K2 Goes Shopping

On Wednesday morning the two K2 classes divided into four groups to visit Whole Foods Market in Brighton and learn more about healthy eating. Each group travelled by public bus from the Lower School to Whole Foods (an adventurein itself) and were met there by Healthy Eating Specialist Annie Hayes.

First she took each group on a tour of the market where they learned to identify fruits and vegetables, tried some cheese, got to see a whole fish and watched the butcher cut a side of beef into steaks.

They ended their tour in the bakery where resident baker Clifton gave them samples of oatmeal raisin cookies. Next each teacher took a small group of 5 or 6 on a scavenger hunt around the market. Some groups went looking for foods from each food group while other groups looked for ingredients for a specific recipe. All the groups spent some time in the cafe watching Annie prepare a healthy energy bar which they then got to try.  The market gave each student a “goodie bag” of healthy snacks on their way out. This trip is a favorite Conservatory Lab fieldwork tradition. Lots of learning and tasty too!
The K2 classes are in the middle of their Healthy Eating Expedition. Their learning so far has included sampling a variety of fruits/vegetables/grains at their classroom Tasting Parties, making and writing different recipes such as Guacamole and Ants on a Log, studying the five food groups that make up our plate, and participating in dramatic play centers that allow students to use play to enhance their learning: this week, the kitchen area was transformed into a Restaurant for students to serve and cook in! By completing field work at Whole Foods, students were able to take what they already have learned about healthy foods and apply it first hand in the grocery store, along with learning more about the five groups of food that make up our “plate”. Students will now be able to assist their families when they go grocery shopping!