Healthy Snack

"BAGGY BUGS"

(a fun way to eat whole grains and fruits)

1.
Place a graham cracker in a plastic baggy, seal it shut and crush the crackers into a fine sand using a large spoon. Suggestion: Use whole grain oat or spelt flakes, or granola instead of graham crackers. After the "bug hunt," sprinkle the whole grains on yogurt.

2.
Add a few raisins to the bag and have the kids dig for bugs in the sand. Experiment with other tasty critters--dried cranberry "ladybugs," carob chip "ants" and more...be creative!

3.
Definitely use a magnifying glass!

Original recipe: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/kids/feature/famf19snack/famf19snack5.html

Food is Elementary Lesson #2 - Dietary Fats

During the second lesson of the Food is Elementary curriculum, children learned a great deal about dietary fats and how too much fat can stick to the inside of your blood vessels and lead to illnesses. The students were able to grasp this abstract concept by conducting two experiments. First they observed how butter will stick to the inside of a straw, which represented a blood vessel. Next they observed how heavy cream will stick to your fingers while skim milk will not. By utilizing these hands on experiences with different forms of fat, children were able to understand how some fats are more likely to stick to your blood vessels when eaten in large quantities over time, and that some fats are healthier for your body when eaten in moderation.

After conducting these experiments, students took the time to create self-drawn portraits of themselves, illustrating their heart and blood vessels within their bodies. It was also important to emphasize that the way in which a person looks like on the outside does not determine what is happening on the inside of their body. Body size and shape does not dictate how much fat is sticking to a person's blood vessels. Overall health depends upon a person's daily eating and activity habits.

Origami Bunny Tutorial

I don't know about you, but here in Columbus, Ohio we are snowed in, making this a perfect day to work on a low-key craft project with the little ones! While looking for a traditional craft to compliment the Food is Elementary unit on Japan, I came across this origami bunny pattern in the book Folding for Fun: Origami for Ages 4 and Up. It is really simple to make, and produces a great piece of origami. Watch the video tutorial below and start creating your own bunnies:

Useful resources when teaching about healthy eating and the body

When teaching about healthy eating and nutrition an educator will often connect this theme to how it affects the human body. Children are able to gain a better understanding of the importance of eating well when they understand how certain food choices can affect their bodies in positive or negative ways. Within lesson #2 of the Food is Elementary curriculum, we discuss how dietary fats can affect your heart and your circulatory system. Here are some coloring pages that can be used when discussing dietary fat and the circulatory system, as well as the affects food has on other parts of our bodies. To download a copy of these coloring pages go to the following link: http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/science/human-body-coloring-pages/

Healthy Eating - interactive website

Kids today have a strong connection with the internet and do a great deal of learning through on-line websites. Here is an excellent website that teaches kids the importance of healthy eating through interactive games and activities. Chef Solus can lead children through a food pyramid adventure! The website also has links to myfoodpyramid.gov, as well as to a nutrition dictionary, and a meal planner. Check out - http://www.nourishinteractive.com/ !

Fats and Oils - Great books to use with this topic!

Through lesson 2 of the Food is Elementary curriculum students gain a better understanding of how dietary fats affect the human body. Here are three books that can work in conjunction with this theme!

The book Fats, Oils, and Sweets, written by Helen Frost, is based on the old Food Pyramid, but does an excellent job of demonstrating the difference between healthy food choices and unhealthy food choices. (ie. orange juice vs. pop, pretzels vs. potato chips)

The book, Oils, written by Tea Benduhn, is based on the new Food Pyramid and helps to illustrate the importance of oils in your diet to maintain a healthy body, as well as where healthy oils can be found.

The book, The New Food Guide Pyramid Oils, written by Emily K. Green, is also based on the new Food Pyramid, but helps explain the difference between liquid and solid oil choices and how much oil a child should consume each day.

Food is Elementary, Lesson One: Food Pyramid and Hygiene

For our first lesson facilitating Food is Elementary, the children learned about the food pyramid and why foods with larger stripes form the foundation for a healthy diet. The larger stripes on the new revised pyramid that we focused on were the grains, vegetables and fruits. These food groups were highlighted, since studies consistently show they are under served in most children's diets. We did discuss Dairy, Oils and Meats, discussing the healthiest choices from each group. Check out the great website for teaching aids at: http://www.thefeltsource.com/Nutrition.html We used a felt food pyramid with cut out pictures of foods from this site. The children learned about each of the food groups and had a fun activity placing the different foods where they belonged. We also discussed the importance of hand washing, discussing and reading a book on Germs. Much of the lessons have a sensory experience. We used a lavender soap and then had the children rub rose water on their clean hands. They learned how to properly wash and also appreciate clean, sweet smelling hands. All lessons are one hour or less and incorporate a hands-on activity each week. Hundreds of local children experienced this class this week and it is the start of a program that will impact not only our children's lives, but many of the adults too. Thank you to all site supervisors for bringing this dynamic programming into your school.

