Crave My F.A.V. - Choosy Activity

Track 2

Crave My F.A.V.

About This Song

This song encourages children to choose healthy fruits and vegetables as their favorite foods and reinforces that when they do, their bodies become stronger and healthier.

Instructional Themes

Nutrition
Cause-effect
Body part identification
Gross motor skills

Vocabulary

Bones

Jump

Crave

Legs

Fruits

Muscles

Heart

Vegetables

Music Moves Me

Moving to music stimulates the brain, raises heart rates, and challenges body parts. This activity encourages children to move and learn with Choosy by choosing healthy fruits and vegetables to build strong bodies through physical activity.

Materials

Move and Learn with Choosy Music CD or DVD

Activity

Use the music CD to play the song "Crave My F.A.V." and participate with the children emphasizing the movements and vocabulary in the song.
Use the music CD to play the song "Crave My F.A.V." and vary the lyrics and movements by asking children to suggest other body parts and movements.
Use the DVD to play or project the "Crave My F.A.V." music video of Choosy to support vocabulary building, inspire creativity, bolster self-confidence, and reinforce the connection to Choosy as a friend, hero, and influencer.

Tunes Teach

Preschool children aren't self-conscious about their ability to sing. They like to sing songs about familiar things like toys, animals, play activities, people, and movements they're asked to make.

Rhyme Time Story Time

This activity transforms song lyrics into an early literacy resource. The conversation stretchers explore cause and effect, what it means to "crave" a healthy food, and the positive health consequences of eating fruits and vegetables.

Materials

Rhyme Time Story Time Card for "Crave My F.A.V."

Activity

Show children the front of the Rhyme Time Story Time Card for "Crave My F.A.V." Draw attention to the image of Choosy on the card, the market, other items in the picture, or the title of the song.
First reading: Read the lyrics on the back of the card to children as you would any storybook, nursery rhyme, or poem. Try not to engage in discussion during this first reading. Allow the children to immerse themselves into the theme and the story the lyrics are telling.
Second and third readings: Read the "story" again on the back of the card. Emphasize key themes and concepts such as the benefits of healthy eating and physical activity, ways to build strong muscles, bones and teeth, making healthy choices at the local food market, and vocabulary such as healthy, crave, and produce. Consider having children dramatize or demonstrate action words.
Extend children's learning, language development, and thinking skills by asking personalized and predictive questions and then really listening to their answers. These back-and-forth conversation exchanges with the children foster a deeper understanding of the lyrics. Examples of "how," "why," and "what if..." questions can be found on the back of the card next to the lyrics.

Learning With Lyrics

The most effective read-alouds are the ones where young children are actively involved asking and answering questions and making predictions, rather than passively listening.

Super Choosy Adventure Time

This activity introduces children to a variety of fruits and vegetables while increasing physical activity.

SUPER CHOOSY AND THE MISSING F.A.V. • In this adventure of Super Choosy, children will race against the clock to help Super Choosy save the day for their local food market.

Materials

Move and Learn with Choosy Music CD
Choosy cape, towel, or pillowcase (one for each child if possible)
Super Choosy and the Missing F.A.V. (CM2.1)

Super Choosy Adventure Time Chant

Transition to Super Choosy Adventure Time by playing the song "Super Choosy" or by using this chant. Or, have fun creating your own chant! Have one of the children wear the cape and lead the group.

"It's time, it's time,
it's Super Choosy time."
(Repeat often and finish with "Kabam!" and Choosy "C" in the air.)

Activity

Have each of the children wear a Choosy cape, towel, or pillow case. If you do not have enough for each child, choose one child to wear the cape and be the leader of group. Ask the other children to pretend to wear their Choosy cape.
With children seated begin reading the story Super Choosy and the Missing F.A.V. (CM2.1). Pause while reading the story to allow children time to act out the action words, express their thoughts and creativity, and benefit from the physical activity.
Repeat the activity frequently and have fun exploring different fruits and vegetables the children can use to stock the shelves. Invite the children to create different ways they can use their bodies to deliver the produce quickly to the shelves.

Extend The Learning

GUESS THE F.A.V. • This activity uses sight, taste, smell, and touch to extend children’s awareness of fruits and vegetables.

Materials

Pretend or real fruits and vegetables
Paper bag, box, or pillowcase
Yarn

Activity

Using pretend or real fruits and vegetables, show children various ones and discuss how they are alike or different. Examples could be color, shape, texture, and taste.
Now place the fruits and vegetables in a bag, box, or pillowcase and explain to the children they are going to play "Guess the F.A.V."
Without the children seeing, choose one item from the bag, box, or pillowcase. Offer them clues to help them guess the item you have selected. For example, you might say, "This is a fruit. The outside is red, but it could also be yellow or green. The inside is white and it has a core with seeds in the middle. It grows in a tree, and you should rinse it off before you eat it. Guess the F.A.V." If using real fruits and vegetables, have the children smell and then taste the apple.
Next, ask children to guess the F.A.V. based on how it feels. Place a pretend or real fruit or vegetable inside a bag, box, or pillowcase. Without looking, have each child describe what the item feels like. Ask them questions to help them describe the item such as:
- What shape does it feel like?
- Is it smooth?
- Is it soft or hard?
Extend the activity and invite children to use yarn to draw fruits or vegetables on the floor.

Tip

Early learning can be enhanced when activities are introduced that use multiple sensory inputs for information processing. This improves executive function skills and comprehension.

SIMPLIFY

Place the fruits and vegetables around the room but in sight from the discussion area. Play "Guess the F.A.V." by challenging children to point to a fruit or vegetable they find with their eyes. Describe or discuss each one as it is discovered.

