2nd Book Club

This week we made Hummus!!! The kids did not enjoy it as much as the guac. last week. I would say about 30% really liked it. We changed our set up a little. I found extra chairs so that we could all sit at the tables. It was easier than last time - but some of the students seemed to be a little chatty this week.

Our new vocabulary words were MSG's, hydrgenated, and legume. We discussed what each word means. It was exciteing to see that the students new what trans fats were - I think they found it interesting what hydrogenated oils do to your body. We talked about how after you eat fast food (or anything that has been hydrogenated) you are hungry shortly after you eat - then you want to eat more. The students found it interesting that this is the plan so the company can make more of a profit if you are hungry shortly after you eat.

Chew on This talked about how Ray Kroc (the man who bought McDonalds from the McDonalds brothers) bought the company and was not the most ethical man. He was interested in getting children hooked on the food so they would continue to buy it the rest of their lives (cradle to grave). There are a lot of comparisons between Kroc and Disney. They both new each other and modeled their business after extreme order, cleanliness, and sameness. Kroc wanted every McDonalds to look, feel and taste the same.

I think the kids are really surprised how large comanys market towards children and do not care about anything but the profit. This is extremely sad that our world has come to a place that does not put a value on our society and helping the greater good, but instead greed has taken over. My hope is that we are in a place that enough people can open their eyes and we will start to make a change. The kids are our hope!!! Next week pumpkin soup!

1st Book Club Meeting

It went pretty well!!! 30 children is a lot in my room. We only have 24 chairs - so we all sat on the floor on towels:-) I talked to the kids about why I was so passionate about food and health. I told them how I had health probems (when I was twenty and was on medication that was not helping but it was giving me liver problems) and I changed all of that by what I was eating and how I was taking care of myself.

We passed out journals, papers, books, and book marks. They got everything together then we went over our new vocab words (organic, pesticides, herbicides, and genetically engineered). We talked about lables on foods how the ingredients are the most important thing to look at on any packaging. We procceded to make guacamole and we had blue corn chips, peach mango salsa, and pinto been salsa. The rule for the students is that they have to try everything. If they would like more they can have seconds!

While the students were eating we started to read the book. I think the kids were quite surprised at the information the book was talking about. Chew On This discusses how the company's market towards kids and that they do not want you to think about the products that you are buying. We read about 25 pages and I asked the students to read to page 30 and they can bring the books back when they are finished. At the end of the club I asked them to write their thoughts about the food and book. On Friday I read the responses and everyone thought the book was interesting and about 1/2 of them liked the guacamole! I think that is a pretty good response for 5th graders (most of them have never had it before). I had some kiddo's bring their book back and they were excited about what they read and couldn't wait until next time! I was talking to one of the girl's mom and she gave me a great suggestion to have the students rate the foods on a 1 - 10 scale. It will give me a better idea about where the kids taste buds are at!

I am still surprised that I had 30 kids - that response is so exciting because there about 80 kids in the 5th grade. I can't wait until next book club. It is every other week and next time we are making hummas!

Chew on This - Book Club

I have started a book club at the school that I am teaching. (K-5 elementary school). Last year I read the book Fast Food Nation - By Eric Schlosser. The book discusses how the fast food industry has changed the way the US eats and how the products are produced, what impact these products have on our body, the workers and our society. Last winter Eric Schlosser was a Franklin and Marshall College to give a lecture. I was so excited to go see him speak. He was great and an hour was not enough time for him. I was lucky enough to get to speak with him and I asked what he thought I could do to help teach children about out food. He told me that he had a children's book called Chew On This!

So my brain started turning and I came up with the idea of having a book club with my 5th grade students. The book club would read Chew On This and we would learn about helathy foods and how they effect your body and we would make a food together each week that they can try. I have a journal for the students - each week they will get a page to add - the page has what food we are having (recipe), new vocabulary words, and their thoughts about the book and the food. My principle said that sounds like a great idea and the PTA helped me to get the books for the students.

I sent info home to all the 5th grade parents to see how maky kids would be intersted in the club. I thought I might have 5 - 10 kiddo's bring the papers back. To my great surpise I have 30 Kids in my book club!!!

good books to read

I have been reading a very interesting book about the chemicals that are in our every day lives. The book is called The Hundred-Year Lie - How to protect yourself from the chemicals that are destroying your health -by Randall Fitzgerald. It is hard to get through because it is depressing but about 2/3 's of the way through it starts to discuss what you can do to protect yourself. It will make you look at the world differently and help you to make educated descisions about the products you come in contact with.