A Rainbow of Nutrition with the Paiute Tribe

In July, we had the joy of bringing fresh produce and hands-on nutrition education directly to the Paiute Tribe community center in Las Vegas. By blending our Pick a Better Snack lesson with the Eat a Rainbow Farmers Market, we turned healthy eating into an interactive, colorful adventure for kids.

🫑 Pick a Better Snack: Bell Peppers Take the Spotlight

Normally our Pick a Better Snack program is taught directly in 3rd grade classrooms during the school year. Each visit, our teachers deep dive on a different fruit or vegetable, from how it’s grown and transported to the grocery store, to how it tastes and its health benefits on your body.

For this event, we chose to focus on one of nature’s crunchiest, most vibrant treats: the bell pepper. And here’s a fun fact the kids loved—bell peppers are technically a fruit!

Using all five senses, kids explored green, red, yellow, and orange peppers. They smelled their fresh aroma, touched their glossy skin, and of course, tasted each color (except purple, which is harder to find). Along the way, they discovered why bell peppers are such a smart snack: they’re packed with vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants that help support strong bodies.

🏃 Movement Break: Bringing the Rainbow to Life

Nutrition is just one piece of living a healthy lifestyle — being active is equally important! That’s why every class includes a “Movement Break” to get kids moving, stretching, and having fun.

Since our theme was the rainbow, each child picked a piece of paper that matched their favorite color. Once everyone was in place, the colors came alive with movement! Depending on the color they chose, kids were challenged to do an exercise like frog jumps, arm circles, windmills, and more.

The activity got hearts pumping, bodies moving, and plenty of giggles flowing. By pairing healthy eating with physical activity, we help kids see that true wellness means fueling their bodies with colorful foods and keeping them strong through movement. Together, food and fitness create the foundation for a lifetime of healthy habits.

🌈 Eat a Rainbow Farmers Market

After the lesson, the kids stepped into our mini farmers market, where the focus was on eating the rainbow. Why color? Because every color of fruit and veggie delivers something unique.

• Red foods often provide lycopene, great for heart health.
• Orange & yellow foods bring vitamin A for healthy eyes.
• Green foods are rich in folate and iron for growth and energy.
• Blue & purple foods contain antioxidants that help protect cells.
• White foods add nutrients like potassium and fiber.

By mixing colors on their plates, kids can fuel their bodies with a wide range of nutrients that support growth, immunity, and long-term health.

🛍 A Bag Full of Healthy Fun

To keep the learning going at home, each participant received a reusable bee-themed bag filled with:

• Nutrition info
• Chefs for Kids’ custom Lemon Says player cards that promote daily movement.
• Fun summer nutrition activities

And of course, their bags were brimming with farm-fresh produce. The rainbow lineup included:

• Red 🍅 grape tomatoes
• Orange 🍈 cantaloupe
• Yellow 💛 squash
• Green 🫛 snap peas
• Blue/Purple 🫐 blueberries
• White 🍌 bananas and garlic
• Tasting table 🫑 bell peppers

Building Healthy Habits Together

By combining education with fun, hands-on experiences, we’re helping kids build healthy habits that last a lifetime. With each crunch of a bell pepper and every taste of rainbow-colored produce, children are learning that eating well can be exciting, delicious, and empowering.

Together, we’re making nutrition fun, engaging, and accessible for families across southern Nevada.

You can be part of this mission. Your support helps us bring fresh produce, engaging lessons, and healthy activities to more kids and families across southern Nevada. By making a donation, you’re fueling programs that empower children to eat well, stay active, and grow up healthy and strong. Together, we can continue building brighter, healthier futures — one colorful plate at a time.

👉 Make a gift today and help us build brighter, healthier futures — one colorful plate at a time. Our goal is $6,000 by the holidays, supporting our food insecure student families.