The Knights of the Nutritional Table

Target Audience: ​Children ages 9-11 (females)

Objective: ​The audience will be able to explain the basic bodily roles of each macronutrient in
addition to listing examples of good sources of each macronutrient.

Time Allotted: ​30-40 minutes (30 minutes planned, 40 minutes possible if extra time is given to
learning activities)

Pre Assessment: ​Question the audience about what nutrients are in foods, guiding them toward
mentioning carbohydrates, fats, and protein.

Content and Sequence:

1. Carbohydrates (10 minutes)

a. Distribute and have each audience member pop bubble wrap, encouraging them to twist
it, stomp on it, and otherwise exert themselves.
b. Distribute apple wedges.
c. While audience members are eating, explain how carbohydrates are represented by the
popping of the bubble wrap and how they function in the body.
i. Explain to audience that carbohydrates are what allowed them to produce the
energy needed to pop the bubble wrap.
ii. Tell audience that carbohydrates are stored in the liver and in muscles.
iii. Emphasize the importance of carbohydrate intake for sports and physical
activities.
d. Present the apple wedges as an example of a carbohydrate rich food, along with other
foods such as grains, starchy vegetables, beans, and other fruits.

2. Fats (10 minutes)

a. Distribute balloons. Have each audience member inflate a balloon without tying it and
then let it go.
b. Distribute cheese sticks.
c. While audience members are eating, elaborate on the basic roles of fats in the body.
i. Explain how fats store energy and substances such as vitamins.
ii. Say that fats also form many structures in the body such as cell membranes.
d. Explain how the balloon represents fats.
i. Elaborate that similarly to how air can’t stay inside a balloon if part of the
structure of the balloon isn’t there to hold it in, the body cannot store certain
 substances and keep cellular content within cells if the fat surrounding or holding
them is missing.
ii. Summarize the explanation with an emphasis on the fact that fats are necessary
for our bodies and are not all bad.
e. Present the cheese sticks as an example of a fat rich food, along with animal fats, plant oils,
and nuts.

3. Proteins (10 minutes)

a. Have the audience members play a game of jenga. Game will be set up beforehand.
b. Distribute peanut butter crackers.
c. While audience member are eating, elaborate on the basic roles of proteins in the body:
i. Explain how proteins cause and speed up many chemical reactions.
ii. Say that proteins make up the body’s muscle mass.
d. Explain how the jenga tower represents protein.
i. Explain that the initial jenga tower represents muscles in a body with adequate
protein intake. The removal of pieces from the tower represents less than ideal
protein intake and the weakening of the tower represents the weakening of
muscles caused by protein deficiency. The eventual collapse of the tower
represents the eventual wasting of the body that can occur with extended and
severe protein deficiency.
​ e. Present the peanut butter in the crackers as an example of a protein rich food, along with
meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, beans, milk, and yogurt.

Learning Activities: ​Popping of bubble wrap, inflation and deflation of balloons, and playing a
game of jenga.

Materials: ​Apple wedges, cheese sticks, peanut butter crackers, bubble wrap, balloons, jenga
set, and infographic.

Evaluation: ​Audience members will be able to answer questions about the basic roles of
macronutrients in the body and list examples of foods that are good sources of each
macronutrient.