Healthy and Balanced Eating 

Updated: October 8, 2025 

Authors: Alexis Moore, Julia Snidanko, Hailey Godfroid

We are creating this project to help pre-teens feel more comfortable and confident when making their own food choices. Our team includes Julia Snidanko, Alexis Moore, and Hailey Godfroid. We chose this topic because we all believe that healthy eating is essential for both the body and brain. It’s especially important to educate children as they begin to take more responsibility for their health, so they can build long-lasting positive habits. The goal of this project is to provide clear and engaging information.

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THE PROCESS

Understand (Discover, Interpret, Specify)

DESCRIBE THE CHALLENGE:

As children get older and start to cook for themselves, they need to learn proper nutrition to create a healthy diet with variety 

CONTEXT AND AUDIENCE:

Audience

Pre-teens and older children who are beginning to make their own food choices and learning to cook. In extreme cases, this audience may be extended to older individuals who need support in their foundation of dietary knowledge.

Needs

Pre-teen students partaking in this activity will need to watch the videos and demonstrate their understanding of how to make healthy food choices based on different food groups. For students, captions could be added to ensure accessibility. For students who have visual impairments, the teacher can provide a detailed verbal explanation of the foods being shown. For students with learning challenges, the task can be broken down into smaller sections, making it easier to digest.  

Goals

Our goal of this activity is for students to learn how to make balanced and informed food choices. We want them to consciously choose the healthier option to support their health and well-being. By the end of the lesson, students should be able to identify foods from each food group, understand the importance of healthy eating, and acknowledge how healthy eating makes someone feel. This activity helps students build confidence in making healthy choices at school and after school. 

Motivation  

The motivation for engaging with video content on proper nutrition and balanced eating stems from a desire among older children and pre-teens to become more independent in their food choices. As they begin cooking for themselves, they may feel uncertain about where to start or how to make balanced meals. Educational videos that present nutrition in a fun, accessible way can spark curiosity and make learning about healthy eating more engaging. Children who already have some exposure to nutrition education may be more motivated, as they understand how healthy eating fuels their energy and well-being. For those with less exposure, motivation may start lower, but engaging videos can implicitly boost their interest and encourage healthier eating habits. 

POV STATEMENT:

A preteen who is starting to cook independently needs to learn how to create healthy, balanced meals so that they can confidently make informed decisions on how to fuel their body. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Primary objectives: 

• Older children and preteens will be able to identify what is considered a healthy and nutritional food choice by examining nutrition facts and understanding the benefits certain food groups have.
• The audience will be able to apply this knowledge when planning and preparing their own meals, demonstrating an understanding of variety and balance on their plates 

Secret objectives: 

• Encourage the audience to gain an interest in cooking and eating a balanced diet to promote healthy lifestyles and good eating habits in their future.
• Develop confidence and independence to make informed food decisions on their own. 

Plan (Ideate, Sketch, Elaborate)

The Explainer Video Storyboard – Julia

Opening scene

• Visual: animated character in a home kitchen 
• Character narration: Have you ever wondered how you can create a balanced and healthy meal? Let’s break down what a healthy plate looks like!

Scene 1

• Visual: a close-up of a plate divided, showing a division line of half of your plate 
• Character narration: First, imagine your plate is split in half. Half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables. These give your body vitamins, minerals, and energy to keep you going throughout the day.

Scene 2

• Visual: the plate fills with a variety of fruits and veggies 
• Character narration: They can be fresh, canned or frozen. Some examples of these could be apples, yams, or frozen berries.

Scene 3 

• Visual: the other half of the plate shows a divided line to create two quarters 
• Character narration: Now, let’s look at the other half of your plate. One quarter should be whole-grain foods. Things such as whole-grain pasta, brown rice or quinoa are all examples of whole-grain foods that will provide you with long-lasting energy 

Scene 4

• Visual: Whole-grain food example fills quarter of plate 
• Character narration: The last quarter is for proteins. These help your body grow strong. Some examples of these are fish, lean meats, eggs or nuts. 

Scene 5

• Visual: examples of protein fill the last quarter of the plate 

Scene 6

Character narration: and don’t forget to try to choose water to go with your meals instead of other sugary options. And that’s the recipe for a balanced plate!

Visual: zoom back out onto the character holding a glass of water

Scenario Video Storyboard – Hailey

Scene 1: Derek is packing lunch for school and has to decide what to bring. They decide to bring a bag of chips, a chocolate bar, and a piece of pizza. 

Scene 2: Derek goes to school and eats their lunch in the cafeteria, afterwards feeling sick and unfulfilled. This makes his PE class a lot more challenging throughout the day. They discuss with their friends how they’re feeling, and their friends suggest that tomorrow they pack a more substantial lunch with healthier choices. 

Scene 3: Derek, the next day, chooses to bring an apple, a homemade veggie and deli sandwich, and some fresh-cut veggies and hummus. 

Scene 4: Derek eats his lunch at school and feels much better than the previous day, and is able to function better during his later classes.

How-to Video Storyboard – Alexis

Scene 1 – Wash your hands – Always wash your hands before preparing or eating food. This keeps germs away and your food safe!

Scene 2 – Choose your plate – Pick the right plate size. A medium plate helps you control portion sizes and fit all food groups.

Scene 3 – Add fruit – Fill one quarter of your plate with fruits. They give you vitamins and natural energy!

Scene 4 – Add vegetables – Fill another quarter of your plate with colorful veggies. They’re full of fiber and nutrients! 

Scene 5 – Continued …….

Create and Share the Prototype

The Explainer Video Prototype – Julia

Scenario Video Prototype – Hailey

How-to Video Prototype – Alexis