Monday Funday

We had a great time today, finishing up The Chicken Doesn't Skate and getting all remaining math review taken care of. We also got into the heart of our health unit on Nutrition and Healthy Living, which coincides with Beachy Cove's Sweatathon fundraiser. We had a great time looking at wrappers from our recess and lunch foods, and took plenty of time to ask questions, compare ingredients and figure out how to read the darn things!

One point I tried to make was that not all foods are perfect, and even thought they were amazed to see how much fat, sodium and/or sugar was in foods they enjoy, this doesn't mean they shouldn't enjoy these foods from time to time. The focus of my teaching this unit is to emphasize the importance of understanding the principles and definitions involved in nutrition. By understanding these elements, students will be better equipped to make their own decisions.

I sent home a sheet that outlines the structure of the Sweatathon fundraiser, with a pledge sheet on the other side. As usual, we took a precious few minutes to discuss the why of what we were doing the activity. I think that activities like this get taken for granted, so it was nice to hear students' input on the value of fundraising as well as the value of raising awareness for important issues. It seems as though fundraising or working for a particular cause is a big part of many students' lives.

Here are a few notes for the upcoming week, followed by a links the students enjoy.

• Students' 200+ word summaries for their Book Reports are due on Wednesday. These summaries, as usual, should include some information about how they plan to present.
• Our math test (graphing, pictograms, Venn diagrams etc.) is scheduled for Friday.
• Our "French Money" auction takes place tomorrow.
• Students will begin working on some quick take-home poetry assignments

Students loved this link today; it allows them to compare a variety of fast foods using different criteria.

http://www.foodfacts.info/

As I mentioned previously, it is important to look at these in context. In particular, we looked at % Daily Intake values. This Health Canada site gives lots of good information about Recommended Daily Intake and more.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php