Science News for Kids
Science News for Kids is for students ages 9 to 13 and their teachers and parents. Unique features of the site include appealing, easy-to-read snapshots of scientific research, an inside track on science fairs, a chance to work with a well-known science fiction author, and opportunities to solve puzzles, do experiments, take part in polls, and ask questions of scientists and reporters. Every week the site posts three new articles that present timely scientific topics in a kid-friendly style. Accompanying one story each week is a list of related resources, including recommended Web sites and books, a Wordfind puzzle, and a "Power Word" glossary to boost scientific vocabulary. Kids are invited to "Talk Back," commenting on and grading the articles, and to ask questions of the featured scientists. Occasional, behind-the-scenes reports give kids a window onto the activities of scientists and science journalists.
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/

 

The Art Zone
From the National Gallery of Art Kids' site, the Art Zone is an interactive online art studio. Hate the mess of paint, scissor, and glue? Try the online collage maker, the Paint Box, the Pixel Maker, and more. The Art Zone will keep your artist busy for hours without the usual mess.
http://www.nga.gov/kids/zone/

 

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7. Article - Teaching Nutrition
By Joy Marie Dunlap

Nutrition was an early focus in our home school. We saved grocery store fliers and cut out the foods to make food pyramid posters, featuring one type of food in each poster (grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, eggs and nuts, and fats and sugars). This was our kids first introduction (in the early grades) to the different food types. We prefer the food pyramid model over other food group models because it is based on grains, and the Bible seems to indicate that grains (or bread) is the "staff of life", meaning it was meant to form the bulk of people's diet- but with the understanding that it was meant to be healthy, whole kernel grains, not the highly refined flours so often eaten today.

Next, we cut out more grocery fliers and made vitamin posters, featuring each vitamin separately, and also some minerals. I used a nutrition book to look these up and told the boys which foods were high in each. I later created word search puzzles for each nutrient. (Let us know if you would like to see that made into a book in our curriculum business.) After that, we made meal posters, where the boys planned balanced meals, with foods from each group, again, cutting out and pasting pictures from grocery store fliers.

Our next project was to save food package label and analyze how many different sugars they contained. We were surprised to find that many products hide how much sugar they contain by using different kinds of sugars, like sucrose, dextrose, fructose, honey, molasses, etc. That way, they can make it look like a box of graham crackers, or muffins, or even a loaf of bread (in some cases, such as raisin-cinnamon bread) does not have sugar as its top or second ingredient, whereas if you added up all the different types of sweeteners, sugar might very well be the first or second ingredient. Sometimes people forget that helping our children become wise shoppers and consumers is part of what "Health" is all about. You might be able to come up with some similar ideas.

Later, I also showed the kids where you can find out the fat content on a package label. Fat content is especially an issue with meats. When I studied nutrition tables, I found out that whole milk, ice-cream, and whole milk cottage cheese contain less fat than most so-called "lean" hamburger. My body was reacting to fats, but cutting back on them made no difference until we cut back on our beef intake. You can teach your kids how to work out the percentage of fat in foods using the nutrition label and discover together which protein sources contain the least amount of fat.

While you are at it, why not teach them about good and bad fats? The biggest offender in the bad fats category is the hydrogenated fats, and oils which have their vitamin E extracted. Animal fats are the also major offenders, as opposed to plant-based fats which are usually among the good fats. Red meats are higher in fat than white meats, and fish oil is a healthy type of oil, as opposed to other meats. Range fed beef tend to be leaner, but most American beef cattle are more force-fed than range fed. Some oils, like olive oil actually reverse your bad cholesterol levels. You need to also watch out for some of the new synthetic fats, like olestra, which is supposed to cut calories, but can also be very damaging to the body, especially the digestive system.

Genetic engineering is another nutrition issue that is fairly new but quite important to study. Genetically Modified foods can cause health problems, but often are not labeled in the grocery store. However, foods that are specifically NOT genetically modified may say so. They are a safer choice. Men are playing around with the genetic codes God created, resulting in grains and vegetables that at first are yield abundant harvests, but actually reduce harvests in a few years.