Delicious Fruit Tart Recipe

Crust

1 cup chopped nuts
1cut dates, chopped
1 cup flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon


Toppings:

ripe bananas, various fruits


Soak dates in hot water, drain. Mix with other crust ingredients, form in ball for large tarts or several small balls for individual tarts. Flatten, press into pan; cover with crushed bananas, and decorate with various sliced fruits.

"The Meaning of Food" PBS

Local Matters is in our second week with our "Food is Elementary" curriculum in local area schools. Our children, parents, teachers, principals and staff have all been helpful with it's success! A sincere Thank you to everyone. We've covered the food pyramid, hand washing and made connections to what we eat as directly effecting our bodies and minds. The children have grasped the material and easily recited the information that they learned to us again this week!
Food is an essential part of all of our lives and our health. Our children are learning this now and many of us don't learn this connection until we are well into adulthood. They are learning and having fun at the same time. The photo is of children taking the "Food is Elementary" class at the CDC Headstart. They are one of several sites including: Ohio Ave. Elementary, Indianola Alternative, Clinton Elementary and Brookside Elementary. A special thanks to all of these schools who took the leadership and initiative to have this curriculum included in their students lives.
Columbus, Ohio is fortunate to have this and many other programs from Local Matters, The Columbus Health Department and Children's Hunger Alliance (to name a few) touch our lives and community.
Click on the title of this post for a great article from PBS titled "Edible Schoolyards." Local Matters will launch a similar program tying our nutrition and food strait from the garden in schools beginning next year!

FOOD ALLERGIES?

As a food educator, I want to be up on the latest news about food sensitivities. This article is a good overview on terminology, testing and treatment.

http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2009/01/15/Arts/Food-Reactions.Might.Not.Be.Allergies-3585869.shtml?reffeature=htmlemailedition

ACGA 30th Annual Conference: Save the Date

Tips to prevent vitamin loss in food

Getting the vitamins you need from your food, rather than supplements, is the best approach. However, the vitamin content of food can be decreased depending on the way the food is handled, stored, and cooked, here are some tips for keeping foods as vitamin-packed as possible! It is best to eat produce fresh, steamed or lightly stir-fried. Shopping more frequently can also cut down on keeping your vegetables too long in your refrigerator, losing vitamins and mineral content. Also, think about how long your produce had to travel to get to the store, then to your plate....

BUY LOCAL! (or regional) This will greatly increase the vitamin content of your foods and offer you the maximum benefits for your body. The www.greenergrocer.com or farmers markets are great resources to provide you with the best produce for your health and your recipes!

Henry the Hand

Handwashing is part of the "Food is Elementary" curriculum. I found some of these cute classroom aids at: http://www.henrythehand.com

Lincoln Park Elementary, "Educational Garden of the Year"

I photographed this young girl leaving the awards ceremony at Lincoln Park Elementary. Their garden got an award for "Educational Garden of the Year." Our own Susan Weber of Local Matters and Farmer Paul Ethridge helped design and maintain the garden.

Japanese Crafts

Researching and creating traditional crafts is an easy and fun way to learn about different cultures. Carp streamers and kokeshi dolls are two crafts I completed to compliment the Japanese unit from the Food is Elementary curriculum. I promise, you will have a great time making them!

Carp Streamers

Hanging koinobori, or carp streamers, is a treasured Japanese tradition. They can be seen flying from poles and rooftops in Japan from April to May 5th, the day celebrated as Children’s Day.

Materials:

- A carp or koi template - these are easy to find on the web
- Construction paper or poster board for the carp’s body
- Colorful yarn or string
- Markers for drawing the eye
- Origami paper, wrapping paper, or magazine paper for the carp’s scales
- Glitter and/or sequins
- Glue or Mod podge
- Crepe paper

Making it:

1. Using your template, trace and cut out your koinobori. Remember to make two, one for the front and one for the back.

2. Draw the carp’s eye. Make them nice and big!

3. Cut out your scales- I used origami paper. Smear some glue or mod podge on the carp’s body, and then lay down your scales. Start about an inch or so behind the eye. After placing gluing down my scales, I mod podged the top of them just to be sure they would stay in place. Glitter or sequins are a nice touch.

