Comprehensive Materials Needed List

(Highlighted items are materials that are NOT included with this curriculum so regions will need to purchase)

Lesson 1: Get on Board the Food Group Express

Materials Needed:

  • 5 brown paper bags with food group labels or colored paper bags (1 green, 1 red, 1 blue, 1 purple, 1 brown. (the bags represent the food groups but are also the train cars for each food group)
  • Dairy Council Food Cards/ or food models
  • Picture of trains, or small train set
  • Current [USDA Food Graphic ______] poster
  • Masking tape
  • Choose Mplate.gov handout for comprehension check (optional)

Lesson: Stoke Your Engine for a Healthy Lifestyle

Materials Needed:

  • Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban (ISBN 978-0-06-083800-3)
  • Current USDA food graphic (example 2011 is the New MyPlate)
  • Black/white board and appropriate writing utensils for each
  • White paper plates
  • Tape
  • Pictures of foods from the story (Albert’s meal page 26)
  • Pictures of foods from the story (Frances’ meal page 43)

Lesson: Following the Engine

Materials Needed:

MyActivity Pyramid poster*

Following the Engine song*

  • MyActivity Pyramid handout*
  • MyActivity Log*
  • Following the Engine song*

Lesson: Stoke Your Engine with Food Safety

Materials Needed:

  • A picture of fireman/stoker that works on a train shoveling coal
  • Data projector, smart board if possible if not make large copy of picture so that they are visible to students
  • Fight BAC Visual Aid (A, B, C & D) copies
  • Black/white board and utensils to write on either (chalk or white boards markers)

Lesson: BAC Aboard the Food Group Express

Materials Needed:

  • You want to show students different receptacles people in the 1900’s carried their lunches in. From this list chose a couple of items: Lunch basket or lunch box * Dish cloth tied with its 4 corners * lunch pail (small bucket, old coffee can) * gunny sack * box tied up with twine etcetera.
  • Legal size paper (1 piece for each team; 4 to 6)
  • Table or desk top for each team
  • 4 to 6 wads of cellophane
  • 4 to 6 small sponges or picture of
  • 4 to 6 empty dish soap bottles or picture of
  • 4 to 6 tissues
  • 4 to 6 plastic knives and 1 plastic knife for you
  • Spray bottle with water
  • National Dairy Council Food Model Cards (a variety of meats, cheese, vegetables, breads, and condiments that are suitable for making a sandwich, each team needs a set you will need to make copies of some pictures; a meat, a vegetable, a bread, American cheese and a condiment)

Lesson: Make a Food Group Sandwich

Materials needed:

  • [Current USDA food graphic ______]
  • Sliced lean ham (or lean chicken, roast beef or turkey)
  • Whole-wheat crackers (or pita bread, whole-wheat bread)
  • Sliced low-fat Swiss cheese (or cheddar, Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese)
  • Green pepper cut into thin, short strips (or tomatoes, cucumbers)
  • Canned pineapple slices (or strawberries, grapes
  • Mayonnaise or margarine (optional)
  • Plastic bags
  • Paper plates
  • Napkins
  • Warm water, soap and paper towels or hand sanitizer

Lesson 2: Oats, Wheat and Rice Ride the Rails

Materials Needed:

  • Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris
  • From Wheat to Pasta from Children’s Press
  • Parts of a Whole Grain Seed handout (1per student)
  • Crayons: specifically (yellow, orange, and brown)
  • 5 small grain boards: Supplies and instructions for making a grain board below.
  • 5 pieces of 8 ½ X 11 card stock.
  • White flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, brown rice, white rice, oatmeal, barley, popcorn
  • 35 self-closing snack bags
  • Using a permanent marker label 7 snack bags, 1 bag per grain
  • Put ¼ cup of each grain or grain product into its labeled bag
  • Staple or use heavy tape to secure the bags of grain to cardstock
  • Make 5 small grain boards with 7 bags of grain each

Lesson 3: Beet, Broccoli and Asparagus Coming Down the Tracks

Materials Needed:

  • Large brown paper sack with a picture of a large stock kettle on it.
  • Copies of vegetable coloring pictures, enough for each child to have a different one (see attached coloring pictures) cut pictures in 1/2
  • 1 copy of each - tomato juice , garlic, and salt and pepper
  • Fresh Vegetable picture cards – need 1 card for each student
  • Crayons
  • 2 wooden spoons (optional)
  • 2 paper chefs hats (optional, can be ordered through MU Extension office)
  • 2 plastic bags that are self closing (8 oz. size)
  • Water to fill both gas ½ full
  • 1 baking potato with skin, unwashed
  • 1 vegetable scrub brush
  • Paper towels

