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Exploring new foods with K-Grade 1 students.

What is Food Explorers?

Food Explorers is a 16 lesson food literacy program teachers can use in their kindergarten and grade 1 classrooms that supports students in the development of healthy eating habits throughout their lives. Developed by Registered Dietitians, Food Explorers provides teachers with fun, easy to follow lesson plans that meet BC curriculum standards. Teaching the program in your classroom also provides you with age-appropriate resources to teach food and nutrition in your classroom. Filled with opportunities for experiential learning and tasting opportunities, students have fun exploring a variety of foods both in the classroom, and at home

The big idea? Students come to see themselves as people who enjoy trying new foods and new food experiences. Food Explorers exposes students to a variety of foods using concrete, hands-on experiences focusing on the mysteries of tastes, textures, and colours of food.

Cover of food explorers student materials

About the program.

The Food Explorers program comes with a teacher guide filled with activities and links to home.  A class set of food collector cards and stickers also comes with the program.  

Teachers have two packages to select from when teaching Food Explorers, each providing a guided exploration of 8 different foods.  You can teach the program year after year and  from one of the two packages every time you teach. New food collector cards and stickers can be ordered each year, free of charge.

Learning outcomes.

Food Explorers is designed to fulfil outcomes in the Physical and Health Education curriculum.  In addition, many activities integrate into cross-curricular subject matters such as Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, Arts Education and Applied Design Skills and Technologies. Sign up or login to our online portal to access our curriculum links document which outlines the curricular competencies Food Explorers can help you meet in your classroom

After completing the program it is expected that students will:

  • Identify a wide variety of foods
  • Demonstrate a willingness to try new foods
  • Use goal-setting to continue to try new foods
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of eating a wide variety of foods. 

How to teach the program?

To teach the program and receive the materials, teacher participation in a workshop delivered by a BC Dairy registered dietitian is required. Workshops last 30-60 minutes.  All workshops are free of charge.

About the workshop.

Participation in the workshop will provide teachers with:

  • Information on the Food Explorers program materials and the philosophy behind the program
  • Equip you with strategies to help your students develop positive feelings about food and eating
  • Provide lesson plans and experiential activities for the classroom and to be sent home in order to continue food exploration
  • Links to Canada’s Food Guide and BC Curriculum.

How to take a workshop.

  1. New! Learn at your own pace. Take our 30-minute online workshop at a time and pace that suits your schedule!
  2. In-person workshops are available for Pro-D days, by request only.
  3. Organise a Zoom workshop with your colleagues, by request only. Minimum group size is ten teachers.

Once you have completed one of these workshop options, order your Food Explorers materials through our online portal, free of charge! 

“Your Food Explorers workshop was one of the most valuable Professional Development sessions that I have ever attended and my kids love the program in the classroom each year.”

– Grade 1 Teacher, Vancouver

Re-order your Food Explorers program materials.

Teachers—Create or access your BC Dairy portal account to re-order program materials, access additional resources and apply for Mini Food Grants.

Bring food into the classroom

Mini Food Grants

If you’re teaching Food Explorers in your classroom, you are eligible for an annual Mini Food Grant. Funded by BC dairy farmers, Mini Food Grants are intended to support teachers and help them purchase food for enhancing nutrition education efforts in the classroom. Learn more about how to apply here!

What about Canada’s food guide?

Wondering how to teach Food Explorers in light of Canada’s new food guide?  Check out what we have to say.

Start today

Try our free lesson plans.

Use one of our lesson plans to start teaching food and nutrition in your classroom, today. No workshop required.