Choosing a wide variety of foods displaying an array of colors on the plate is a great way to ensure that we are consuming lots of vitamins to nourish our bodies. In learning about creating a colorful plate, take your child to the grocery store and have her choose as many vegetables of different colors in 30-seconds as she can. Purchase the produce and then learn about the vitamins present in each fruit and vegetable. Use the produce to create a colorful and delicious meal, encouraging your child to pretend that she is eating rainbows.
Be sure to include a lesson on the importance of eating organic foods. Organic foods are not genetically engineered and are raised without the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Spend time at a greenhouse with your child, reading the warning labels on some of the synthetic pesticides and fertilizers when compared with the labels on organic fertilizers and pest control methods. Spend time together reading about how pesticides and fertilizers affect our bodies, as well as about how genetically engineered foods are grown. Finish the lesson with a trip to the grocery store or farmer's market where your child can choose a few organic foods to eat with the evening's dinner.
The more that we cook our produce, the fewer nutrients remain in the produce. Purchase broccoli and have your child sample some raw. Next, boil the broccoli and watch what happens to the color of the vegetable the longer it is boiled. Refer back to what your child learned during the colors unit so that she remembers that the more color a vegetable or fruit has, the more nutrients it retains. Talk about the importance of eating raw produce and of keeping the skins on most fruits and vegetables. Do not forget to talk about animal product cooking safety by teaching about cooking meats thoroughly and avoiding cross-contamination.
In this fast food era, it is easy to lose track of what a proper portion is. Many restaurants serve up hearty portions, enough for two or three meals. We often continue eating long after we are full. Talk with your child about what it means to be hungry and full and about how it is important to listen to body signals in order to remain healthy. Take a day to eat mindfully with your children. Make a game out of it. Provide trays of healthy produce, low-fat cheeses and meats. Tell your homeschoolers to begin eating when they are hungry and to stop the moment they feel full. Do not forget to remind them to eat slowly so that their bodies have time to register that they are full. After this lesson, ask that your child respect his body at all meals by eating only when he is hungry and not when he is full.
After covering a few nutrition basics in the other lessons, ask your homeschooler to help plan a week's worth of family meals. Ask them to include colorful vegetables in every meal. Involve them in meal preparation and talk about how the family can improve eating habits. Have your child set a few family nutrition goals and create a chart where the family earns a star for each day they meet their new goals.