USDA Resources
- USDA Meals for Kids Site Finder Mapping Tool
A resource developed by USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) to help children, parents, and others quickly and easily find summer meal sites near them. The site finder, available for use at no charge, is a web-based application that also works on tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices without the need to download. The mapping tool allows users to enter an address, city, state or zip code to find up to 50 nearby locations, along with their addresses, hours of operation, contact information, and directions:
https://www.fns.usda.gov/meals4kids - USDA ChooseMyPlate
Activity Sheets - Summer Food, Summer Moves Resource Kit and Operator Activity Guide
Hands-on resource kit including activity guide, posters, flyers, placemat recipes, and additional resources
Center for Ecoliteracy https://www.ecoliteracy.org
- Center for Ecoliteracy’s Nourishing Students: Enrichment Activities for Grades K-5 Guide. A learning and enrichment resource that engages students in exploring California-grown fruits and vegetables. Download the guide:
CEL Nourishing Students Enrichment Activities Guide
Lunch at the Library: Linking Early Learning and Nutrition for Young Children Guide
A resource for libraries serving as summer meal sites, as well as those partnering with food banks and community meal sites beyond the library. The guide was made possible through the support of the California Department of Social Services and the Public Health Institute’s Center for Wellness and Nutrition, in conjunction with Lunch at the Library project.
The guide is available for download on the California Library Association website:
https://calchallenge.org/early-learning-and-nutrition/
Nutrition and Healthy Eating Programming Ideas
- Offer cooking demonstrations and classes, particularly kid-friendly food preparation demonstrations and classes focusing on ingredients from the lunch menu.
- Create a seed library and encourage families to use it.
- Create a community garden for families to take part in.
- Invite speakers in for programs to help kids become “sugar savvy” and “rethink their drinks” that teach kids about the amount of sugar in soda and nutritional value of foods and drinks.
- Bring in a “bike juicer” to get kids moving and learn about healthy eating.
- Create quizzes and coloring worksheets focusing on nutrition.
- Ask your local public health department if they have playground stencils that will get kids moving before or after the lunch service.
- Complement your meal program with books that celebrate food and healthy eating and that promote food literacy. Book publisher Readers to Eaters explores what we eat and how we eat while celebrating a multitude of food cultures.