Lesson Plans

YMI's educational outreach programs tap into popular culture to create a dynamic learning experience. Browse by subject through our library of free study guides and online resources, to find standards-based lesson plans for your grade level and programs for learners outside the classroom.

Health & Safety

Middle School

Add some extra excitement to the end of the school year with this unique science program inspired by the new film San Andreas, coming to…

Elementary (ages 7-11)

America’s safety legend shows kids how to stay safe with these fun and engaging activities based on Paul Blart’s Safety Smarts, a free online video…

Elementary (3-6)

Introduce your students to the All-American grain — rice! Students learn how rice growing has contributed to American history since colonial times, and how today’s…

Elementary & Middle School

Make Good Skin Knowledge part of your health curriculum with classroom activities from the American Academy of Dermatology. Start with these introductory resources — student…

Elementary (3-5)

Cook up some excitement in your classroom with lessons that help students discover how science plays a part in everyday life. Kitchen Science introduces basic…

Elementary (2-4)

Take your students on a virtual field trip to five dairy farms with Meet the Milkmakers!, a video-based online learning game. Then explore the history…

Elementary (2-4)

Explore how milk and other nutritious foods make their way from local farmers to your students’ homes and school lunches. Students take a virtual tour…

Elementary (2-4)

Find out how farm and city lifestyles connect to help both kids and our planet stay healthy. Students use a Venn diagram to compare Annie’s…

Elementary (1-5)

Let Max help you educate students and parents with this complete head lice awareness tool kit. Includes classroom activities that dispel misconceptions about head lice,…

Elementary (Grade 2)

Good hydration is essential for a healthy lifestyle. Help your second-graders and their parents learn why with this standards-based health education program, available in English…

Elementary (3-6)

Cool Food for Kids™ provides a library of learning resources to enhance the health and nutrition curriculum for grades 3-6, including a Farm to Fork…

Elementary (3-5)

This teaching kit, The Science of Safety, is designed to help you bring The Pillowcase Project into your classroom, with standards-based learning activities that provide…

Middle and High School

Help your students gain perspective on the importance of keeping immunizations up to date and the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Students learn how…

Middle and High School

Designed to help Illinois nurses and health teachers remind students and their parents about the new state requirement that all students in grades 6-12 receive…

Elementary (3-5)

Give your students the tools to keep their families safe from harmful bacteria in food, including a FREE Picnic Park game app that makes food…

Smokey's Wildfire Prevention Detectives

Middle School

Enlist your students in Smokey Bear’s campaign to use fire responsibly and reduce human-caused wildfires with this standards-based curriculum that takes a forensic science approach…

Elementary (1-3)

Help your students and your school start the new year strong with help from the Power Rangers. Classroom activities promote active lifestyles and healthy eating…

See What Could Be

Middle & High School

Alert students to the importance of healthy vision for academic and athletic performance, and to the need for regular eye exams, with this interactive health…

See What Could Be

Middle & High School (Canada)

Help your students learn the importance of comprehensive eye exams and healthy vision habits. Includes activities on vision correction and eye safety, take-home information for…

Libraries & Community Centers

Hunger touches every community in the U.S., affecting nearly 49 million Americans — including more than 17 million children. Help mobilize your community to fight…

Middle School

Take a stand against bullying at your school with help from the award-winning film BULLY, coming to Blu-Ray and DVD on February 12, 2013. Designed…

Elementary (3-5)

Teach your students how easy it is to “Make Half Your Grains Whole Grains” with this new interactive whiteboard activity, a non-branded resource that helps…

High School

Introduce your students to the history of the world’s favorite treat, and learn how sustainable growing practices have transformed cocoa farming around the globe. Includes…

Know the Odds

Middle & High School

Raise awareness about the risks of underage gambling and the warning signs of gambling addiction with this health education program from the National Center for…

Elementary (2-4)

Send your students on a learning mission that can lead to a lifetime of good nutrition as they discover the role of dairy foods in…

Stop the Texts Stop the Wrecks

High School

Enlist your students in this nationwide campaign to alert teen drivers to the dangers of texting behind the wheel. Students conduct in-class experiments to learn…

Growing with Grains

Elementary (3-6)

Teach your students about the benefits of incorporating grains into their meals while reinforcing language arts skills. Students learn how the nutrients from grains give…

Get It Going with GOYA

Elementary (4-5)

Let the GOYA team of soccer-playing beans introduce your students to the USDA MyPlate dietary guidelines with this nutrition program produced in collaboration with the…

Be a Decide to Drive Detective

Elementary (5-6)

Enlist your students in this nationwide campaign to reduce distracted driving with activities that empower them to guard against on-road distractions in their own families….

Smart Steps to Oral Health

Elementary (1-5)

Reinforce the basics of dental care — brushing, flossing, and rinsing — with these activities from the oral health experts at Johnson & Johnson. Includes…

Drink Milk for a Change

High School

Reintroduce high school teens to the importance of drinking milk every day with these programs for health teachers and school nurses. Students learn how the…

Elementary (2-4)

Make eating right and staying active part of your students’ daily routine with these two teaching kits from the Looney Tunes gang. Bugs and his…

Be a Store Explorer

Elementary (K-5)

Turn a visit to the supermarket into a quest for good health with this field trip guide and teaching kit. Includes a 12-page activity book…

Elementary (3-5)

Teach students the steps for proper wound care with hands-on activities from the experts at Johnson & Johnson. Students learn how the skin repairs itself,…

Firehouse Dog

Summer Programs (ages 6-10)

Teach youngsters the basics of outdoor fire safety with this summer activity kit inspired by the film Firehouse Dog. Kids also get a chance to…

Be a Germ Stopper

Elementary (1-2)

Get ready for cold-and-flu season with lessons that teach students how to prevent the spread of germs. Includes English and Spanish activity sheets and take-home…

Middle School

Help your students navigate the challenges of adolescence with confidence. Separate activity sets for girls and boys explain the transformations taking place in their bodies,…

Elementary (4-5)

Teach the basics of bike safety with a pro, Ryan Nyquist, whose BMX exploits have earned him multiple gold medals. Students learn the importance of…

Elementary (2-4)

Teach your students the essentials of fire safety with help from First Alert’s Fire Danger Ranger. Students practice how to react in a fire emergency,…

Smart Cookies Don't Burn

Elementary (1-5)

Teach your students the science behind sun safety with hands-on experiments exploring solar energy and reflected light. Includes separate activity sets for younger and older…