HPE Curriculum Healthy Eating Strand
D1.1 Demonstrate an understanding of how the origins of food, whether and how it is processed or prepared affect its nutritional value and how those factors and others can affect the environment
D2.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of good oral health to overall health and assess the effect of different food choices on oral health
D3.1 Explain how local foods and foods from various cultures can be used to expand their range of healthy eating choices
D1.5 Identify factors that affect physical development, social-emotional development, and the development of a healthy body image
D3.3 Describe how visible differences and invisible differences make each person unique and identify ways of showing respect for differences in others
Key Concepts for Student Learning
Where food comes from:
- The food we eat comes from many different places including farms, water, stores, gardens, land, skies, etc.
- Some foods are processed (I.e., cooking, milling, baking, freezing, dehydrating, canning). Processing can help ensure we have a safe food supply and allows some foods to be available year-round (I.e., frozen or canned vegetables/fruit).
- The packaging food comes in, the way food is prepared and transported, and food waste can impact the environment
Local, cultural, and traditional foods:
- The foods we eat are influenced by the foods that are in season, our culture and family traditions.
- Learning about new foods can help us eat a variety of foods and learn about other cultures and practices.
- It’s important to be respectful of other people’s food choices
Oral health:
- We need to care for our teeth by brushing and flossing teeth, visiting the dentist, eating regular meals and having a variety of foods.
- Learn More: How to Approach Oral Health Without Diet Culture – Nüton (nuton.ca)
Body Image
- Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. All bodies are good bodies and deserve respect.
- Focus on celebrating what your body can do rather than how it looks
NOTE: Educators should be aware that food guide messages may not be appropriate for all students including those who are neurodivergent and/or have health, sensory or other exceptional needs that impact their relationship with food and eating. SMHO Resource on Mental Health Promotion at Schools: Classroom Considerations – Supporting Mental Wellness Amongst Students with Special Education Needs offers tips that can be applied to support learning about food and eating at school.
Classroom Activities and Lesson Ideas
Grade 3 Classroom Activities and Lesson Ideas
Learn as a class about where foods come from including how foods are grown, where they are grown, different varieties of food, different forms food comes in, how they are used and processed, etc.
- Take a field trip to a local farm or on-line tour
- Exploring Where Food Comes From lesson from Teach Food First
- Cut out produce pictures from grocery store flyers and paste them on a map to show where they came from
- Curious Cook video series from Teach Nutrition
- Food Adventures with Felix the Farmer from Teach Nutrition
- Class Discussion: What are ways that foods are processed (cooking, baking, freezing, dehydrating, canning)? How does this allow us to have a safe food supply? Why is having processed foods important (I.e., allows us to have shelf-stable foods that don’t require refrigeration, fresh foods are less accessible in Northern communities).
- Traditional Ways of Preserving Foods lesson from Hands on Food
- Foods of the World Research Poster from Alberta Health Services
- Value of Food from OPHEA
- Explore the parts of the plant and the different parts of vegetables and fruit that can be eaten. For example, carrots (roots), stems (celery), leaves (spinach), flower (broccoli), fruit (tomato), and seeds (beans)
- You are What you Eat! The Plants Part Game from Food is Science
- Edible Parts of a Plant Poster, Video and Worksheet
- Class Discussion: How does what we eat impact the environment? How can we prevent food waste? (for example, storing foods properly, not taking more food than you can eat, composting scraps). How can we use less food packaging? (for example, using reusable bags and water bottles)
- Eating in Season from Food is Science
Explore local and cultural foods
- Taste the tradition by Health Canada
- Traditional First Nations Food Lesson Plans from Teach Nutrition: Food is a Gift
- Nüton’s Picks What does the world eat for breakfast – Nüton (nuton.ca) – Watch video and then share what you eat for breakfast in your house, are there foods in the video you’ve never seen before?
- Foods from Around the World Activity from Nutrition Education Consulting
- The Mysterious Ingredient: Story and Book by Teach Nutrition
- Class discussion: The Healthy Respectful Lunchroom (Good in Every Grain)
- Explore foods from different cultures through books: Bilal Cooks Dahl by Anoosha Syed, Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard, Bee Bim Bop by Linda Sue Park, Magic Ramen: The Story of Monofuki Ando by Andrea Wang, Freedom Soup by Tami Charles, What’s on Your Plate? Exploring the World of Food by Whitney Steward, My Food, Your Food, Our Food by Emma Carlson Burne and Pancakes to Paranthas: Breakfast Around the World by Alice B McGinty
Oral Health
- Oral Health Resources and Activities for Elementary Students from Middlesex London Health Unit
- Sesame Street Healthy Teeth, Healthy Me Song
Body Image Activities
- Class discussion: What are some of the things that you enjoy doing or that make you happy? How does your body help you do that?
- Video games – brain, hand/eye coordination, sports – different muscle groups, reading – eyes, listening to music/playing music – ears/hands/brain etc.
- Video: Body Image by McMaster Children’s Hospital
- Explore books about different body shapes, sizes and abilities:
- Nuton Picks Book List
- Shapesville by Andy Mills and Becky Osborn
- Bodies are Cool by Tyler Feder
- Your Body is Awesome by Sigrun Danielsdottir
- Beyond Images by NEDIC (Designed for Gr. 4-8 but may be adapted for younger grades)