Classroom Teacher Integrated

Use a different colored bean bag to represent the different foods. Suggestions: Red=Meats and Poultry; Blue=Milk and Dairy; Green=Vegetables; Orange=Fruits; Yellow=Grains; Purple=Fats & Oils. Write this down on a poster board or gym chalkboard so that the students can easily view it during the game.

Divide the students into groups of three and have them initially stand behind a hula hoop (plate) which is placed around the perimeter of the gym space. Scatter the bean bags (food) in the middle of the gym. The first person on the team has an index card (credit card) which serves as her/his pass so as to make sure only the person with the pass leaves their plate.

When the music begins, the first person on the team runs to the middle, grabs one bean bag (food) and brings it back and puts it in the hula hoop (plate). (S)he then gives the credit card (or pass) to the next person in line and then goes to the end of the line. The next person does the same thing, and this activity continues until all the bean bags (food) are gone out of the middle.

Once all of the bean bags are gone from the middle, the person on the team with the credit card may go to another team's plate (hula hoop) and take one bean bag (food) and bring it back to her/his plate. Or, (s)he make take an unwanted food item (only one) from his plate and drop it in another person's plate. Students must only do one or the other when it's their turn - not both. In other words, if (s)he takes a food from another team's plate, (s)he may not also drop one of her/his unwanted foods on their plate- only one or the other per turn. Note: Students want a well-balanced meal so "unwanted" foods would be too many items from the same food group.

Inform the students to not block or hide bean bags and to place, not throw, the bean bags into the hoops(plates). During the game the teacher walks around and asks teams what type of foods they have on their plate. When the music stops (play this activity for about five minutes), each team will bring their plate to the middle of the gym. Each team separates their bean bags into each food group and discusses a well-balanced meal.