CHALLENGE

Instead of using yarn, have children make the shapes of the discussed fruits or vegetables with their bodies.

Extend The Learning

F.A.V. SALAD • This activity encourages fine motor skill development, color recognition, and food identification.

Materials

Food photo cards, pictures of food, or pretend/real fruits and vegetables
Pipe cleaners
Parachute or towel

Activity

Using food photo cards, pictures of food, or pretend/real fruits and vegetables, show children various fruits and vegetables and discuss with them which ones are their favorites and why.
Then give each child several pipe cleaners and ask them to make a model of their favorite fruit or vegetable.
Ask the children to share their F.A.V. with the group. Lead a discussion about the different types of fruits and vegetables represented.
Evenly spread out the children and invite them to hold the edge of the parachute or towel (the pretend salad bowl).
Have the children throw their fruit or vegetable into the salad bowl.
Now toss the salad by shaking arms up, down, and sideways.

Tip

Encourage creativity and develop fine motor control by molding pipe cleaners or short pieces of yarn dipped in wax into images for shapes, numbers, letters, food, nature, animals, and even Choosy!

SIMPLIFY

Instead of using a parachute or towel, children make a circle and then toss their pipe cleaner creations into the center. Staying in one place, encourage them to show how they could move their bodies to toss the salad.

CHALLENGE

While holding the parachute or towel, children walk in a circle moving their arms up and down. Reverse the direction.

Engaging Families

KNOW IT AND SHOW IT • This activity provides children the opportunity to reflect on the healthy habits, concepts, and vocabulary learned from the activities in the “Crave My F.A.V.” song module.

Activity

To promote shared thinking and conversation, ask personalized questions to help children recall and explore further their thoughts, feelings, and actions such as:
- Let’s try to remember all of the activities we did together. Which game or activity would you like to do at home with family members and why?
- What are some words or movements from this song that you can “show and tell” at home?
- What do you think is Choosy’s favorite fruit and vegetable? Why? Which fruit and vegetable will you tell family members is your favorite and why?
- What do you think Choosy wanted you to learn about fruits and vegetables that you didn’t know before?
- Why do you think Choosy says that F.A.V.’s are very healthy for your teeth too?

Healthy Habits At Home

Children benefit the most when the significant adults in their lives agree to collaborate on behalf of their well-being.

CHOOSY'S CHAIN OF HEALTHY HABITS™ • This activity encourages family participation and their contribution in Choosy’s Chain of Healthy Habits™ by celebrating healthy choices at home.

Materials

My Choosy Family handout (CM2.2)

Activity

Send a copy of the My Choosy Family handout home with each child. Encourage families to try the activities at home with their child in order to reinforce classroom learning experiences.
At the bottom of the handout is a place for families to document a healthy choice that someone in the family made at home or outside of the home. Encourage them to complete the bottom section and send it back with their child to help build Choosy’s Chain of Healthy Habits™ as described in the Move and Learn with Choosy Quick Guide.

Staff Wellness

For many of us, it’s really difficult to find the time to nurture our bodies. When you lead children through the active learning experiences in the “Crave My F.A.V.” song module, you have many opportunities for personal health benefits. By simply participating in the activities, you can support your personal health and well-being while remaining the play partner children admire and want to model.

GET HEALTHY WHILE YOU TEACH™

Music Moves Me—Participate in the movement video “Crave My F.A.V.” When you make the letter “F” exaggerate the movement and really feel the stretch. Then reverse the “F” to feel it on the other side. When you make the “V” stretch up as high as you can. When you stretch and bend you are releasing much needed oxygen to your muscles and bones which can quickly turn into a burst of much needed energy.
Super Choosy Adventure Time—Lead your children in this Super Choosy adventure and reap the positive health benefits from the wide variety of movements. When you deliver the imaginary crates of fruits and vegetables to the shelves, exaggerate the movements to make the most of this energizing, heart healthy adventure!
F.A.V. Salad—Participate in the “F.A.V. Salad” activity with your children and get your heart pumping! Physical activity paired with good nutrition can help build a very happy heart. So treat yourself to a healthy salad at your next lunchtime meal and include antioxidant rich foods like strawberries and blueberries to help reduce inflammation at the same time.

See It In Me

When fruits and vegetables are offered at school, centers, and programs, preschool children need to see the significant adults in their lives eating the fruits and vegetables with them.

BE A CHAMPION

Play the song “Children Need Champions” during your personal morning routines (while getting dressed, eating breakfast, driving to work) to remind yourself of the importance of your role in nurturing healthy children. Use the goal planner to set and achieve realistic health goals to nurture yourself.

ADD A LINK

Remember, you can add a link to Choosy’s Chain of Healthy Habits™ every time you make a healthy choice. So help keep that chain growing!

My SMART Goal Planner

Specific

Exactly what do I want to achieve?

Measurable

How can I measure my progress for achievement?

Action-Based

What steps do I need to take to meet my goal?

Realistic

Small, achievable steps

Time-Based

Include duration, dates, and deadlines for each goal

Physical Activity Goal Statement: My SMART goal is

Action Steps: To accomplish my SMART goal, I will

Nutrition Goal Statement: My SMART goal is

Action Steps: To accomplish my SMART goal, I will

Stress Reduction Goal Statement: My SMART goal is

Action Steps: To accomplish my SMART goal, I will

About This Song

Instructional Themes

Vocabulary

Music Moves Me

Materials

Activity

Rhyme Time Story Time

Materials

Activity

Super Choosy Adventure Time

Materials

Activity

Extend The Learning

Materials

Activity

Extend The Learning

Materials

Activity

Engaging Families

Activity

Materials

Activity

Staff Wellness

My SMART Goal Planner

Material Content