Educational Enrichment

This week focuses on helping students and families make healthier grain choices by learning to identify and incorporate more whole grains into meals and snacks. Participants explore easy swaps—like choosing whole-wheat bread or brown rice—and learn how to read labels, cook in bulk, and select smart snack options like popcorn or oatmeal. Fun tips encourage variety, family involvement, and smart shopping habits to build long-term healthy eating patterns. 
 

Week 1 Activities

This week promotes choosing whole fruits—fresh, frozen, canned, or dried—as a delicious and nutritious part of every meal and snack. Students and families are encouraged to keep fruit visible and accessible, try different varieties, include it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and even use it as a fun snack. The tips focus on adding fiber, reducing added sugars, and setting a good example at home. The included “Kids Food Critic” activity invites children to explore and rate new fruits based on appearance, taste, and texture—a fun, interactive way to make healthy eating a family affair
 

Week 2 Activities

This week highlights the importance of eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruits to boost nutrients, fiber, color, and texture in meals. Families are encouraged to be creative—grill veggies and fruits, toss them into salads, sandwiches, and stir-fries, or sneak extra vegetables into casseroles and pasta dishes. A colorful plate isn’t just more appealing—it’s also healthier! The week also reinforces MyPlate strategies and includes tips for meals across the day, from breakfast to dinner

Week 3 Activities

This week encourages students and families to explore a variety of protein sources, including both animal and plant-based options like lean meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, tofu, and nuts. It promotes making thoughtful swaps—like choosing seafood twice a week, trying beans in main dishes, or selecting lean cuts and avoiding processed meats. The focus is on nutrition, moderation, and smart preparation methods, like grilling or roasting instead of frying. A fun word scramble activity reinforces the learning by helping students identify common protein-rich foods

Week 4 Activities

This week teaches students and families to make smarter drink decisions that support health and hydration. Participants learn to choose water over sugary drinks, understand portion sizes, and read nutrition labels to spot added sugars and empty calories. The activities promote affordable, accessible drink options—like water from the tap, low-fat milk, and 100% fruit juice in moderation—and reinforce the benefits of dairy and fortified beverages. Tips also include creating a “kid-friendly drink zone” and packing healthy drink options for school or on the go

Week 5 Activities

This week encourages students and families to cut back on wasted food by being mindful shoppers, smart cooks, and creative eaters. Through simple actions—like planning meals, using leftovers, organizing your fridge, and donating extras—you can help your family save money and protect the environment. Tips like freezing surplus food, checking date labels, and composting scraps make sustainability feel easy and doable at home

Week 6 Activities

This final week encourages students and families to create balanced, colorful meals using a variety of food groups—grains, proteins, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. It ties together previous lessons with fun, engaging visuals like “food 5-ways” posters for brown rice, pumpkin, and broccoli (see pages 2–4), which illustrate how familiar ingredients can be used creatively. The included Winter Feast Word Blanks activity (page 5) wraps the series with a family-friendly, storytelling game that reinforces key nutrition themes in a playful way

Week 7 Activities