Fabulous Fruits

Soft color wash fruits adorn notes of thanks to those who help support healthy eating habits.

• 1.

  What are some of your favorite fruits? Write a list of them with Crayola® Colored Pencils. Research nutrition information about each fruit. Compare the amounts of vitamins A and C, fiber, and other nutritional values with those of your friends' favorite fruits.

• 2.

  Draw large images of these fruits on construction paper. Make some fruit cut open, such as a kiwi with seeds, and others still with their peels on, such as bananas. Outline the edges of your fruit, and feature such as attached leaves, with Crayola Washable Markers. You might use one color for the skin or rind, another for the fruit, and still another for the core, leaves, or stem.

• 3.

  Cover your work area with newspaper. Use a Crayola Paint Brush to gently spread water from the marker outline to the center of the fruit, creating soft washes of color. Dry.

• 4.

  Add dimensional details, such as apple or watermelon seeds, with markers. If you save and dry real seeds from the fruit you eat, you can glue them to the card with Crayola School Glue for an extra touch of texture.

• 5.

  Cut out your fruits with Crayola Scissors. Fold construction paper into card shapes that fit your cut-out fruits. Attach the fruits with Crayola Glue Sticks.

• 6.

  Inside each card, write a thank-you note (or a request "please, could we have...") to a food-service worker at your school. National School Lunch Week in October is the ideal time. Others who might enjoy receiving Fabulous Fruits thank-you notes are fruit

Benefits

• Children identify several fruits, research nutrition information about each of them, and compare and contrast their findings.
• Students design thank-you cards by creating soft color wash images of fruits.
• Students write thank-you notes to food-service workers, farmers, grocers, dieticians, or other individuals who play a role in healthy eating habits.

Adaptations

• Younger students and some children with special needs may benefit from a fruit-tasting experience first. Identify sweet and sour tastes, hard and soft textures, as well as edible and inedible seeds and peelings. Compare and contrast fruit colors, textures
• Try the same color wash technique with vegetables, leaves, planets, or any multicolored object. Experiment with blending colors. Create large, round fruits or make other designs with coffee filters. Try washes on other types of paper, too, such as waterco
• Design a chart to show the food values of all the fruits selected. Expand it to include vegetables and other foods as well. The differences may be surprising! Ask a dietician to explain healthy eating habits to the class.