Oakland Eats Garden Fresh
K-1 Lessons
This material was produced by the California Department of Public Health’s Network for a Healthy California with
funding from USDA SNAP, known in California as CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps). These institutions are equal
opportunity providers and employers. CalFresh provides assistance to low income households and can help buy
nutritious foods for better health. For CalFresh information, call 1-877-847-3663. For important nutrition information,
visit www.cachampionsforchange.net.
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
K-1 Lesson Goals
Lesson One: The Colors of Health
Goals:
 Students will understand the difference between fruits from vegetables.
 Students will understand why it’s important to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Skills:
 Students will classify fruits and vegetables by their color.
 Students will recite songs
Lesson Two: Vegetables and Fruits
Goals:
 Students will understand how vegetables and fruits grow.
 Students will learn the edible parts of plants and trees.
Skills:
 Students will ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud.
 Students will recite songs.
Lesson Three: Local Fruits and Vegetables
Goals:
 Students will understand what “local” fruits and vegetables are.
 Students will understand the benefits of eating local, seasonal foods.
Skills:
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Students will produce complete sentences.
Students will practice selecting foods that are in season.
Students will encourage others when they select healthy foods.
Students will recite songs.
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
Oakland Eats Garden Fresh
Grades K-1 – Day One
Overview
Materials:
 One copy of Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
 Two large charts at front of room – One for Fruits and one for Vegetables with columns for the
different colors. (See example.)
 Red; orange-yellow; green; blue-purple; black (outline for white fruits/veggies) markers or
crayons.
 Projection/large chart of words to Look to the Rainbow
Teacher: What are the colors of health? It’s fun to think about a rainbow of colors when you eat your
daily fruits and vegetables. Every day you should choose fruits and vegetables from these colors: Red;
Orange/Yellow; Green; Blue/Purple; and White.
Today we’re going to read a book about fruits and vegetables called, Eating the Alphabet. As you look at
each fruit and vegetable on the pages, think about where it belongs on our class charts. Is it a fruit? Is it
a vegetable? What color is it?
[As you read through the book, invite selected students to draw and/or write the names of some of the
fruits and vegetables from the page on the appropriate columns on the charts --- ideally it would be
great if they could use the matching color crayon/marker when drawing/writing. Be prepared for some
confusion about “color.” If we typically eat the skin of a fruit/vegetable, its “color” is the color of the
skin – i.e. a red apple is a red fruit. But, if we typically don’t eat the skin of a fruit/vegetable, its “color”
is the color of the inside – i.e. a banana is a white fruit. Also, you may wish to have students chart only
one fruit/vegetable from each page and/or do this activity over a period of a few days. When you’ve
finished the book, you will have two charts with lots of colorful fruits and vegetables.]
When finished with the activity…
Teacher: [Students should be seated on rug.] Let’s look at our charts. We’ve got fruits and vegetables
of many different colors. When I call out a fruit or vegetable from our charts, please quietly stand up if
you’ve tasted/tried that fruit or vegetable. [Select a variety of fruits and vegetables from class charts -engage students in follow-up questions as desired – i.e. Did you like that fruit/vegetable? How was it
served (cooked, raw, cut-up, etc.)? Would you eat that fruit/vegetable again?]
Why do we need to eat many different colors and kinds of fruits and vegetables? Different colored
fruits and vegetables have different nutrients that our bodies need to be healthy. Some have Vitamin C.
Some have Vitamin A. Some have iron. Some have Vitamin K. All of them have fiber, but if we only ate
ONE kind of fruit or vegetable, we would be missing some of the vitamins and minerals that our bodies
need. It’s much healthier for us to eat lots of different colors – a rainbow of colors – of fruits and
vegetables every day.
To help us remember, we’re going to sing a song about eating different colored fruits and vegetables.
[Project words to “Look to the Rainbow” and sing together until students are comfortable with song.]
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
VEGETABLES
Blue/Purple
Green
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
White
Yellow-Orange
Red
FRUITS
Blue/Purple
Green
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
White
Yellow/Orange
Red
Look to the Rainbow
Sung to the tune of “Look to the Rainbow” from Finian’s Rainbow.
