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Lesson 1: Oliver’s Vegetables
by Vivian French
(recommended for ages 3-6)

Objectives
 Students will:

  • read Oliver’s Vegetables by Vivian French, or listen as the teacher reads.
  • discuss the edible parts of plants.
  • learn the health benefits of vegetables and why they should eat some every day.
Standards addressed: click here

Central Concepts:

  • Vegetables are an important part of our diet because they provide essential nutrients and fiber.
  • Different vegetables provide different health benefits.

Materials

  • Oliver’s Vegetables by Vivian French
  • Common vegetables to identify and taste

Discussion Topics:

What are the different parts of a plant? Roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, and seeds.

What part of the plant do we eat? We eat different parts from different plants.

What are vegetables? Vegetables are plant parts we eat that represent roots, stems, or leaves.

Why do we need to eat vegetables? They provide vitamins and fiber that are essential for good health.

Activity:

1. Ask students the discussion questions listed above and then talk about the answers. Show them examples of vegetables and talk about the part of the plant they represent. Examples may include:
Roots: carrots, beets, radishes
Stems: asparagus, rhubarb
Leaves: lettuce, spinach, cabbage

2. After reading Oliver’s Vegetables, ask your students the following questions:
What was Oliver’s favorite vegetable?
What other vegetables did he eat at his Grandparents’ house?
What is your favorite vegetable? Why do you like it?

3. Talk about the health benefits of vegetables with your students. Introduce them to Vitamin C and Vitamin A, two very important vitamins, using the following chart:

Vitamin
Health Benefit
Vegetable Sources
A
 Helps your vision; helps build strong bones and teeth; makes your skin healthy Carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli
C
 Helps your body fight off infections like colds; helps you absorb iron and calcium Dark, leafy, green vegetables (e.g., spinach, kale, dark green lettuce), broccoli, cabbage, green peppers

4. Tell students that all the vegetables provide different health benefits. Ask, How can you be sure to get enough of these important nutrients? (Eat a variety of vegetables every day.)

5. Wash the sample vegetables you brought in and cut them up into bite-sized pieces for the students. Give them a chance to taste each one and then discuss the health benefits they provide. For information on the nutrients found in vegetables, check out the Dole 5-a-Day Web site.

6. Ask students to draw pictures of all the vegetables they tried in class. They can share the story of Oliver’s Vegetables and their pictures with their families.

Extensions
Science: See our June Kids Garden News lesson, Taste the Flavor Rainbow. Bring in a collection of fruits and vegetables and ask students to sort them into groups by color and then by plant part. If students aren't sure what the different parts are, ask them to put on their thinking caps and look for clues. Does it resemble something else they are familiar with (e.g., a leaf of cabbage, a leaf on a tree or a flower; a stalk of celery, a plant's stem; a carrot, a plant's root?) If they don't immediately make the connection, ask How might you discover what the different parts are? (Compare them to living plants.) They can take the parts outside and compare them to parts on living plants, or inspect potted plants in the classroom. If appropriate, you can then move on and ask students if they know what job the various parts perform for the plant.

Math: Plant some vegetable seeds in your classroom. Bean seeds are a good size for small hands. Ask students to count the number of seeds planted and then the number of plants that appear. Do the numbers match?

Add another element of challenge by planting beets -- each "seed" in a packet is actually a capsule that contains several seeds and can give rise to several plants. Students can investigate the mystery of why more seedlings emerge than "seeds" planted!

Art: You can use parts of some vegetables, such as carrot leaves, spinach, red cabbage, and onion skins, to make fabric dyes. Boil plant parts in separate pots of water and then let the water cool before straining out the solids. Cut pieces of white cloth into small squares and let the students dip them in each of the dyes. Let the squares dry and then glue them together on a poster board to make a vegetable quilt.

 


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