Lesson Plans
Cooking like Olive: A 2nd grade lesson plan
Overview:
During the time that Olive Ruby Henty lived in the 1910s, it was a common practice for women to receive their degree in Home Economics, a field of study that encompassed cooking, baking, sewing and other "household arts". Much has changed since Olive's time, not only the shared responsibilities of cooking, but also the types of foods available, recipes, and food preparation. Using the USDA Food Guide Pyramid and its three major concepts of balance, variety, and moderation, we'll plan healthy meals and snacks; describe personal hygiene and safety measures used in preparing foods, and describe how food choices are influenced by availability, individual and family preferences, media, and background. In this lesson, children are asked to create a classroom recipe book and create a balanced meal like Olive would have to in her home economics classes. Because this classroom activity involves food, please check with parents or guardians about food allergies beforehand.
Objectives
- Students will understand how access to food, preparation and recipes have changed since Olive Ruby's time.
- Students will be able to identify the parts of a balanced meal.
- Students will be able to identify healthy foods from different nationalities.
- Students will be able to describe the processes for food preparation.
Time Needed
At least four class periods:
- Introduction to the time period in which Olive Ruby Henty lived, including a story from the children's cookbook from 1912.
- Introduction to the USDA food pyramid and the rainbow approach to fruits and vegetables
- Collection/discussion of favorite family recipes/meals
- Preparation of class meal
Classroom Setup and Materials
- Large paper template of a food pyramid
- PDF of The Mary Frances Cook Book; Or, Adventures Among the Kitchen People, available at http://tinyurl.com/2pkx6w
- Supermarket circulars
- Coloring pages, available at http://www.dole.com
- Cut-up fruits of different colors
- Long straws
- Binders (one per child)
- Kitchen set-up (If there is an available kitchen for use this could be best accomplished, otherwise, some desks with tablecloths and cutting boards, as well as access to a bathroom sink could be used.)
Procedure
- Using the PDF linked above, read a selection of The Mary Frances Cook Book. Explain that this is the type of cookbook that someone their age would use back in Olive's time.
- Explain the food pyramid. Discuss what kinds of foods fit in which boxes. Use the ingredients from a few recipes of The Mary Frances Cook Book and decide where different foods go in the class pyramid. Do the same with supermarket circulars.
- Explain the rainbow approach to fruits and veggies. Color the coloring pages or create a class fruit/veggie rainbow from the circulars. Make rainbow sticks (children put precut watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, honeydew melon, and blueberries onto straws. You may use other fruits such as apples for red and green, mango for orange and banana for yellow or whatever foods are appropriate to your setting.) Talk about washing fruits and hands before preparing.
- Discuss the children's favorite foods. Where do they fit in the pyramid? How are they influenced by nationality? What are they made from? What would happen if they lived in a country without one of the ingredients?
- Have children each bring in a family recipe. Have the children illustrate the recipes. Talk about the nutrition value in them. Where would they fit in the pyramid? Put the recipes into a binder.
- Have the children prepare a meal with elements from the different food groups. Stress food preparation, hand washing, and clean-up.
Follow up
If students are excited about cooking, recommend a modern day kid's cookbook, such as Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual by Klutz.
Sources
Fryer, J. E. (1912). The Mary Frances Cook Book; Or, Adventures Among the Kitchen People. Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Co.
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