The worst thing about genetically modified (GM) foods is that they create sterile seed, which can spread to surrounding farms. This could lead eventually to a world food crisis. It also prevents seed-saving, which God created so that even the poor could afford seed for the next year's planting. Pesticides are being bred into plants as well, and all kinds of things are being injected into animals, affecting their meat, eggs, and milk. You can learn more about genetically modified (GM) foods on the internet.

As the kids reach junior high and high school, I have had them learn nutrition in greater depth. I highly recommend "Diet for a Small Planet" by Francis Moore Lappe. While we are not completely vegetarian, we do appreciate the emphasis on less meat than the national average of a pound of meat or more per person per day, and the valuable information on complementary proteins.

Vegetables and grains, especially whole rice, slow-cooked beans, peas, and lentils have quite a bit of protein. But these proteins need to be used in the right combinations to be fully effective. That's because some are short in one amino acid, and others are short in another, and it takes all the amino acids in balance to make usable protein. So, for example, a whole wheat sandwich with peanut butter make the peanut butter and wheat yield more protein than they would separately because the proteins complement each other. What the one lacks, the other one supplies. You want to combine legumes and grains, or grains and dairy for protein complements in meals, or on days when you don't eat meat.

Our high schoolers used our nutrition almanac to make all kinds of charts and graphs comparing proteins, fats, nutrients, and other nutritional issues. They planned our meals for many years, using what they learned from these projects. They have learned about calorie needs for different exercise levels and life stages, and figured that into their planning. They worked out which protein sources are most cost effective, and which foods in other nutrition categories are most cost effective.

They have learned about diabetic exchanges because I am a diabetic. A diabetic exchange is a way to measure servings of carbohydrates (simple or complex, but complex, meaning bound up in fibers, is better). Diabetic exchanges actually make a useful measure of carbohydrates for non-diabetics as well. One exchange is 15 grams of carbohydrates (as found on food labels) or about 85 calories.

One exchange can mean any of the following, as examples: one apple, half an orange, half a banana, a whole cup of blueberries, a half cup of most grains, but only a third of a cup of rice. So one exchange is roughly a light snack. 2 exchanges make a comfortable snack. 4 exchanges make a light meal (preferred amount for diabetics). 5 exchanges make a standard meal for older people and those who exercise lightly or moderately, and 6 to 8 exchanges make a very filling meal (appropriate for non-diabetics and those who have a very active lifestyle.)

The best way to cut back on carbohydrates is simply to cut the dessert habit, or have unsweetened fruit for dessert and snacks. After studying nutrition, our kids switched to whole grains (whole rice, whole wheat flour, course corn meal, and whole unprocessed oats, all much cheaper in bulk than most foods that you buy in the grocery store). Most of the kids dislike, and will not eat white flour or sugar, except raw sugar, black strap molasses, and honey. (Black strap molasses is loaded with minerals, and makes a flavorful low-sugar addition to chopped tart fruits.)

The only restaurant our kids will go to is The Soup Exchange (all you can eat natural foods), where they heap their plates with raw vegetables. They really have educated themselves way beyond what I taught them, myself, in both herbs and nutrition and surpass me in the use of both. They have also switched to herb teas, which they combine for both flavor and medicinal purposes.

© 2004 by Joy Marie Dunlap.

Joy Marie Dunlap is the editor of 4 different family magazines and regularly contributes writing to all four: Family Discipleship Magazine for home-schooling, Bible-focused parents, Roses in God’s Garden magazine for serious Christian girls, Hidden Treasure Magazine for serious Christian boys, and God Is Love magazine for preschoolers, published by LightHome Publications, along with home school curriculum and gentle family music CD’s. You can contact her at LightHome Ministries, 27695 Blue Diamond Lane, Romoland, CA 92585, or e-mail her at joy-marie@lighthome.net or visit the LightHome Ministries web site at www.LightHome.net.

 

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