Transition Song: Wake up! Daily Routines by Dream English
Materials: Laminated letter H, color photographs of food items
Vocabulary and basic concepts: Healthy food, assorted veggies and fruits (broccoli, peas, carrots, tomatoes, peaches, strawberries, apples, oranges), common foods (cereal, sandwich, milk, juice, crackers, soup, noodles, eggs, chicken, peanut butter, spaghetti, tacos), common fast food items (hamburger, fries), common treat items (candy, gummy bears, cupcakes, Popsicles, popcorn, cookies, ice cream), always, sometimes, like/don't like, What questions.
Pre-literacy: Let's look at the letter H. We found the top, bottom, and middle of the letter H. We practiced writing the letter H. When I asked if the children could think of words that had the /h/ sound, one of the children called out "Healthy RABBITS!" (She meant to say Healthy Habits. I'm still grinning over that one!)
Today I pulled out photographs and gave each child two pictures. We took turns showing a picture, labeling the picture, gave thumbs up or thumbs down if we liked that food, and also talked about if the food was healthy to eat all the time or was a food we should have some of the time. Surprisingly, the kids in Jeana's Monday classes understood the concept of healthy food being foods we can eat all of the time, and treats and fast foods were foods we have just sometimes.
The children's favorite part was giving thumbs up or thumbs down if they liked it or did not like it.
At home, talk about the foods you are preparing and let your child help. Let them pick a new vegetable or fruit at the grocery store for the family to try. You could even have a tasting night of different foods and rate if you like them or don't like them. whole foods are easier to recognize than most prepared foods, so you might want to stick with whole foods.
