Fruit & Vegetable Placemat

Objective:

Children make a colorful placemat to remind them of fruits and vegetables they like, and to discuss the fun of trying new fruits and vegetables.

Distribute 1 sheet of colorful construction paper to each child and have magazines and/or grocery circulars available to share. Get a variety of circulars from different stores in your area to ensure a wide choice of fruits and vegetables children might eat at home.
Tell children that they will make a placemat for their snacks or to take home.
Instruct children to search for pictures of fruits and vegetables to cut out and paste on their paper. Have them select fruits and veggies they like as well as fruits and veggies they are willing to try.
When the decorating is complete, laminate the page or use clear contact paper or packing tape to seal page.

Using dry-erase markers, have children check off the fruits and vegetables that they have eaten that day.
Discussion: Have kids sit in a circle and share their placemats.
- How many fruits and vegetables did they eat today? Were there other things that they did eat, but do not have a picture of?
- How did they select the items for their placemat? How and when do they usually eat fruits and vegetables? What new fruits or vegetables would they like to try?
- Remind kids to that they should try to have 5 fruits or vegetables every day-a least 1 with every meal and snack!
Encourage kids to try something different this week! As the group to select a fruit or vegetable that they would like to try and serve it for snack!
Instead of making individual placemats, make one large mural using a roll of butcher paper. As a group children can identify the fruits or vegetables that they consumed that day by placing check marks or small post-it notes next to the foods they had to eat.
Have children create placemats with 4 sections (one for each season) and draw or paste fruits and vegetables that grow in each season. Then serve snacks that use seasonal fruits and veggies! See examples below.

Summer-apricots, avocados, blueberries, watermelon, green beans, and corn

Fall-apples, cranberries, grapes, lettuce, sweet potatoes and pumpkins

Winter-broccoli, clementines, oranges, kiwi, cauliflower, celery, and cabbage

Spring-cherries, carrots, asparagus, grapefruit and beets

NOTE: Tell kids that while it may be winter here, it's summer in other parts of the world (which is why oranges, for example, are a "winter" fruit!)