Lesson: Vegetable Musical Chair Game

Materials needed:

Chair for each student minus one chair

 Review questions (see #6) from “Beets, Broccoli and Asparagus Coming Down the Tracks”

Lesson 4: Fruits Rumble Down the Tracks

Supplies Needed: (See individual activities for supplies needed)

  • MyActivity Pyramid poster*
  • Fruit Bingo cards*
  • Scrap paper or plastic disks (can be ordered from wholesaleBingosupplies.com 250 disk/$1.95)
  • Scroll handout

Lesson: Fresh, Frozen, Canned and Dried the Fruits have Arrived

Materials Needed:

  • Black/white board and appropriate writing utensils
  • Copy of the Fruit Alphabet (for teacher use)
  • Pictures of unusual fruits (or actual fruit when possible)
  • Canned, dried, frozen, juiced and fresh examples of fruits
  • Example of canned fruit in plastic packaging (fruit cocktail, mandarin oranges)
  • Large paper bag (grocery bag)
  • Blindfold (a piece of fabric large enough to tie or safety pin over the eyes)

Lesson 5: Clickety, Clack, Down the Track ---Don’t Spill the Milk

Materials Needed

  • Pictures of a cow, camel, goat, sheep, yak and water buffalo
  • Milk to Market Maze handout
  • A Healthy Milk Choice handout (copied to the back of Milk to Market Maze handout)
  • Writing utensil (pencil or crayon)
  • Clear 1 cup liquid measuring cup
  • Yellow food coloring (you will need 3 ½ teaspoons)
  • A pitcher with 4 cups of water
  • 4 clear plastic cups that can hold 1 cup of water or 4 clear liquid measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons: ½ tsp. and 1tsp.
  • Masking tape and a marker (Use the masking tape to make 4 labels: whole milk, 2% milk, 1% milk and fat-free milk. Put labels on the 4 small clear plastic cups.)
  • Table or desk top surface
  • Paper towels to use for any spills

Lesson 6: Protein Palooza on the Pullman Car

Materials Needed:

  • I’m Thinking Of??? Handout
  • Pencils
  • MyActivity Pyramid

Lesson 7: Groovin’ and Movin’ Down the Track

Materials Needed:

  • MyActivity Pyramid handout (copy printed on inside of SNN folder)
  • Jump rope
  • Variety of balls (basketball, football, baseball etc)
  • A CD package of a video game
  • A basket with things that can be folded (dish towels, t-shirts,)
  • 2 chairs
  • Blackboard/whiteboard and chalk/markers for whichever is accessible to use
  • Spriggles book by Jeff and Martha Gottlieb (number the pages in the book)
  • Small box with the picture of a train car on it that says “Grove and Move”
  • Spriggles cut outs, cut and folded (put inside of “Grove and Move box”
  • MyActivity Log

Lesson: Don’t Be a Loose Caboose, Get the Scoop on Advertising

Materials Needed:

  • Book John Henry by Julius Lester (Caldecott Honor Book) or John Henry anAmerican Legend by Ezra Jack Keats
  • Vegetable cards (5 or 6) from National Dairy Council Food Model Cards
  • Play money, at least 10 sets. (Set includes 1 copy each $10, $20, $15, $5)
  • Cut sets of money and place into small, closeable, plastic bags.
  • 2 boxes of cereal (1 a name brand and 1 a generic brand or colored pictures of both)

Lesson: Riding the Rails with Healthy Snacks

Materials Needed:

  • Healthy Snacks With Blue by J-P Chanda
  • Fresh Fruit Photos (apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapes, oranges, raisins, raspberries, and watermelon )
  • Large clear receptacle such as a (large self-closing plastic bag or bowl)
  • 6 (½ cup dry measuring cups)
  • Fruit Salad Picture: Ingredient Nutrition Facts Food Label handout
  • Fruit Salad Nutrition Facts Food Label (handout)
  • 8 small, plastic, closeable bags
  • Pencils for each student
  • Small table or desk

Special Instructions Preparation: Use 6 large, plastic, closeable bags for coloring cotton balls * 3 dozen cotton balls * Food coloring all colors. In a large plastic bag place 8 white cotton balls and a few drops of red food coloring; close the bag and shake until all cotton balls are colored red. Repeat the process coloring 7 cotton balls blue; 6 cotton balls yellow; 5 cotton balls purple (mix red & blue purple); 4 cotton

  • balls orange (mix red & yellow); 3 cotton balls brown (mix red, green); leave 2 cotton balls white and make 1 cotton ball green.