Look, look, look to the rainbow.
Eat colorful vegetables every day.
Look, look, look to the rainbow,
Eat all of the colors – it’s the healthiest way.
Purple, green, white ones
Yellow, orange, and red ones.
Eat all of the colors and eat them today.
Look, look, look to the rainbow.
Eat colorful fruits each and every day.
Look, look, look to the rainbow,
Eat all of the colors – it’s the healthiest way.
Purple, green, white ones
Yellow, orange, and red ones.
Eat all of the colors and eat them today.
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
Oakland Eats Garden Fresh
Grades K-1 – Day Two
Overview
Materials:
 One copy of All Our Fruits and Vegetables by Robert Duyff and Patricia McKissack
 Optional: Color copies of pages 30-31 from All Our Fruits and Vegetables – 1 per student
 Large chart labeled:
Over a bowl of __________
Under a giant___________
Around a huge__________
Through a sea of ________
 Enlarged copy of” Let’s Go: Over Under, Around and Through Fruits and Vegetables”
 Fruit and Vegetable Photo cards to support the fruits and veggies in the “Let’s Go Over,
Under, Around and Through” activity.
 Lyrics for Look to the Rainbow, Billy Boy – Veggie and/or Billy Boy - Fruit projected or on
large chart.
Teacher: Let’s start today with a review from yesterday. Who remembers the song that we sang? Let’s
stand up and sing it again….[Sing Look to the Rainbow.]
Yesterday we talked about the rainbow colors of health. What are they? [red; orange-yellow; green;
blue-purple; and white]. It’s important to eat different colors of fruits and vegetables every day so that
our bodies get the nutrients they need to stay healthy.
Today we’re going to read another book about fruits and vegetables called, All Our Fruits and
Vegetables. In this book we’re going to learn about how vegetables and fruits grow and how we eat
different parts of the plants when we eat vegetables and fruits.
As you read the book, invite students to look at the vegetables and fruits that they recognize on the
pages. Guiding questions to check for understanding as you read may include:
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How do vegetables start out?
What do vegetables need to grow?
We eat different parts of different kinds of vegetables – leaves, roots, seeds, stalks and flowers.
From what vegetable do we eat the leaves?
From what vegetable do we eat the roots?
From what vegetable do we eat the seeds?
From what vegetable do we eat the stalks?
From what vegetable do we eat the flowers?
What vegetables would you like to taste?
How do fruits grow?
What fruits would you put in a fruit salad?
Optional: Distribute the copies of pages 30-31. Have students circle the vegetables and put a square
under the fruits on this handout.
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
Teacher: We’re going to play a game in which we use our imaginations. Let’s pretend we’re in an
imaginary land of vegetables and fruits. What should we call this land? (Decide on a name for this
land.) We’re trying to go from one end of (name of land) to the other end and in order to do this, we
have to go over, under, around and through some huge vegetables and fruits. Here are the motions we
will do:
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When we need to go OVER a fruit or vegetable, we will take one big step forward. Let’s practice
right now.
 When we need to go UNDER a fruit or vegetable, we will crouch very low. Let’s practice right
now.
 When we need to go AROUND a fruit or vegetable, we will walk in a small individual circle. Let’s
practice right now.
 And when we need to go THROUGH a fruit or vegetable, we will pretend that we’re swimming
the breast stroke. Let’s practice right now.
Directions: Invite students to “act out” the prepositions using hand/body gestures. If possible, use
pictures of fruits and vegetables to prompt responses.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of spinach
Under a giant mushroom
Around a huge carrot
Through a sea of potatoes.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of berries
Under a giant mango tree
Around a huge banana
Through a sea of oranges.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of sweet potato
Under a giant broccoli stalk
Around a huge ear of corn
Through a sea of zucchini.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of honeydew melon
Under a giant apple tree
Around a huge pineapple
Through a sea of strawberries.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of bell peppers
Under a giant avocado tree
Around a huge pumpkin
Through a sea of cauliflower.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of figs
Under a giant pear tree
Around a huge persimmon
Through a sea of blueberries.
