What do animals eat? What do humans eat? Are animal diets and human diets similar, different, or both?
Watch the recorded program, then check out the related activities below from the National Zoo, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Asian Art, and the National Museum of Natural History!
Food
Red ruffed lemur, California sea lion
I/T: C 1 & 3, PMP 4 & 11; Pre: SCI 2, PMP 1 & 5
National Museum of African American History and Culture; National Museum of American History; National Museum of Asian Art; National Museum of Natural History
Resources and Activities
Check out fun and easy classroom activities to help teachers, families, and children further explore the topic of food with other Smithsonian museums!
Learn about Food with NMAAHC Kids
Food has the power to express cultural values, tell stories about history and bring people together. What's a special dish your family makes? How does food bring people together in your community? Discover Chef Leah Chase and start a food conversation with your early learners!
| Resource Description: | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Lesson Plan, Activity, Recommended Reads |
| ELOF Standards: | IT-ATL 7, IT-C 13, IT-PMP 11, P-ATL 11, P-PMP 5 |
| Project Time: | 10+ |
| Best for Ages: | 2+ |
Mochi Making with the National Museum of Asian Art
Celebrations are a time to share tasty meals with family and friends. Do you have a favorite sweet treat for the holidays? Join the National Museum of Asian Art to discover one of Japan’s special treats for the New Year celebration. Look closely and explore a work of art to discover this special treat and how it is made.
| Resource Description: | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Video |
| ELOF Standards: | IT-ATL 7, IT-C 13, IT-PMP 11, P-ATL 11, P-PMP 5 |
| Length: | 5:02 |
| Best for Ages: | 2+ |
Feed the Animals!
Let's have a real teddy bear picnic! Gather your stuffed animals and make them a meal, just like the Zoo keepers in the commissary. Use the downloadable template to create a Zoo Commissary Cookbook, with simple actions to engage even our youngest friends. Watch Pinky try it out at the National Zoo!
| Lesson Plan Description: | |
| Type: | Dramatic Play, Customizable Templates |
| ELOF Standards: | Infant/Toddler ATL 9; LC 1, 10, 11, 12; C 12 13; PMP 6, 7; 8, 11; Preschool ATL 8, 10, 13; PMP 3, 5 |
| Project Time: | 10+ |
| Best for Ages: | 1+ |
Pick Your Plate
Help your students explore nutrition and healthy eating with this fun lesson. Talk about different kinds of food and then create your own favorite meal with the "Pick Your Plate" activity, based on MyPlate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
| PDF Resource Description: | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Lesson Plan, Activity, Recommended Reads |
| ELOF Standards: | IT-PMP 11, Goal P-PMP 5 |
| Project Time: | 10+ minutes |
| Best for Ages: | 3+ |
Pick Your Plate E-Course
Let's learn more about how we choose the foods we like to eat with a very famous foodie: Chef Julia Child! This resource provides content for young learners that covers:
- How Julia Child learned to cook and made fancy food accessible to everyone
- How people use gardens to grow their own food today and in the past
- Extension activities to help young children learn more about food and cooking!
| Resource Description: | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Lesson Plan, Activities, Recommended Reads |
| ELOF Standards: | IT-PMP 11, Goal P-PMP 5 |
| Project Time: | 10+ minutes |
| Best for Ages: | 3+ |
Take a Tour of the Zoo Grocery Store
Have you ever wondered where the Zoo keeps the food for its animals? It's called the commissary, and it's a large grocery store just for Zoo animals! First, join keeper Antar and Pinky Jackalope as they chat about what food the animals eat. Follow along in this video as they prepare a special birthday meal for Zahra, the gorilla. Then, create your own gorilla birthday cake using the downloadable lesson below!
| Video Description: | |
| Type: | Video |
| Length: | 7:28 |
| Lesson Plan Description: | |
| Type: | Activity, Arts and Crafts |
| ELOF Standards: | P-ATL 10, P-ATL 11, P-ATL 12, P-SCI 1, P-SCI 2, P-PMP 4, P-PMP 5 |
| Project Time: | 10+ |
| Best for Ages: | 2+ |
Explore More Programs
Caring About Conservation
What is conservation? Why is it important? Caring About Conservation explores the meaning of "conservation," some of the animals Smithsonian scientists are trying to save, and what we can all do to protect wildlife.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3, K-2-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS2-1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 3-5-ETS1-2
conservation, sustainability, animals, wildlife, science
Free
Healthy Teeth
Why do animals need teeth? How do they use their teeth? And how do they keep them healthy just like we do?
Teeth
Elephants, Sloth Bears
National Museum of Natural History
Wild Medicine
What happens to a seal who has a toothache? How does an orangutan get a checkup? Wild Medicine invites students to Join our team of veterinarians and other animal health professionals to explore how animals go to the doctor, just like us!
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, 3-LS1-1, 4-LS1-1
Health, animal care, veterinary medicine
Patterns, cause and effect, systems and system models, structure and function
Free
Explore the Rainforest
Fly, leap and swim along on an adventure through the Amazon Rainforest to explore the sights and sounds of plants and animals living in this unique ecosystem.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3, 2-LS2-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS2-1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 4-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1
Amazon, rainforest, biodiversity, rainforest layers, animals
Patterns, cause and effect, scale proportion and quantity, and systems and system models
Free
Colorful Creatures
What animals are colorful and why?
Color
Supports Head Start ELOF Goals P-SCI-1; P-SCI-2; P-SCI-3
Saving Endangered Species
What does it mean when an animal is endangered and what can we do to help? Meet one of the National Zoo’s most endangered species and learn how staff care for these special animals.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-3, 5-ESS3-1
endangered species, conservation
Free
Discovering Amphibians
Join us as we celebrate Amphibian Week. Learn about amphibians, get an up-close look of some of them and chat with an amphibian expert.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1
amphibians, adaptations, habitats, life cycles
Free
Let's Celebrate!
Help us celebrate Head Start's 60th birthday by throwing a party with different Zoo animals!
Celebrations
Supports Head Start ELOF Goals
Exploring Neighborhood Birds
Birds are everywhere! Learn about some of our neighborhood birds and the techniques used to study them from a migratory bird scientist.
2-8
Supports NGSS 2-PS1-2, 2-LS2-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1, MS-LS1-4, MS-LS1-5, MS-LS2-A
birds, migration, observation, tracking, bird banding
Patterns, Cause and Effect, Interdependence of science, engineering, and technology
Free