Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Nutrition Pathfinders

This curriculum provides a range of lessons that focus on fundamental concepts about healthy eating and physical activity.

Description

This curriculum provides a range of lessons that focus on fundamental concepts about healthy eating and physical activity. The lessons foster the development of personal responsibility for making healthy diet and lifestyle choices that promote classroom achievement and lifelong good health. Lessons support standards in physical education, English language arts, and mathematics.

What’s Inside

A teacher resource guide and student worksheets as well as a companion website are included. Also provided is a family newsletter in Spanish and English.

Activity Highlight

In Lesson 2 for grade five, students explain the importance of eating balanced meals and drinking adequate fluids every day. They analyze sample meals based on their prior knowledge of food groups and nutrients. Students then plan balanced meals and practice applying the knowledge to other lessons in the series.

  • Key Content Areas: After School, Cafeteria Connections, Integrated subjects, MyPlate, Parent/Family Involvement, and Physical Activity

  • Originator of Resources: Dairy Council of California

  • User of Resource: Teachers and parents

  • Audience: Grades 4–5

  • Languages: English and Spanish

  • Number of lessons: 7 lessons for grade 4 and 7 lessons for grade 5

  • Amount of time per lesson: 40 minutes

  • Format: Hard copy

Resource

To access the curriculum, visit the Dairy Council of California Nutrition Pathfinders 4th Grade Curriculum web page External link opens in new window or tab. or Nutrition Pathfinders 5th Grade Curriculum web page External link opens in new window or tab..

Contacts

For questions regarding this curriculum, visit the Dairy Council of California Contact Us web page External link opens in new window or tab..

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Wednesday, April 09, 2025
Related Content
Trending in Nutrition
Recently Posted in Nutrition
  • Next Steps: 2025–26 FFVP Grant Recipients (added 30-Jul-2025)
    On July 28, 2025, the CDE NSD awarded and posted the FFVP first allocation grant recipients and funding allocations for School Year 2025–26 on the CDE FFVP Funding Results web page. The FFVP first allocation is July 1, 2025–September 30, 2025.
  • Ada Valley Meat Company Recalls Ground Beef (added 30-Jul-2025)
    Ada Valley Meat Company Recalls Ready-To-Eat Ground Beef Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
  • 2025–26 FFVP Grant Recipient Announcement (added 29-Jul-2025)
    On July 28, 2025, the CDE NSD awarded and posted the FFVP first allocation grant recipients and funding allocations for School Year 2025–26 on the CDE FFVP Funding Results web page. The FFVP first allocation is July 1, 2025–September 30, 2025.
  • CEP Application and Mandatory P2 Base Year Review (added 28-Jul-2025)
    Provides guidance to school food authorities on how to apply for the Community Eligibility Provision and on the mandatory review of the Provision 2 base year.
  • Appeal Process for Grants (added 24-Jul-2025)
    This web page provides and overview and timeline for the appeal process for grants in California associated with the Child Nutrition Programs administered by the California Department of Education Nutrition Services Division.