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
When students have acted out the sequence a few times, have them do follow-up activities as desired:
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Name a fruit that was mentioned.
Name a vegetable that was mentioned.
Create an activity for a fruit that was not mentioned. (i.e. over a dish of apricots)
Create an activity for a vegetable that was not mentioned. (i.e. around a giant eggplant).
Replace “Let’s go” with other action verbs (skip, jump, run, etc.)
When students have done this a few times, gather them in their quiet place again.
Teacher: We have learned about vegetables and fruits and why they are healthy for us. Let’s sing a new
song about them. Sing Billy Boy – Veggie and/or Billy Boy – Fruit. If possible, incorporate hand gestures
that may help students learn song.
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
Let’s Go: Over, Under, Around and Through Fruits and Vegetables
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of spinach
Under a giant mushroom
Around a huge carrot
Through a sea of potatoes.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of berries
Under a giant mango tree
Around a huge banana
Through a sea of oranges.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of sweet potato
Under a giant broccoli stalk
Around a huge ear of corn
Through a sea of zucchini.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of honeydew melon
Under a giant apple tree
Around a huge pineapple
Through a sea of strawberries.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of bell peppers
Under a giant avocado tree
Around a huge pumpkin
Through a sea of cauliflower.
Let’s go…
Over a bowl of figs
Under a giant pear tree
Around a huge persimmon
Through a sea of blueberries.
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
Billy Boy -- Veggie
O what shall you eat?
Billy Boy, Billy Boy
O what shall you eat charming Billy?
Eating veggies will help me be
Strong and fit and so healthy
And I’ll cut them and dig them from my garden.
Did you find some veggies there?
Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Did you find some veggies there, charming Billy?
Yes I found some broccoli there,
And I found enough to share.
We will cook it and eat it all together.
Did you dig some veggies up?
Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Did you dig some veggies up, charming Billy?
Yes I dug some carrots up,
Beets and yams will fill my cup,
We will cook them and eat them all together.
Are these veggies good for you?
Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Are these veggies good for you, charming Billy?
All these veggies make me strong,
Help me see and live quite long
Every day I will eat a nice selection.
Adapted from www.fldoe.org
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
Billy Boy -- Fruit
O what shall you eat?
Billy Boy, Billy Boy
O what shall you eat charming Billy?
Eating fruits will help me be
Strong and fit and so healthy
And I’ll pick them and pluck them from my garden.
Did you find some fruit in trees?
Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Did you find some fruit in trees, charming Billy?
Yes I found some apples there,
And I found enough to share.
We will pick them and eat them all together.
Did you find some berries too?
Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Did you find some berries too, charming Billy?
Yes I found some berries too,
They are black and red and blue,
We will pick them and mix them all together.
Are these fruits so good for you?
Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Are these fruits so good for you, charming Billy?
All these fruits can make me strong,
Help me see and live quite long
Every day I will eat a nice selection.
Adapted from www.fldoe.org
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
Oakland Eats Garden Fresh
Grades K-1 – Day Three
Overview
Materials:

Copy of Bay Area SEASONALITY chart (may be downloaded at)
http://healthylivingforlife.org/_web-assets/pdfs/rev_april2011/Bay%20Area%20Seasonality%20Chart.pdf
 Copies of Fruit and Vegetable Photo Cards that represent produce grown in the Bay Area in the
month/season in which you are doing this lesson.
 Opaque bags for clusters of Fruit and Vegetable cards. Insert several cards in opaque bags and
distribute bags to groups of students. Minimally, there should be at least one different card for
each student.
 White paper plates – one per student.
 Sentence strips with formulaic language as needed. (See examples below.) Depending upon the
level of the students, you may simply leave a blank for the food item. Or you may wish to leave
a blank for the food item PLUS the meal. Or, you may wish to have the food item, the meal, and
the time word blank so that students can have maximum flexibility in creating the sentences.
 Lyrics for Look to the Rainbow, Billy Boy – Veggie and/or Billy Boy - Fruit projected or on large
chart.
