What’s in This? Investigating Nutrition Information

Activity Description

Why This Is Helpful

 

Activity Description

Encourage children and teens to make healthful food choices by having them explore the foods they eat and the ways those foods are advertised. By studying the labels on their favorite foods and analyzing their commercials, children and teens can determine which foods are best for them and how food companies successfully get shoppers to buy their products. Once children and teens have a better idea about which of their favorite foods are healthful, they can go on to make advertisements of their own that promote healthful foods for their friends and family.

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Why This Is Helpful

Children and teens are bombarded with a variety of consumer messages on a daily basis. These messages-whether they are commercials on TV, food labels at the store, or jingles on the radio-affect the choices they make about what they buy and how they eat. By actively questioning the foods they eat regularly, children and teens learn to analyze these messages and become more informed consumers. This important media literacy skill is one they will use again and again in and out of school.

This activity was modified from the ReadWriteThink lesson plan "Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt: Researching Nutrition to Advertise for Health."

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