My Plate
Design a healthy plate using the five food groups.
Food Systems for Thought, and Change
Learn how food gets to your table, and the impact modern food production has on communities and the environment.
About the Activities
Where does the food you eat come from? How does it get to you, and where does it go when you’re done with it? How has food production changed over the years, and how can we make big changes in the world by choosing carefully what we eat? In this series of at-home activities, youth will learn the answers to all of these questions as they explore modern food systems. Along the way, they’ll learn how they fit into the food system and how they can engage in addressing social and environmental issues related to food consumption.
Brought to you by New York State 4-H, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Grades: 7-10
Topic: Food Systems, Civic Engagement
Become a Food Systems Detective
Imagine pulling your favorite bag of chips out of the pantry. How did it make its way to your hands and what will happen when you throw away the empty bag? This interactive activity will show you just how far food products travel before – and after – they reach your plate, what goes into making them, and where what you throw away goes next.
Grades: 7-10
Topic: Food Systems, Civic Engagement
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
Food Systems Scavenger Hunt
The food we eat often comes from all over the country and across the world. In this activity you will go on a scavenger hunt to find out about your community’s food system and its strengths, weaknesses, and resiliency.
Grades: 7-10
Topic: Food Systems, Civic Engagement
Estimated Time: 1 to 2 hours
What Goes In Must Come Out
In this interactive activity, youth will learn that modern food systems require major inputs and produce major negative outputs, and will come to see that modern food systems can be wasteful – and that making informed food choices can eventually contribute to impactful changes.
Grades: 7-10
Topic: Food Systems, Civic Engagement
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
Be a Food Systems Investigator
There are a lot of key players in the production of our food, with different roles, responsibilities, and perspectives. You’ll learn all about them in this activity, and then you’ll start to think about the different career tracks available to you in the food production industry.
Grades: 7-10
Topic: Food Systems, Civic Engagement
Estimated Time: approximately 1 hour 30 minutes
Ask an Elder: What Is Your Childhood Food Story?
What’s for dinner? The answer to that question has changed over the years. In this activity, youth will interview someone who grew up at least 30 years ago to get a sense of how advertising, costs, accessibility, and trends have affected their food choices at different points in their life.
Grades: 6-12
Topic: Food Systems, Civic Engagement
Estimated Time: 1 hour
Kitchen Waste Analysis: Consequences of Food Systems
Get ready to get gross – but not literally. In this activity, youth will sort through a virtual kitchen trash can to learn how to properly sort waste. They’ll also see how proper food disposal, good planning, and a good waste management system can also save money and reduce environmental impact.
Grades: 7-10
Topic: Food Systems, Civic Engagement
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
Choose Your Own Adventure: Become a Food Systems Influencer
There are ripple effects to every action and inaction. In this interactive activity, youth will explore how they participate in food systems, how they can make changes based on their values, and how they can influence others to be more responsible consumers and to promote a more sustainable and just food system.
Grades: 7-10
Topic: Food Systems, Civic Engagement
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
Just Act for Food Justice
In the final activity of this series, youth will apply what they learned about how food is produced and consumed to address social justice related to those systems and processes. Take action toward a more sustainable and just food system by becoming more responsible consumers and involved citizens. They will gain a sense of belonging in the community by making connections with local food and agriculture systems.
Grades: 7-10
Topic: Food Systems, Civic Engagement
Estimated Time: 2-4 hours
Related Activities
If you enjoyed these activities, you can find additional activities on 4-H at Home.
Shop 4-H Curriculum and Products
Shop 4-H offers university-backed curriculum, educational kits, products and supplies to expand your knowledge of cooking, food, and nutrition.
4-H Clover Cookie Cutter
Bring 4-H into your kitchen with this metal 4-H cookie cutter. This cutter makes for an excellent cooking competition or food demonstration prize.
$1.25
4-H Cooking 101
Grades: 6-12
Learn to avoid spreading germs while cooking, measure and mix ingredients, test baked goods for doneness, brown meat, and set the table for a family meal.
$10.50
4-H Clover Apron
All good cooks need an apron when they are whisking around the kitchen! Cook in style while showing your 4-H pride!
$15.95
4-H Oven Mitt
Turn up the heat in the kitchen while showing off your 4-H pride! The 4-H Oven Mitt makes a great gift for the chef in your home.
$7.95
Fresh Chefs Cooking Essentials Bundle
The Fresh Chefs Cooking Essentials Bundle helps young chefs learn their way around the kitchen. Set includes a spatula, measuring cups, and 2 Flex-it cutting boards.
$15.99
Fantastic Foods: Six Easy Bites
Grades: 3-12
This food activity guide helps kids learn about different food ingredients, characteristics, and safety issues.
$8.95
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No endorsement of these supporters' products or services is granted or implied by 4‑H. This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, AFRI - Education and Workforce Development project 2021-67037-33376.9
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