Nutrition: What's Healthy?

Eating better is a BIG priority for me right now. I'm looking at healthy alternatives to all our favorite meals and snacks, preparing new recipes to ensure we eat more balanced meals, and eating a lot more organic (and a lot less processed) foods.

I expected a lot of resistance from my family.

When my son wondered why his sugary cereal was replaced with a healthier organic one, I showed him the grades each got on the Fooducate app by scanning the bar codes with my smartphone. It was like a lightbulb went off and suddenly, our oldest son was a lot more accepting of the alternatives I was presenting.

I wanted to take his understanding further.

We read a wonderful book by Cath Senker, which supports the changes I'm making in our family's diet. It was a great introduction to food groups and explained, in simple terms, how food can help you be healthy or be bad for you, depending on your choices. It also introduced my son to what it means to be a vegetarian and touched briefly on food allergies.

Once we were done with Senker's non-fiction work, I gave my son his own book to complete.

Download this book free here. Print the first two
pages, flip over and run through the printer again
to print the remaining pages. Staple the spine.

I created this book after conducting loads of research with what I believe are credible sources (e.g. WebMD, Livestrong, and Mayo Clinic). Keep in mind, though, I'm not a dietitian.

The book examines fiber, sodium, and sugar. Kids need to figure out how much of each is recommended daily, then complete an activity that tests their newfound knowledge.

I won't lie, some things required additional explanation, but my son's questions told me I'd found a way to pique his curiosity.

"Popcorn has fiber!" he exclaimed.

"Maple syrup is natural sugar?"

"If 575 milligrams is 1/4 teaspoon of sodium, then 1,150 must be 1/2 teaspoon, right?"

Amen! He wasn't just reading the book, there was comprehension.

To test it, though, he grabbed three pre-packaged snacks from the pantry and completed the following worksheet.

His choices were graham crackers, fruit strips, and pretzels. We looked at the labels to find how many grams or milligrams of fiber, sodium, and sugar were present in each.

He referred back to his healthy choices book and filled in the recommended daily amount.

Then we used the percentage calculator at math.com; find it here.

Download a PDF of this worksheet here.

"Whoa, Mom! How could you buy these? They have a LOT of sugar!" he said looking at the fruit strips.

Mission accomplished.

After School Linky Party!

Welcome to the After School Linky!

WHOA! The ideas shared last week were amazing! Here are just a few.

Pirate Day at School - Hook Movie Night at Bunny Bear and Roo
(This is a phenomenal collection of pirate-themed fun. I especially love the pizza boat pirate ships!)

Encouraging Confidence and Creativity in Children at Buggy and Buddy
(Art journaling, sketchbooks, and three great books = awesome advice!)

Fine Motor Skill Flower Beading by The Usual Mayhem at B-Inspired MAMA
(Kids get crafty while improving their fine motor skills. Smart. Sneaky. Stunning.)

Our Summer Adventure List - Fun Activities to do this Summer at KC Edventures
(How cool is this?!? The summer bucket list is chronicled with Post-Its that form the periodic table!)

Free Word Family Game: Uno (short a) at The Measured Mom
(Engaging kids when they're learning to read can be hard. This free game is sure to help!)

Cohosted by

The Educators' Spin On It

Little Wonders' Days

Parent Teach Play

Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

This Reading Mama

We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including Crafts, Activities, Playtime and Adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool or on the weekend! When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours and grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board or Feature on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.

Link up your After School Activities, Crafts and Adventures! We'd love to see them!

Sidewalk Chalk Spelling Hop

I'm not going to lie. I've had good intentions of making an alphabet mat like the ones here and here for QUITE some time. Truth be told, I'm lazy. Not only would I have to sew, paint, or fashion the letters from tape, I'd have to store the thing after its use.

Sidewalk chalk was the answer!

The idea hit me like a lightning bolt while I was at work. That day, I came home, pulled the car in the garage and before I even hit the door to the house, grabbed our sidewalk chalk to make an outdoor alphabet mat on the driveway.

