H-E-B is one of the biggest grocery stores in Texas and their employees gave our preschoolers a wonderful tour on their field trip!
I never thought that a field trip to a grocery store could be so exciting, but I had a great time when Tyler’s class went to H-E-B (our local grocery store). This is the store that’s closer to his school, so not the one we typically visit. I wasn’t sure what they would do, but the store employees involved the kids throughout the entire trip, and they all had a blast.
We met the class at the store, and the students were all given a name tag that said they were an “honorary partner” for H-E-B.
Originally Published On: March 27, 2018
Last Updated On: April 13, 2020
Trying New Foods at H-E-B
Produce
We started on the produce side of the building, where our guides showed us a bunch of the different fruits and vegetables they have. They asked the kids what their favorites were and explained how good they are for our bodies. All of the kids got a bag of sliced apples to eat while we were talking. They even gave some to a few of the younger siblings who were there.
We discussed the food that is local to the area, as well as the more exotic fruits and vegetables. One of the employees grabbed a brown bag and let all the kids reach inside and feel the fruit there to try to guess what it was. Only one of the teachers knew (I was stumped). They pulled out a dragonfruit to show the students, and they were all amazed!
Bakery
After the produce section, we moved on to the bakery. Of course, for most of the students, this was their favorite area because they were all given a cookie!! Here, the employees told us about the difference in the sugars in the fruit and the cookies. The fruit has natural sugars while the cookies have added sugar. Then we all had to run in place to get some exercise and work off the sugar they just ate in the cookies!
Seafood
As we went over to the seafood section, the guy working behind the counter brought out a bowl with a few live crawfish (it is crawfish season here in Texas) for the kids to look at. They didn’t get to eat anything here, I’m sure for allergy reasons, but the kids did all get to touch a live crawfish!
We spent a reasonable amount of time in the seafood section because they all wanted to touch the crawfish multiple times.
Deli
From there, we walked over to the deli. When our guides asked what we could get in that area, all of the kids focused on those pizzas in the refrigerator rather than all of the meat and cheese. Once they started passing out a bit of cheese for all of the kids to eat, then they realized that there was more than just pizza here!
They also had a few huge cheese wheels that they let the kids touch. They were all amazed that it was a giant piece of cheese!
Dairy
The last food section we stopped at was the dairy aisle where the importance of calcium was discussed. All the kids were showing off their muscles to the employees; then they got to try some of the chocolate milk. Tyler was concerned because the last time he had chocolate milk, he didn’t like it. I told him to try again, and he really liked this milk. Of course, almost all of the children enjoyed it so were asking their parents to get that one next time we go shopping!
Dental Health
The last stop on the tour was in the non-food section. Since they had eaten and drank so many different things, all of the kids were given a flosser to clean their teeth while the employees talked about the importance of dental health and personal hygiene.
The Favorite Part of our Field Trip to H-E-B
H-E-Buddy Points
When we first got to the store, Tyler saw a few of the arcade-style games and begged me to play. I said no because we had to meet the class and I didn’t have any cash on me. Well, his wish came true at the end of the tour. H-E-B has “buddy bucks” that the kids can get from the cashiers when they check out if their parents say they were behaving at the store. All of the students got one and were able to use it on the H-E-B point game at the end.
The points are printed out on stickers, and the kids can build them up to turn in at the end of every quarter for prizes!
Picnic Lunch
After the trip to the store, we all met at a local playground for a picnic lunch and to let the kids burn off some energy. I packed Tyler’s lunch in his handy Yumbox Lunchbox, and we ate together outside. It was a beautiful day, and the kids all had a blast!
About H-E-B
I hadn’t even heard of H-E-B stores until we moved to Texas, but it’s been here since 1905! H-E-B is a privately held supermarket chain that’s based in San Antonio, Texas. There are more than 300 stores in Texas and a few in Northern Mexico. The store is called H-E-B for the initials of Howard E. Butt who, in 1919, took over the store that his mother originally opened. H-E-B really came to light for me when Hurricane Harvey hit because of all the relief efforts they fronted. H-E-B donated more than $1 million in disaster relief in the form of free meals, food bank donations, and financial commitments.
