Captain 5-a-day for educator – Overview of the Curriculum
Connecticut
Departments of Public Health and Social Services and the United States
Department of Agriculture present Captain 5 A Day's Adventures
Welcome to the World of Captain 5 A Day's Adventures!
You are about to embark upon a food an nutrition skill building adventure for preschool children. You will find innovative, creative approaches to
use at school and home to encourage preschool children and their families to eat 5 fruits and vegetables each day.
"The adventures of Captain 5 A Day" audiotape is the program centerpiece. Through nutrition education, music and movement, children are encouraged to eat fruits and vegetables. Adventures included in the treasure box will help to reinforce and enhance the concepts presented by Captain 5 A Day.
While learning to eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day, children will also be learning fine and gross motor skills, colors, counting, science and other developmentally appropriate skills, all in this fun filled program.
Captain 5 A Day's Adventures for good health are brought to you by a funding partnership between the CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES, and the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
Exploring the Box
The adventure box for good health is divided into 8 Sections. Each section contains cards filled with activites/adventures- your key to fun with Captain 5 A Day!
1. The Treasure - The actual audio cassette, "The Adventures of Captain 5 A Day" with instructions.
2. Captain 5 A Day in the classroom- Food adventures to use along with the audio cassette.
3. Captain 5 A Day Virtual Food Adventures in the Classroom- Fun-filled food related classroom
ideas.
4. Captain 5 A Day At Home-Captain
5 A Day goes home via parent letters. These letters, which
reinforce classroom adventures, are on black line masters.
5. 5
A Day Copy Masters- Here you will find the reproducible masters
needed for many of the adventures. Here you will also find the
pictures of fruits & vegetables
growing.
6. 5 A Day Facts-Discover why
the 5 A Day has evolved.
7. 5 A Day Resources - Look
here if you want to learn more about nutrition and food. You will
find names and addresses of state and national centers for nutrition
information, as well as titles
for books for preschoolers.
8. Your 5 A Day Ideas - An
evaluation form for you to complete after each 5 A Day adventure.
There are also blank "adventure cards" for you to create your own
adventure to add
to this adventure box.
Why these fruits and vegetables-
Carrots, Broccoli, Spinach, Oranges, Grapes?
These specific 5 fruits and vegetables were chosen for Captain 5
A Day's adventures because of their variety.
Variety In:
Color: red, green, orange, purple
Part of plant we eat: carrot - root; broccoli - flower; spinach - leaf;
orange - fruit; grapes - fruit
How the plant grows: underground; plant top; just above the ground,
tree; vine
Nutrition provided: Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Fiber, Calcium, Iron
Perceived familiarity to young children
Creative moment during adventure
Nutrient Highlights:
| Carrot | Broccoli | Spinach | Orange | Grapes |
 |
||||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin A | Vitamin A | Vitamin C | Fiber |
| Fiber | Vitamin C | Vitamin C | Fiber | |
| Fiber | ||||
Broccoli and Spinach also contain minerals: calcium and iron.
Nutrient Facts:
Vitamin A protects skin, helps night vision, protects against certain cancers and heart disease; Vitamin C protects mucous membranes, fights infections, helps products against certian cancers and heart disease; Fiber helps keep the digestive tract healthy, protects against certain cancers, heart diseases and diabetes; Calcium builds against strong bones; Iron keeps red blood cells healthy.
Kid Tested & Teacher Approved: How we know you will like these materials
Real Head Start classroom teachers working with real children tested out these materials. Their concerns and suggestions were used to produce the final version of all materials found within this adventure box.
A broad partnership between federal, state and local agencies, and a multitude of other programs with a keen interest in the health of young children, insured the quality and appropriateness of the program. The Connecticut State 5 A Day Advisory Committee, composed of Head Stard administrators, teachers, nutritionists and others, pilot tested the materials to insure acceptability and usability.
General Classroom Activities
The more contact children have with fruits and vegetables the more likely they are to eat them. This contact can be real or through crafts, pictures, stories, games and play. Adding fruit and vegetable activities to your daily plans through play and discussion helps to build comfort around health foods. Whichever adventures you choose from this box, along with what you may already do daily, such as using fruit and vegetable models in play cooking and shopping, helps breed familiarity around healthy foods. These types of activities send positivie messages to your children about tasting and eating food for good health; lessons that will last a lifetime.
More than 50 adventures for use in conjunction with the audio cassette are included in this box. Some adventures involve food, some do not. Some are quick and easy, and some, like growing fruits and vegetables, may take several weeks. You may find that you need to modify some of the adventures, as every classroom is slightly different.
To reinforce your classroom adventures at home, send this cassette home and check out the Captain 5 A Day "at home" section for take home ideas.