I didn't even change out of my heeled sandals (which I regretted later).

I made a grid six squares across and five squares down. In the first box, I put a big star. Each box following had a letter of the alphabet (in hindsight, I should have written them in lower case). There were three blank boxes left. To those I added a question mark, an apostrophe, and the words "capital letter."

When my son got off the bus and walked up on me finishing up, he was psyched. I explained that it was time to practice spelling. "Outside?" he asked. "Absolutely," I replied.

The rules were simple.

• Start and end every word at the star.
• Get from one letter to the next trying not to step on other letters in the process (which isn't always possible, but kids sure have fun trying).
• If you get stuck, step on the question mark square.
• If the word begins with a capital letter (proper noun, etc.), step on the "capital letter" square before you head to the first letter in the word.
• If you misspell the word, you have to go back to the star and begin again.

This was just as much fun as the last time I got crazy with the sidewalk chalk! (Check out our Driveway Dice Roll game here.)

I knew the activity was a hit when a neighborhood boy came over to play and after I'd explained that the grid was for spelling practice, he said, "I want to try it!" My son and his friend had a bit of a spell off, trying to stump each other. If it weren't for "Wednesday," I think my son would have won!

Deep Sea Division

My son has already learned his multiplication facts better than I had at his age. (Something I am extremely thankful for!) After a fair amount of practice, I thought I'd test his division skills.

When I stumbled onto Swamp Fox First Graders' Don't Get Zapped game, I knew I could adapt the game to practice division problems fairly easily. And when my son asked me to create an activity with plankton, the game proved an easy way to deliver on my promise.

What You Need

A large pack of jumbo craft sticks

Sticker paper

Deep Sea Division problems (ours are division by 1-5 problems)

Large, tall cup or container

Timer

Prep

Download and print a free, 2-page PDF of the Deep Sea Division problems I created. Use sticker paper for printing.

Cut the division problems, peel off the backing, and adhere one to each stick, close to one of the ends.

Put the sticks in the cup, with the ends that have the problems at the bottom.

Play

Set a timer for 3-6 minutes or longer if division is a struggle for any of the players. Take turns removing a stick from the cup. Either answer the problem or do as the stick instructs.

If the player solves the division problem correctly, they keep the stick and begin a pile. The problem sticks have one of four different kinds of food for the whale shark: squid, krill, small fish, and plankton.

There are three kinds of sticks, though, with no problems.

1. HUNGRY SHARK. Put your sticks back.

2. GOOD CATCH! Take another player's stick.

3. DIVE AGAIN! Take an extra turn.

When the timer beeps, the game is over. The player with the most sticks wins.

Want a great book to read about whale sharks, the gentle giants of the ocean? We liked Joanne Randolph's The Whale Shark: Gentle Giant!

After School Linky Party!

Welcome to the After School Linky!

Last week's party had SO many great ideas! Here are some of my favorites.

Science Activity for Kids: Air Race! by The Pleasantest Thing

(This simple experiment teaches kids about air resistance. Plus, there's no prep!!)

Virtual Flat Stanley/Sophia at Crafty Moms Share
(This activity is rich with  educational lessons: reading, writing, art, and geography!)

Create an Outdoor Activity Jar that 'Rocks'! by KC Edventures
(Banish boredom. Get kids outdoors. These rocks do both ... and their beautiful too!)

Static Electricity {Fun Balloon Experiment for Kids} at Kids Activities Blog
(The Quirky Mommas never disappoint. Stop by for loads of ways to observe static.)

Cohosted by

The Educators' Spin On It

Little Wonders' Days

Parent Teach Play

Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

This Reading Mama

We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including Crafts, Activities, Playtime and Adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool or on the weekend! When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours and grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board or Feature on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.

Link up your After School Activities, Crafts and Adventures! We'd love to see them!