4. Add crepe paper streamers for the carp’s tail

5. After your scales and streamers have dried, you can either glue the front and back of your carp together. I punched holes on the top and bottom of my koinobori and tied them together with yarn. I like the effect.

6. Punch one or two holes at the carp’s mouth and use yarn or string to create a way to hang your koiobori.

Kokeshi Dolls

Kokeshi dolls are beautiful, easy to make, and provide a lot of bang for your crafting buck. Kokeshi are very spare in design. They are made from two pieces of wood, one for the body, and one for the head; kokeshi have no arms or legs. In Japan, Kokeshi are made from the wood of cherry and dogwood trees. Their faces and bodies are hand painted. I took a few liberties in the creation of my kokeshi dolls; I used origami and decorative washi papers for the bodies of my dolls, and a black marker for their eyes and noses.

Materials:

- Paint brushes
- Painter’s tape
- Wood glue
- Mod podge
- Decorative papers – origami, washi, etc.
- Hand saw
- Dowel rod for your kokeshi’s body – I used a dowel rod with a 1” diameter and cut it into varying lengths
- Wooden balls for your kokeshi’s head- the heads of kokeshis should be proportionately too large for their bodies

Making it:

1. Using wood glue, glue the kokeshi’s head to its body.

2. Look at the head and determine where you would like the doll’s face to be.

3. Paint the hair. You can draw it on with a pencil and fill it in with paint, or use painter’s tape if you want something really precise. Let the hair dry completely.

4. The paint that I used looked really flat after it had dried, so I coated it with my gloss-luster mod podge.

5. Paint or draw your kokeshi’s face. Their faces are super simple, I recommend finding some images on the internet for guidance and inspiration.

6. After the head/face is completely dry, measure the length and diameter of your doll’s body. Cut a garment from any beautiful piece of paper you have at hand; I happened to have a lot of origami paper, so that’s what I used.

Smoothie Recipes

Smoothies are a great way to offer a healthy snack for the kids (and for you too!) I found a step by step guide to making smoothies, with a variety of recipes. Delicious and Nutritious!

http://kidscooking.about.com/od/howtocook/ss/howtosmoothies.htm

What are Whole Foods?

Is a whole foods diet right for your kids?

Many parents may initially think that it isn't, but that is probably because of common misconceptions about a whole foods diet that have lead them to quickly dismiss the idea.

You should now know what a whole foods diet is -- eating more unprocessed foods. But what isn't it? It isn't about being a vegetarian or eating organic (unless you want it to be), and it doesn't have to be a diet in the sense of that is all you eat.

Instead, when feeding your kids, think about offering more whole foods instead of processed foods.

Need some ideas?

* 100% fruit juice, instead of soda or a fruit drink (although keep in mind that fresh fruit is better than fruit juice)
* skinless chicken breast, instead of chicken nuggets
* baked potato, instead of French fries
* whole wheat bread, instead of white bread
* oatmeal, instead of a sugary breakfast cereal
* cooking with whole wheat flour, instead of white flour
* sandwich with whole wheat bread and slices of leftover chicken or lean meat, instead of processed cold cuts, which can have a lot of added salt
* eating whole wheat pasta
* offering fresh whole fruit as a healthy snack, instead of potato chips, fruit snacks, or candy

In general, just try to choose more fresh whole fruits and vegetables and other unprocessed foods when you prepare your child's meals. If you'd like to learn more, click on the title.

Delicious and Healthy Recipes from the "Food is Elementary" curriculum

This is one of the recipes from the Food is Elementary curriculum that Local Matters is facilitating in local schools. I made the "Three Sisters Casserole" for my family, along with the suggested menu and my son said, "Mom, why are we having a special dinner?" and "Can we have this again next week?" It was simple, delicious, affordable and a hit with everyone. See more recipes by clicking on the title!

2 cups kidney beans
2 cups corn
1 cup pre-cooked butternut squash
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 T. dill

Combine all of the above ingredients in a saucepan. Heat for at least five minutes until thoroughly warm.

Suggested Menu
Three sister's casserole, cornbread, baked yams, walnuts baked with maple syrup, blueberries and blackberries.