Lesson Five: Shopping Smart Lesson 5 is a unique lesson that has received rave reviews from past classes. In order to equip participants with the knowledge and abilities to cook healthy, affordable food, this lesson focuses on how to shop for healthy groceries on a budget. Goal: Encourage parents to make smart choices when food shopping.

Options for Class 5 Facilitator 1. Cooking Matters at the Store Tour Conduct a guided tour at the store (Preferred option for hands-on learning) 2. Cooking Matters at the Store Mock Tour Simulate a store tour in your classroom In the past, teaching teams have structured the 5th class in one of two ways. The preferred option is to hold class in a local grocery store where the participants would normally shop. We have found that using the stand-alone Cooking Matters at the Store curriculum instead of the instructor guide overview is helpful in this case. Running the lesson as a Cooking Matters at the Store tour allows you to order the curriculum from that program, which is more in-depth and easier to carry around the store than a large participant guide. Physically being in the store for class helps the participants gain the skills they need to supply their households with healthy foods in the actual environment these skills will be used. If your class has transportation limitations, contains participants who may not be able to stand for an hour to an hour and a half, or other constraints, you can set up a mock tour in your normal classroom by bringing in items to simulate each section of the grocery store.

Option 1: Cooking Matters at the Store Grocery Stores You are responsible for contacting the store manager to gain approval for your tour and support for your $10 Challenge The facilitator should consider the benefits and challenges for each option and discuss it with site contacts BEFORE the 6 week course starts and decide which option to use for Lesson 5. It’s important to make this decision before the course starts. Consider asking the grocery store manager, your host site, local churches, or food banks if they would be willing to sponsor the activity through gift cards. Although the $10 Challenge is an optional activity, we highly suggest including it as a part of your tour to allow the participants to put what they’ve learned into practice. When selecting the location of your tour, keep in mind that the goal of this lesson is to talk about shopping healthy on a budget in a realistic context for your participants, so be sure to pick stores that are physically and financially accessible to them, and ones that include a variety of healthy food options.

Option 1: Cooking Matters at the Store Preparing for the tour Cooking Matters at the Store training on Satellite Partner Training and Resource blog All facilitators and instructors should complete training Prepare participants for change in location The course facilitator should review this information and ensure that all instructors are trained as well. The facilitator should be clear when delegating roles for the tour so that each volunteer knows how to prepare. If you have adequate help, consider splitting your group into smaller tour groups of no more than 10 people so that the participants can interact more easily with the tour facilitator. Just be sure enough volunteers are trained as tour leaders if you decide to split your class. Try to schedule your tour at the same time your class would normally be to avoid schedule conflicts for your participants, and be sure to remind the participants that Lesson 5 will take place at a different location than normal. If transportation will be a barrier for some of your participants to attend the tour, consider exploring options for group transportation. Discussing bus routes to the site or even securing transportation like church buses might be necessary for some groups.

Option 1: Cooking Matters at the Store Leading the Tour Use CMATS facilitator and participant guides $10 Challenge We suggest visiting the grocery store your tour will be held at before the day of your tour to scope out the store layout. The facilitator should decide the order the various store sections will be covered and create a flow chart to keep tour leaders on track. Although you are seeking store approval for your tour 3 weeks in advance, it is also recommended to contact the grocery store manager again a week before your tour, and a third time on the day of the tour before all the participants arrive. The tour leaders should then begin the tour through each of the store’s section using the facilitator guides’ facilitated dialogue. Give the participants about 30 minutes to complete the $10 Challenge.

Option 1: Cooking Matters at the Store The $10 Challenge Optional activity with defined guidelines that must be followed For guidance on how to facilitate the $10 Challenge, please see the Satellite Partner Training and Resource Blog. Participants are not required to complete the challenge, but if they will be using the class gift cards to take the challenge there are certain guidelines they must follow. We have created a “Facilitator’s Guide to the $10 Challenge” that is helpful to print and bring to the tour. Consider providing one for each tour leader so they can help the participants select healthy and affordable items. One item must be selected from each food group, which means participants have about $2 for each item. Some participants might need more help than others, so consider delegating one tour leader to stay at the front of the store to check participants out, while others walk through the aisles to help shoppers. Because this activity is to simulate shopping on a defined budget, participants are not allowed to go over $10 or use their own money to cover additional charges.

Option 2: Mock Tour Collect mock tour materials Allow adequate prep time Use facilitator for reference Collect actual products, packages, or labels Set up and conduct tour Aim for realistic grocery store sections Use facilitator and participant guides Modify $10 Challenge If you would like to implement the Cooking Matters at the Store curriculum, but you decide as a team that going to an actually grocery store is not a good option for your participants, consider setting up a mock grocery store in your classroom to hold your tour there. Deciding to run a mock tour in advance also gives the facilitator time to pick out specific examples of products the tour material will cover. For example, as the facilitator looks at the facilitator flipbook for Cooking Matters at the Store tours, they will see that there is a section on No Salt Added canned goods. Collecting an example or two of canned green beans with and without salt added from food banks or donors you partner with will save you from scrambling to source dozens of items the week of your mock tour. You can also use empty packages or nutrition labels for this tour if you don’t have access to the actual products, but keep in mind that actual samples of these products or labels are going to strengthen your tour by helping participants practice with the actual foods they might encounter in a store. Instead of implementing the traditional, in-store $10 challenge, consider making Lesson 5’s take-home groceries worth $10 of foods with one item from each food group that would satisfy the challenge, so participant see how far their money can stretch. Don’t forget that choosing a mock grocery store tour in your classroom will still include cooking together, so be sure to select a recipe and prepare for the culinary section of this class as well.

Debrief Facilitator What went well? What could be improved? What activity will you use for class 6? Regardless of how you structure this class, don’t forget to spend a few extra minuets as a teaching team debriefing and planning for the upcoming graduation at your next class. The facilitator should lead the group in deciding which activities to include in Lesson 6 based on what supplies are available and the specific participants. Deciding this activity now will allow everyone to have time to prepare for the grand finale next week!