A child's food pyramid, play made practical

by Dennis Craven, Posted Sep 9th 2006 @ 4:02PM

The center of discourse and industrial endorsements, the good old Food Pyramid created by the FDA in 1984 (now re-created), can be used effectively with children. Because kids don't think abstractly until about age 11, a visual guide is often useful to illustrate a point.

The old pyramid had its deficiencies (check Harvard University's approach to old and new) but there is an interactive exercise that I have tried singularly with a 5, 6, and 9 year old. Each had questions about balance in diet, which led to questions and considerations of balance in day-to-day living. I was impressed, being a detractor of the old pyramid and not head over heals with the newest (here's the kid's page). This useful tool can help a child learn how to eat a balanced diet. It's up to you to put the balance in "balance," though.

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Filed Under: Science, Cooking With Kids
Tags: america, children, effective, FDA, food, kid's, kids, new, piaget, pyramid