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
National Museum of African American History and Culture; National Museum of American History; National Museum of Asian Art; National Museum of Natural History
IT-C 1; IT-C 3, IT-PMP 4; IT-PMP 11; P-SCI 2; P-PMP 1; P-PMP 5
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
Three Cheers for Trees ›
In this field trip, children will learn about tree characteristics and their role in the natural and man-made world.
Trees
Two-toed sloth, Red-rumped agouti
Suited for Survival ›
Suited for Survival, special Halloween edition, explores animal adaptations from prehensile-tailed porcupines to super soft chinchillas. Students will learn how unique adaptations help animals survive.
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
mammals, survival, adaptations, animal traits, animal behavior
patterns, structure and function
Free
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
What Makes a Habitat a Home? ›
From deserts to rainforests, what makes a habitat a suitable animal home? What Makes a Habitat a Home explores habitats around the world and some of the animals that live in these habitats.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, 3-LS4-3
habitat, animals, survival, four basic needs, adaptations
cause and effect, systems and functions
Free
Community Helpers ›
In this field trip, children will learn about community helpers, who they are, and how they help take care of a community.
Community
Beaver, Meerkat, Western lowland gorilla
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
Cause and effect, systems and system models, structure and function, and stability and change
Free
Valen-TINY Mammals ›
What makes an animal a mammal? Valen-TINY mammals gives students an up-close look at mammal traits from some cute and tiny zoo animals.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, 1-LS1-2, 1-LS3-1, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1, 5-PS3-1, 5-PS3-1
Mammals, animal groups, adaptations
Patterns, cause and effect, energy and matter
Free
Music and Sound All Around ›
In this field trip, children will learn about the importance of music and sound for both people and animals. What sounds do animals make and why? What objects can make sounds, and how can you play them to create music?
Music and Sound
Siamang, Kunekune pig, Gorilla
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
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
Big, Small, Let's Measure Them All ›
In this field trip, children will practice identifying what is big, medium, and small. In addition, kids will become familiar with other measurement terms such as longer, shorter, taller, bigger, and smaller.
Size and Measurement
Asian elephant, Black and rufous elephant shrew
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
Happy Birthday! ›
Join us as we celebrate Head Start's birthday and America's 250th birthday!
Birthday
Bald eagle, California sea lion, Eastern screech owl