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Food and Nutrition
What is it all about?
If you enjoy cooking or just like good food, this project could be for you. You will have fun learning the basics of cooking and then advance to gourmet meals. This project focuses not only on food and cooking, but also nutrition and using MyPlate to guide eating and meal preparation and planning.
Microwave | Cooking | Baking | Breads
Grow in Your Project
Beginner
- Learn how MyPlate can help guide your eating choices
- Understand how to keep your food safe
- Know basic kitchen safety
- Learn measuring basics
- Understand how to follow a recipe
- Develop basic cooking “how to” skills
- Use your skills to make simple recipes
Intermediate
- Learn the science behind food safety
- Learn fire safety in the kitchen
- Develop knife skills
- Learn different mixing techniques
- Identify different cooking techniques
- Understand nutrition labels
- Use your knowledge of food groups to create different recipes
Advanced
- Know the conditions that bacteria need to grow
- Explore outdoor cooking
- Plan a party
- Learn about cooking with a slow cooker
- Experiment with kneading
- Learn troubleshooting techniques when experiencing unexpected results
- Cook with spices and herbs
- Prepare celebration meals
Member Resources
4-H Cooking Curriculum
4 levels (grades 3-12)
Foods Curriculum
4 levels (grades 3-12)
Food For Thought STEM Challenge Kit
1 kit, 3 activities (grades 3-8)
Let’s Bake Quick Breads Curriculum
1 level (grades 3-12)
Global Gourmet Curriculum
1 level (grades 3-12)
Kitchen Boss Curriculum
1 level (grades 9 and higher)
Free Downloads
Science Fun with Dairy Foods Curriculum
1 level (grades 3-12)
Science Fun with Kitchen Chemistry Curriculum
1 level (grades 3-12)
Project Leader Resources
4-H Cooking Helper’s Guide
4 levels (grades 3-12)
Foods Curriculum Helper’s Guide
4 levels (grades 3-12)
Free Downloads
- Discover 4-H Curriculum (includes a Kitchen Science activity)
Take Your Project Further!
- Track eating habits and physical activity in a journal. Review entries and set a goal that will help make a small improvement in how youth eat or exercise
- Experiment with different recipes, modify recipes to reduce the fat, sugar or sodium content
- Visit several grocery stores and compare the cost of similar foods
- Learn how to make a weekly meal plan and grocery list
- Volunteer at a food pantry, research recipes to share based on high volume foods
- Bake with elderly at a care center or with children at a daycare
- Volunteer to prepare a family meal each week
- Organize a food drive in your community
Applying Project Skills to Life
Enhance Your Communication Skills
- Design a poster about kitchen safety
- Teach friends how to make healthy snacks
- Tell your family about the importance of eating a variety of foods from all the food groups
Get Involved in Citizenship and Service
- Volunteer to cook a meal at a community food kitchen, low income housing site, or for a local family in need
- Create an exhibit featuring a nutrition topic for a health fair or community event
- Cook foods from diverse cultures to develop a better understanding and appreciation for cultures different than your own
Learn about Leadership
- Organize an “Iron Chef” competition featuring activities, cooking lessons and exhibits
- Plan and help prepare a healthy snack for a community club meeting
- Plan and cater a countywide 4-H event or fundraiser
Showing What You’ve Learned
- Make something using the skills you have learned
- Bake something to show how to modify a recipe to make it healthier
- Plan a weekly menu using MyPlate
- A display of the different food groups
- A poster on common food bacteria
- A display of food safety practices
- A video of proper knife cuts
- A portfolio of favorite recipes and their nutritional value
- Create weekly budget for a menu you developed
- A photos display of a special meal you made for your family
- A display on foods from other cultures
- A display comparing sports drinks and water
- A poster showing results of a food taste test you did using generic vs. name brand products
Adapted with permission from Wyoming State 4-H, Project Information Sheet, Food and Nutrition. Retrieved from: https://www.uwyo.edu/4-h/projects/healthy-living/foods-nutrition.html.
Header image courtesy of National 4-H.
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