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1st Grade Quick Start Guide + Links

Looking for a variety of nutrition education resources for 1st grade children? Whether you’re new to our resources or looking for more, start here.

Quick links help guide educators as they lesson plan.

STEP 1. Confirm that you have all materials

Educator materials include:

Educator Guide
Dairy Council of California’s website HealthyEating.org

Student materials include:

Nutrition Workbooks in English and Spanish
Family letter and Family Connections, included in workbooks to extend nutrition education at home.

STEP 2. Review the additional resources in the educator guide

In addition to the lesson plans, the educator guide contains:

The introduction and lesson Fast Facts include answers to commonly asked nutrition questions and links to the Nutrition Primer. The Miscategorized Foods tips can help you when teaching using the food grouping tool, MyPlate.gov
Explore how food tasting supports hands-on learning, HealthyEating.org/FoodTasting

STEP 3. Review each lesson plan

Inside the Let’s Eat Healthy Educator Guide, you will find five lesson plans and a pre- and post-assessment (see chart below). Review each lesson plan prior to teaching. Visit Dairy Council of California’s website at HealthyEating.org/Curriculum to access more grade level content.

Educator Tips

Plan for 20-40 minutes of class time for each activity. Preparation time for each activity ranges from 10 to 20 minutes.
Use the family letter on the first day you teach the program and the family connection included in each lesson. Involving parents reinforces what is being taught in the classroom and may encourage parents to
become classroom volunteers.
Model the workbook activities for your students before they begin to work on their own.
Encourage your students to share their personal or home experiences with food, eating, and physical activities whenever possible. It will help children relate to one another and personalize the activities.
Be a healthy role model. Students closely watch your words and actions. Making healthy food choices and talking about healthy eating outside the classroom will send students the right message and reinforce classroom lessons. It may also encourage healthy eating behaviors and attitudes in your students.
Talk with other teachers at your school who use the program for other ideas.