The FoodCorps Lessons include hands-on experiential activities to engage kids in learning about healthy food. This suite of 96 lessons are for grades K-5, and are organized through this learning progression by grade, season and theme. The lessons are tied to national academic standards and were developed following Culturally Responsive Teaching, Place Based Learning and Social and Emotional Learning best practices and frameworks. Each lesson was developed with input from FoodCorps service members, community partners and resource specialists, and have been evaluated and updated to reflect recommendations from our community of food educators. This suite of lessons is intended to guide food and garden educators to spark inquiry and love for healthy food and should be adapted to reflect the needs, identity and culture of the community in which they are taught.
The lessons are evidence based and have been developed guided by the FoodCorps Healthy School Progress Report Practices found in the Healthy School Toolkit.
FoodCorps Lesson Progression
This FoodCorps Lesson Progression poster is a roadmap to illuminate the theory behind the sequencing of the ninety-six FoodCorps lessons. It shows how these lessons relate to and build upon one another to support students in developing increasingly sophisticated knowledge of and skills in the six themes listed below.
The lessons are organized by the following 6 themes to provide a framework to identify the central topic for each lesson.
Conceptual Themes to build student knowledge:
- Living up to Our Full Potential
- Making Healthy Food Choices
- Exploring the Ecology of Food
- Connecting to Food, Culture, and Community
Skills-focused themes to develop student skills in gardening, cooking, and accessing healthy foods:
View the FoodCorps Lesson Progression Poster here.
Videos of FoodCorps Lessons
Service members have recorded over 100 video lessons to support students with remote learning about healthy food and gardening. Many of these lessons include activities from FoodCorps Lessons. You can view them here!
FoodCorps Lessons by Theme
LIVING UP TO OUR FULL POTENTIAL
- GARDEN EXPLORATIONS
- SENSORY EXPLORATIONS
- IF OUR CLASS WERE A SOUP. . .
- ALL IN FOR APPLESAUCE
- FOOD MEMORY TOURISTS
- FULL POTENTIAL MANIFESTO
MAKING HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES
- MINDFUL TASTING
- GO, GROW, GLOW
- EAT A RAINBOW
- GET TO THE SOURCE
- POETIC PRODUCE
- RAINBOW SMOOTHIE
- THE GREAT BALANCING ACT
- WHAT THE WORLD EATS
- TORTILLA TIME!
- BECOMING CAFETERIA MENTORS
- THE SECRET STRATEGIES OF FOOD ADVERTISING
- BUDDING TASTES
- WONDERS OF WATER
- A RAINBOW AT THE SALAD BAR
- NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD MAPS
- LEARNING FROM OUR ELDERS
- SUGAR SHOWDOWN
EXPLORING THE ECOLOGY OF FOOD
- UP, UP, UP WE GROW!
- PLANT PART SCAVENGER HUNT
- BIODIVERSITY IN THE GARDEN
- THAT’S LIFE!
- GET TO KNOW A CROP
- WHAT DO PLANTS EAT?
- WHO EATS WHAT?
- PLANT PART MYSTERY
- HOW SEEDS TRAVEL
- LET’S JAM!
- WORLD TRAVELS OF FOOD
- WEB OF LIFE
- PERFECT PARFAITS
- IMAGINARY PLANTS
- BE A BEE!
- BREAKING DOWN ROCKS, BUILDING UP BREAD
- FOOD PACKAGING
- CYCLE OF A NUTRIENT
GROWING AND ACCESSING HEALTHY FOOD
- LET US GROW LETTUCE!
- PLANTING A TOPS AND BOTTOMS BED
- PLANT A RAINBOW
- WORM BIN WONDERS
- AGENTS OF CHANGE
- SEASONAL FOOD WHEELS
- BEAN BUDDIES
- ROOT-VIEW CUPS
- SEED TAPE
- EXPLORING OUR WORM BIN
- A PATCHWORK GARDEN QUILT
- CHANGEMAKERS
- SUNFLOWER HOURS
- PLANT A GO, GROW, GLOW BED
- PLANTING FOR BENEFICIAL INSECTS
- PLANTING THE THREE SISTERS
- GARDEN GRIDS
- BREAK IT DOWN
PREPARING HEALTHY FOOD
- VEGGIE WRAPS
- PLANT PART WRAPS
- FUN WITH FRUIT SALAD
- QUICK, PICKLE THAT!
- CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-FLAVOR POPCORN
- GREEN SAUCE AROUND THE WORLD
- FROM BEAUTIFUL BEANS TO DELICIOUS DIP!
- GO, GROW, GLOW QUESADILLAS
- SAUTE!
- ROOT FRUIT SLAW
- SALAD DRESSING CHALLENGE
- STONE SOUP
- SUNNY HONEY SEED SNACKS
- TOPS AND BOTTOMS POPSICLES
- RAINBOW GRAIN SALAD
- WHOLE GRAIN CRACKERS
- REIMAGINED SNACKS
- ROLLING INTO SPRING
GARDEN EXTENSION LESSONS
- FABULOUS FIVE
- TEA TIME
- SAVING SEEDS
- CELEBRATING THE AUTUMN HARVEST
- GETTING TO KNOW THE GARDEN
- PUTTING THE GARDEN TO BED
- PLANT A PIZZA
- LOOKING CLOSELY AT LEAVES
- INSECT HOMES
- PLANT FAMILIES
- PLANT A SALSA BED!
- ROTTING AWAY, DAY BY DAY