Activity 1: Food/Farm Connection

1. Read the book Who Grew My Soup? by Tom Darbyshire.
2. Ask the students to create a list recalling the ingredients in Phin’s soup (carrots, tomatoes, green beans, celery, corn, barley, spinach, peas, onions, potatoes).
3. Cut out and assemble the Fact Wheel. Each student can make their own Fact Wheel, or it can be assembled prior to the lesson (one for each group).
   • Cut around the circle on page 1.
   • Cut around the circle on page 2 and center on top of page 1.
   • Cut around the circle on page 3. Cut on the dashed lines in between each ingredient, stopping at the circle in the center. Center page 3 on top of page 2.
   • Using the sharp point of scissors, make a hole through the center dot of all three pages. Attach the pages together by placing a metal brad through the hole and securing.
4. Divide the class into 10 groups. Assign each group a food from the list. Give the groups enough time to match their food with the picture and information on the fact wheel. Provide a few samples of the ingredients for students to taste or observe while each group shares the facts about their food.
5. Ask the students if they think all of the ingredients in Phin’s soup can be grown in our state? (Your response will depend on your location.) Ask the students if they think they can buy these ingredients locally grown all year long. Discuss what factors would affect the availability of locally grown food.
6. Pass one Food/Farm Connection card to each student. Allow the students to walk around the classroom and find the student who has their matching card. Students should match the food item with its farm source (ex. oatmeal—oats, French fries—potatoes, eggs—chicken, applesauce—apples). Discuss the connections as a class.

Activity 2: Where Does Your Food Come From?

1. Prior to the activity, ask the students to find a food item with a product of origin label at home. (Be prepared with extra food and a computer at school for students who are unable to complete this assignment at home.)
2. Have each student complete the Where Does My Food Come From? activity sheet by using National Geographic’s Mapmaker Interactive to find the distance between their food’s country of origin and the town in which they live. Instructions are found on the activity sheet. This can be completed as a homework assignment or in school depending on computer access.
3. As a class, locate the origin of each child’s food on a world map. Students can label each location on the activity sheet world map. Compare the distances and determine whose food traveled the farthest and shortest distances.
4. Discuss the different ways the food could have traveled to a local grocery store (truck, airplane, train, boat, etc.). What steps need to be taken to ensure that the food doesn't spoil before arriving at the market?
5. What are some possible reasons the food traveled so far? Discuss how the climate of a particular location affects what foods can be grown there.
6. Identify the different careers involved in getting food from the farm to the table (e.g., grower, harvester, truck driver, packagers, processors, warehouse operators, grocers, etc.).

Activity 3: Graphing Activity

1. Bring examples of fruits and vegetables packaged in different ways (fresh, canned, frozen, dried).
2. Give the students a sticky note that they will write their name on. Have students sample the same fruit or vegetable fresh, canned, frozen, and dried.
3. Create a graph by writing fresh, canned, frozen, and dried on the bottom of the board. Explain that some foods may taste better cooked. Just because they don’t like a fresh raw green bean or tomato, does not mean they won’t like it cooked or prepared with other foods. The students will stack their sticky notes above their preference. Discuss the results.
4. Brainstorm reasons why foods are packaged in different ways. Reinforce that foods are seasonal, and discuss how people’s choices are influenced by price. For example, apples are in season in Utah in the fall and during this time they are very inexpensive, so it makes sense for processors to dry them or can them as applesauce to be eaten at other times of the year.