Looking for fun ways to introduce and reinforce nutrition and gardening concepts? This might be just what you've been looking for! That's right, bracelets! Read below to learn how you can use bracelets to reinforce concepts learned in lessons that focus on healthy eating and gardening.
Activity #1 Plants Needs Bracelet
When teaching garden lessons from curricula such as Twigs, Nutrition to Grow On, and Discovering Healthy Choices, you can use Activity #1 to reinforce concepts that are related to plant needs.
Materials Needed
- Elastic
- Beads - Blue, Brown, Yellow, White
- Scissors
Bead Symbolization
- The blue bead will represent water.
- The brown bead will represent soil.
- The yellow bead will represent sun.
- The white bead will represent oxygen.
- The left over space on the bracelet or key chain will represent the space that plants need to grow.
Instructions
- Explain that we will be making bracelets to reinforce the concepts of the lesson.
- Each bracelet or key chain will have four bead which will represent the things that plants need to grow.
- Cut elastic into approximately 5 inch pieces (1 per student).
- Provide each student with 4 beads (1 of each color).
- Provide each student a piece of elastic.
- Have students thread the beads onto the elastic.
- Assist students/participants in tying the elastic around their wrist.
- Cut off any access elastic after tying the bracelet off.
- Reinforce the symbolization of each bead color by asking the student what each color represents.
Activity #2 MyPlate Bracelet
When teaching a garden lesson from curricula such as Serving Up MyPlate, Happy Healthy Me, My Amazing Body, Eating Healthy From Farm to Fork, and Discovering Healthy Choices, you can use Activity #2 to reinforce concepts related to MyPlate and the five food groups.
Materials Needed
- Elastic
- Beads - Blue, Red, Orange, Green, Purple
- Scissors
Bead Symbolization
- The blue bead will represent the dairy group on MyPlate.
- The red bead will represent the fruit group on MyPlate.
- The orange bead will represent the grains group on MyPlate.
- The green bead will represent the vegetable group on MyPlate.
- The purple bead will represent the protein group on MyPlate.
Instructions
- Cut elastic into approximately 5 inch pieces (1 per student).
- Provide each student with 5 beads (1 of each color).
- Provide each student a piece of elastic.
- Have students thread the beads onto the elastic.
- Assist students/participants in tying the elastic around their wrist.
- Cut off any access elastic after tying the bracelet off.
- Reinforce to symbolization of each bead color by asking the student what each color represents.
We hope you all enjoy this activity as much as we do in the Butte Cluster. We look forward to hearing about your experience with incorporating this activity as an extension to you nutrition and gardening lessons.