When we moved to Texas, I never knew it was possible to miss a grocery store, but I do miss having Publix stores nearby. So when Harvey hit the Houston area, and I saw Publix sending truckloads of food and supplies in, I loved the store even more. But then, just a few weeks later, Irma hit my home state (and hometown) of Florida, and H-E-B returned the favor back to Publix by sending any extra supplies and food they could manage.
- http://food.blog.austin360.com/2017/08/30/texans-always-love-h-e-b-but-especially-after-hurricane-harvey/
- https://www.ajc.com/news/national/heb-help-competitor-publix-during-hurricane-irma-recovery/mipAenbpJdLkzjCryiOWbK/
OMG a grocery store field trip?!?!?! WHY DID I NOT HAVE THIS WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. However back then, I didn’t care about grocery stores, except for the bakery section LOL… But now, now grocery stores are pretty much my FAVORITE PLACES TO HANG OUT. I could legit spend, ohhhhh3 hours at a time in one! LOL!
That’s a good idea! I didn’t try this when I was young. It’s a good thing that at their young age they are once introduced to the different section of the grocery store.
Oh what!! grocery store with school field trip wow that is so fun and knowledgeable for the kids
Loved this idea and really very educational too. I means thats the practical life after growing up 😛
How wonderful that the school took the kids to a grocery store to teach them about food and different things. Looks like your son had a wonderful time.
What a cool experience!! I just adore HEB, and this is another great reason why.
Oh how fun…it looks like he had a blast. This is definitely a fun field trip destination.
What a great idea! I’ve never seen this before. My daughter is 2, I hope they have something like this for her when she starts school. Looks like everyone had a great time and learned a lot
That sounds so informative for the kids. I think my picky eater son needs a field trip like that!! xo
This is such a great field trip! Never would have thought of this, but really educational. Wish my school did this as a kid!
Wow both of those stores are excellent to support if they helped each other in that tremendous way. I also love the fact that the kids were able to get an on hand experience it’s so amazing for them to see, taste and feel things.
That’s a really unique idea for a field trip! I would have probably loved it as a kid haha. Also as a former retail employee I would have loved having kids field trip to our store! It would have been so fun 😀
My daughter took a similar field trip when she was in Kindergarten to the State Brothers out here. She had such a lot of fun learning about things and trying new things. Looks like you had a fun field trip.
Wow! It’s a great way to let the kids learn about these things even at their young age.
That is so cool! I’ve never heard of taking a field trip to a grocery store but after reading about your local HEB I think it was fitting. It sounds like they are an icon for the community and we need more businesses like that!
Field trips are the best, a huge learning opportunity and so much fun. I am so happy for the kids they did it.
That sounds like a fun and educational trip for the little ones.
It’s fun and exciting to teach kids about all different foods from an early age. Looks like a fun day trip!
What a fun and different field trip for children and very educational and practical too.
When our kids were in primary, they all took field trips to the local super market, and they got to “experience” all of the different jobs in the super market – a place where they go all the time. It was a really interesting experience – this one of experiencing different foods must be great for picky eaters.
This is such a good idea to teach kids about nutrition and the things they are eating. I wish they did this as a norm in the UK x
That certainly is different for a school trip. I can see how it would be fun and educational trying different foods.
What a great idea for a preschooler trip! Such a great way of educating them about food which is vital from a young age.
Looks like he has such fun shopping at H-E-B especially with all the choices there and the H-E points. My son loves to go shopping with me as well and enjoys helping to pick the fruits and veg.
We do something different here in our state (to a different store since we don’t have this one). My kids all loved it.
This is such a great idea. I wish I was a child again.
What a fun idea. Years ago I ran a girl scout troop of younger girls, and we did a grocery store tour. Lots of fun!
What a fun idea! Something different for the children to experience.
A trip to H-E-B sounds so fun for kids! I bet they had loads of fun with the samples!
I absolutely love this. It is such a great idea because the kids will get to learn more about food and what is good for them.
Oooh we don’t have H.E.B in the UK but this looks like a great place for kids to learn about food, finance, produce etc! What a fun day out
Laura x