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 9, 2025
Related Content
Recently Posted in Nutrition
  • FNS 709-5, Rev. 4: Shipment & Receipt of USDA Food (added 01-Oct-2026)
    This management bulletin outlines the updates to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Instruction 709-5, Revision 4: Shipment and Receipt of USDA Foods.
  • 2026–27 FFVP Second Allocation Funding Results (added 30-Sep-2026)
    On September 29, 2026, the CDE NSD awarded and posted the FFVP second allocation grant recipients and funding allocations for School Year 2026–27 on the CDE FFVP Funding Results web page. The FFVP second allocation is October 1, 2026–June 30, 2027.
  • USDA Foods Participation Election for SY 2027–28 (added 29-Sep-2026)
    Beginning October 1, 2026, and through December 15, 2026, SNP sponsors participating in the Food Distribution Program may submit a request to change the way they order and receive USDA Foods for School Year (SY) 2027–28.
  • Updates to Child Nutrition Program Standards (added 29-Sep-2026)
    Two MBs SNP-08-2026, SFSP-02-2026 Updates to School Nutrition Program Standards and SNP-09-2026 Preschool Meal Pattern Requirements have been updated to reflect new federal meal pattern and nutrition standard requirement & flexibility options.
  • Fontanini Foods Recalls Pork Sausage Products (added 29-Sep-2026)
    Fontanini Foods LLC Recalls Raw, Frozen Pork Sausage Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination.

  • SUN Bucks Funds (added 29-Sep-2026)
    SUN Bucks Funding allocations provide eligible local educational agencies (LEA) funds to help support the work associated with Universal Benefits Applications (UBA)/SUN Bucks-compliant applications during the applicable SUN Bucks eligibility period.
  • 2026 SUN Bucks Funds (added 29-Sep-2026)
    The 2026 SUN Bucks Funding allocations provide eligible local educational agencies with funds to help support the work associated with Universal Benefits Applications (UBA)/SUN Bucks-compliant applications during the applicable SUN Bucks eligible.
  • Assembly Bill 1264 Public Input Survey Open (added 28-Sep-2026)
    Survey forwarded from California Department of Public Health for public input on AB 1264.
  • Updates to School Nutrition Program Standards (added 28-Sep-2026)
    MB SNP-08-2026; SFSP-02-2026 Updates to School Nutrition Program Standards for Schools.
  • Star Meat Delivery Recalls Pork, Beef, and Goat (added 24-Sep-2026)
    Star Meat Delivery Inc. Recalls Raw Pork, Beef, and Goat Products Produced Without the Benefit of Inspection.