Teacher:
We’ve been learning about fruits and vegetables and how important it is to eat different kinds of fruits
and vegetables. When we go to grocery stores and farmers’ markets we see LOTS of fruits and
vegetables. Some of them have been shipped to the grocery stores and farmers’ markets from farms
that are far, far away from us and some of them have been grown in farms that are very close to us.
Why might fruits and vegetables be better if they are from farms that are close to us? (The fruits and
vegetables are often fresher – there is less time from when they were picked to when they are eaten -and fresher fruits and vegetables usually taste better. Also, they are probably cheaper since the farmers
don’t have to pay as much in transportation costs – that might make them seem better.)
Let’s say you are an Oakland farmer and you pick your broccoli on Monday. If you sell your broccoli in
Oakland, it will get to the store or the farmers’ market the next day on Tuesday and it will still be very
fresh. If, though, you are an Oakland farmer and you pick your broccoli on Monday and you sell your
broccoli to a store in New York, it will take about 6 days for it to get there (It won’t get there until the
following Saturday or Sunday) and the broccoli won’t be as fresh.
The freshest, tastiest fruits and vegetables are often the ones that grow near us in Oakland. They are
local foods because they grow in our area. Not ALL fruits and vegetables grow near us in Oakland. For
example, bananas don’t grow near Oakland. We have to get them from other parts of the world and
they have to travel many days to get here. They are NOT a local food.
Also, of the fruits and vegetables that can be grown here (the local food), some are only available at
certain times of the year. For example, apples are grown here in the fall and winter months, but not in
the summer. Therefore we can eat local apples in the fall and winter. Peaches, though, are grown in
the late spring and summer, but not in the fall or winter. So, we can eat local peaches in the late spring
and summer, but not in the fall or winter. If we pay attention to when certain foods are grown near
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
Oakland, we will be sure to get fresh fruits and vegetables that taste delicious because we are eating
local foods.
Activity:
I’ve selected local fruits and vegetables that can be grown near Oakland during the month of
_________________. There are several cards in your group’s bag. When it is your turn, you are going to
open your bag and take out one of the cards. If you don’t know what it is, ask someone in your group to
help you. Then you will use the fruit or vegetable on the card to complete one of the sentences. You
may choose any of these sentence frames OR you might create your own sentence that uses the fruit
and vegetable and politely asks someone at home if you may have it.
(Beg.)
Mom, may I please have a (n) ___________________ in my lunch tomorrow?
(specific fruit/vegetable)
(Inter.) Dad, may I please have a (n) ____________________ for ___________________ tomorrow?
(specific fruit/vegetable)
(Adv.) Grandma, may I please have a (n) ______________
(breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack)
for ____________
____________?
(spec. fruit/vegetable) (breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack) (today, tonight, tomorrow)
 Demonstrate how to select a card from the bag and create a request using the item:
Ex: Grandma, may I please have a pear for a snack tonight?
 Have students take turns selecting a card from the bag and creating a polite request to ask for
that food in an upcoming meal/snack.
 After all students have had the opportunity to create a polite request, repeat the exercise with a
modification. Have groups designate a responder to the request. The responder may use the
following replies to the request:
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons
Ex:
Yes, you may. What a healthy choice!
Yes, you may. I’m proud of you for eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
Yes, you may. I’m glad you are eating a local fruit.
Yes, you may. I’m glad you are eating a local vegetable.
 Invite students to demonstrate their dialogue in front of the class.
 Have students select their favorite local fruits and vegetables for the current month. Distribute
blank paper plates and invite students to draw and/or label their favorites on the plate and
bring home to share with families.
Wrap-up:
Now we know that it’s important to eat fruits and vegetables to be healthy. We know that vegetables
and fruit grow when they have water, sun and lots of care. And we know the fruits and vegetables that
grow near Oakland are local foods and often taste fresher and more delicious than fruits and vegetables
that come from far away. Oakland (kids) Eat Garden Fresh!
If time permits, sing one (or more) of the Fruit and Veggie songs!
OEGF – Grades K-1 – Three Lessons