Each month the fifth grade sets one day aside for a health focus. December's theme was nutrition, and we focused on the food groups. Both Mr. Hinesley and I coordinate to plan and lead activities.
First, during Physical Education class, Mr. Hammett introduced the students to the concept of food groups, and then the students played a beanbag game which involved a lot of running (a cardio workout!), but also required students to sort foods into their correct groups. Later, the students learned about whole grains and proteins. Grains are generally seeds from plants in the grass family. To understand what WHOLE grain meant, students dissected a bean seed to discover the three parts of a seed. Although a bean is a legume not a grass (its seeds grow in pods) and is grouped with the proteins, bean seeds are large and thus it is easier to see the the parts of the seed. Whole grain foods, use the whole seed: all three parts (endosperm, bran and germ). White bread and pasta and other foods use refined grains, in which the bran (seed coat) and germ have been removed. The endosperm contains a lot of calories- good for energy, but the bran and the germ are where most of the fiber and nutrients are. Students had a look at some examples of grains, including barley, short and long grain brown rice, millet, rolled oats, quinoa corn etc. In a lesson on proteins students learned that meat, beans, nuts and cheese all are good sources of protein, which provides important nutrients for our body. Protein is good for building muscle and many other parts of your body. Next students had a chance to taste test a variety of whole grains and proteins, including tortilla chips, whole grain bread, granola, greek yogurt, hummus, whole wheat crackers, nuts, edamame, and cheese. They devoured the spread! And yes, kids do eat whole grain bread- the entire loaf was gone by the end. One hit was edamame (green soybeans)- you can get edamame in the frozen food section of any grocery store. It comes in the pod or shelled. Buy the kind in hte pod, steam it and then sprinkle generously with salt. Don't eat the pods, but slide the beans out with your teeth, tasting the saltiness of the pod and the sweetness of the bean. Edamame is a great snack to pack for school too! In the afternoon we focused on fruits and vegetables, with the motto: "Eat the rainbow." This was to emphasize the need to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables because each kind is rich in different nutrients. One way to make sure you eat a variety is to eat several different colors a day. The best part of this activity was a chance to make a pita face (spread cream cheese or hummus on a whole wheat pizza and create a face with different colored veggies.). Yum! You can help reinforce these lessons at home. Check labels with your child to see if products contain whole grains, or substitute half whole wheat flour in recipes that call for regular flour. Also comment on the "rainbow" on your kids' plate at meals. Or ask them how many colors of the rainbow they ate today. Salads are a great way to eat a rainbow.
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AuthorLaura White is a 5th grade teacher at Chesterfield School in Chesterfield, NH. Archives
December 2019
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