-7 tells the simple yet engaging tale of a little boy who plants a carrot seed and watches it grow into a full-grown carrot.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: Storybook
Chef Ki is Serving Dinner
(1997)
In this 64-page book, kids will join Chef Ki for a tour of a restaurant and discover how food is prepared through real-life photos and easy-to-read facts.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: 64-page book
Child and Nutrition Health Campaign
(1996)
This campaign, developed by the American Dietetic Association, Kellogg Company, and National Dairy Council, promotes awareness of how nutrition impacts a child’s ability to learn and grow. The materials include a 9-minute video, fact sheets, and reproducible handouts.
Audience: Elementary, Middle School, Food Service, Parents
Format: 9-minute video, reproducible handouts, fact sheets
Cook and Learn
(1981)
With over 150 step-by-step recipes, this book offers multi-ethnic dishes that make cooking fun and educational for young chefs. A teacher’s guide is also included.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: 160-page book
Corn
(1999)
This 48-page book introduces young readers aged 7-9 to the world of corn, teaching them how it is grown, the different varieties, and the many food products it becomes. Full-color photos and simple facts enhance the learning experience.
Audience: Early Elementary
Format: 48-page book
Eat Your Peas, Louise!
(1985)
A fun and easy-to-read story about a little girl who finds creative ways to eat her peas. Geared toward children aged 3-7, this book is sure to entertain young readers.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: Storybook
Enjoying Carrots
Through engaging stories, snacks, and activities, kids learn to appreciate the taste and nutrition of carrots. The lessons are simple, fun, and designed to require minimal preparation for a 30-minute session.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: Nutrition lesson package
Every Little Bite Counts: Supporting Young Children with Special Needs at Mealtime
(1998)
This 196-page book, developed by the California Department of Education, offers a comprehensive guide for caregivers and families on how to support children with special needs at mealtime. It includes health condition descriptions and nutrition strategies, along with helpful tip sheets for common feeding challenges.
Audience: Child Care, Elementary, Parents, Food Service
Format: 196-page book
Farmer’s Market
This storybook features beautifully illustrated scenes of a child helping their family at the local farmer’s market, providing a glimpse into the world of home-grown vegetables and community market life.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: Storybook
A Fight BAC! Food Safety Education Program for 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Classrooms
(1999)
Created by the Partnership for Food Safety Education and the Food Marketing Institute Foundation, this program teaches food safety through fun, inquiry-based learning. Designed for easy implementation by teachers, it helps children understand the science of food safety and how to prevent foodborne illnesses.
Audience: Elementary
Format: 20-minute video, teacher’s guide
Food Safety
(1998)
This indispensable book, filled with full-color photos, teaches children aged 7-9 the basics of food safety in a fun and easy-to-understand format.
Audience: Early Elementary
Format: 48-page book
The Food Pyramid
(1998)
This 48-page book guides young readers through the food groups with colorful photos and simple facts, making it easy for children aged 7-9 to understand the basics of balanced nutrition.
Audience: Early Elementary
Format: 48-page book
From Cow to Ice Cream
(1997)
Through clear photos and lively text, this book shows how milk transforms into ice cream and other dairy products. Perfect for young children eager to learn about the process of making one of their favorite treats.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: 32-page book
From Wheat to Pasta
(1997)
Follow the journey of wheat as it is harvested and turned into pasta. The book uses detailed photographs and fun text to explain each step of the process to young readers.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: 32-page book
Fruit Heroes
With colorful characters like Shakes Pear and Blammo Banana, this nutrition lesson package makes learning about the health benefits of fruit both fun and engaging for young children. The package includes everything needed for a 30-minute lesson.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: Nutrition lesson package
A Garden in Every School Packet
(1999)
This packet, created by the California Nutrition Education and Training Program, helps schools start garden-enhanced nutrition education projects. It includes “how-to” materials, resources for funding and partnerships, and ideas for incorporating gardens into nutrition education.
Audience: Elementary, Middle School, Food Service
Format: Reproducible handouts
Good Enough to Eat
(1999)
A kid-friendly guide to food and nutrition, this book is packed with hands-on activities, recipes, and easy-to-understand nutrition facts designed for younger readers.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: Storybook
The Healthy Body Cookbook
(1999)
Joan D’Amico and Karen Eich Drummond’s book is a fun, interactive way for children to learn about the connection between diet, exercise, and bodily health. Activities include recipes with nutritional facts, safety rules, and explanations of kitchen tools and skills.
Audience: Elementary
Format: 148-page book
Healthy Body Image: Teaching Kids to Eat and Love Their Bodies Too!
(1998)
Developed by a specialist in eating disorders, this curriculum encourages children to think critically about body image and develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. It uses stories, discussions, and activities to inspire self-confidence and resist societal pressures.
Audience: Elementary, 4th-6th grades
Format: Curriculum
Healthy Snacks
(1994)
This 47-page recipe book, straight from the Totline Testing Kitchens, provides over 90 low-fat, low-sugar, and low-sodium recipes that make healthy snacking easy for parents, teachers, and childcare providers. Many recipes meet the Child and Adult Care Food Program requirements.
Audience: Child Care, Elementary, Parents
Format: 47-page recipe book
Hey Pizza Man
(1995)
As Vivian waits for the pizza delivery man, she imagines all sorts of characters—from ducks to dinosaurs—bringing her pizza in this fun story for young children.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: Storybook
How Do Apples Grow?
Find out how apples grow from bud to flower to fruit, and learn why eating an apple means eating part of a flower.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: Storybook
In a Pumpkin Shell
(1992)
This 58-page book offers over 20 pumpkin-themed activities for children aged 4-10. From making pumpkin pillows to baking pumpkin cookies, kids will enjoy learning with these hands-on projects.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: 58-page book
It’s a Fruit, It’s a Vegetable, It’s a Pumpkin
(1995)
This science-based book explains how pumpkins are grown, harvested, and used for celebrations with full-color photos and easy-to-read text.
Audience: Child Care, Early Elementary
Format: 32-page book