Here are some Easter ideas from FamilyFun Magazine and MCT. After dyeing and decorating your Easter eggs, turn them into sweet-faced critters. Just peel off the shells to begin.
Fun Easter Ideas
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Tag Archives: food
Snacks & Crafts for St. Patrick’s Day from FamilyFun
Over the veggie rainbow from FamilyFun/MCT This St. Patrick’s Day snack provides a golden opportunity to eat fresh vegetables.To make it, fill as small bowl with dip (we used guacamole).Slice four long strips of bell peppers in various colors and arrange them as shown. Cut two small cauliflower clouds, skewer each with a tooth-pick, then position one on each side of the peppers. Place sliced carrot coins beside the bowl for the leprechaun’s pot of gold.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these fun activities from FamilyFun and MCT. To print the leprechaun beard template, click here
Thanksgiving Word Search
Looking for an activity for the kids (or adults) to do while waiting to eat on Thanksgiving? Here is a word search I created with words that relate to Thanksgiving. Print as many copies as you like. Enjoy your holiday and remember to count your blessings!
Click on the link below to download the puzzle:
http://legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/Thanksgiving%20word%20searchr.pdf
Food for thought
Jeff Tiedeman, Herald food editor and my colleague, recently spoke to a group of students in Manvel, N.D. about growing vegetables and gardening. He was joined by Steve Sagaser, a Grand Forks County extension agent who specializes in horticulture.
Manvel, N. D. students
L-R: Steve Sagaser, a Grand Forks County extension agent who specializes in horticulture is pictured with Herald Food Editor Jeff Tiedeman.
Here is the link to Chef Jeff’s column in Wednesday’s paper http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/201562/
NEWSPAPER ACTIVITIES
1. Even comic strip characters have to eat. Clip any food-related comic strips from the newspaper, discuss the role food plays in the comic’s story, and then design a bulletin board to display the comic strips by theme. Extend this activity by using the grocery ads to plan a special dinner for your favorite comic strip character.
2. Pick any fruit or vegetable from newspaper grocery ads and find out where it comes from. Trace its origins on a map or globe.
3. Arrange a field trip to a nearby farm. Before you go, prepare a list of questions you’d like to ask the farmer about his work. After your visit, write a feature story describing how the farm operates.
4. Many people think packaging should be kept to a minimum so that excess waste isn’t created. As an example, individual bags of potato chips packed in a plastic-wrapped box use material that wouldn’t be necessary in a single bag of potato chips. Look through your newspaper’s food advertisements for examples of efficient and inefficient packaging. Pick one package that you consider inefficient and redesign it.
5. A product’s packaging sometimes influences us. From newspaper ads, select pictures of several packaged foods and discuss with your class whether the packaging for these products is appealing.
Activities are from KRP’s Food for Thought NIE tab distributed by the NIE Institute.
FYI … most of the food advertisements appear in the Sunday edition of the Grand Forks Herald.
Fun activity to do with the kids
Here is a fun activity you can do with the kids. The information comes from the Relish for Kids website and is related to Relish magazine which is published on the first Wednesday of every month in the Grand Forks Herald.Â
When it comes to cookies, kids love action—mixing, rolling, cutting out and, particularly, decorating. And the more glitter and colored icing the better—because, of course, there’s more mess . . . naturally. When it comes to cookies, you need to let go of your inner clean freak and just let it rip. You can clean it up all in one fell swoop. Here’s a recipe that kids love to make. Whether they’re four or fourteen, they can all share part of the action. Visit www.relishforkids.com for more cooking with kids ideas.
Sugar Cookies
These are “durable†sugar cookies that stand up to the rigors of decorating, packing and transporting.
Cookies:
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 cups all-purpose flour
Buttercream Frosting:
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
3 to 5 tablespoons milk, depending on consistency desired
Food coloring
Sanding sugars
1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees F.
2. Place butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium-high speed 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and extracts, until combined. Add flour, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes or freeze for later use.
3. Roll one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Using a 4 1/2- to 6-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack; cool. Repeat with remaining portion of dough. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
5. To prepare frosting, combine shortening and butter in a mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla. Add powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, alternating with 1 tablespoon milk until you achieve desired consistency. Add food coloring 1 drop at a time until desired tint is reached. When cookies are cooled, spread or pipe frosting on tops and decorate with sanding sugars. Freeze extra frosting for later use. Store cookies between layers of wax paper in an air-tight container.Â
You can find disposable and reusable plastic pastry bags to use for piping icing on cookies at most supermarkets.
5 ways for kids to beat summer weight gain
I found this article from MCT’s Kid News. The health information was provided by KidsHealth.org from the health experts of Nemours.
Graphic by Tasha Fabela-Jonas/MCT
5 ways for kids to beat summer weight gain
When we think summer, most of us think outdoor fun. So it seems like we should naturally lose weight over the summer — not gain it.
In reality, though, summer isn’t all beach volleyball and water sports. Lots of summer activities can work against our efforts to stay at a healthy weight (campfire s’mores and backyard barbecues, anyone?). The good news is it’s easy to avoid problems if we know what to look out for.
Here are 5 ways to keep trim:
1. Get going with goals. When we don’t have a plan, it’s easy to spend summer moving from couch to computer, with regular stops at the fridge. Avoid this by aiming for a specific goal, like volunteering, mastering a new skill or working at a job. Just be sure to plan for some downtime so you can relax a little.
2. Stick to a schedule. With school out, we lose our daily routines. It’s easy to sleep late, watch too much TV and snack more than usual. Make sure your summer days have some structure — like getting up at the same time each day and eating meals at set times. Plan activities for specific times, like exercising before breakfast, for example. If you have time on your hands, offer to make dinner a couple of nights a week so your family can enjoy a sit-down meal together.
3. Stay busy. When we’re bored, it’s easy to fall into a trap of doing nothing and then feeling low on energy. Filling your days with stuff to do can give you a sense of accomplishment. Limit your screen time — including IM and video games — to no more than two hours a day (write it in that schedule you put together).
4. Beat the heat. Don’t let summer heat put your exercise plans on hold. Move your workout indoors. If a gym isn’t your scene, try bowling or an indoor climbing wall. If you love being outdoors, try joining a local pool or move a regular run or soccer game to early morning or evening.
5. Think about what (and how) you eat. Summer means picnics and barbecues — activities that revolve around an unlimited spread of food. Pace yourself. Don’t overload your plate. Avoid going back for seconds and thirds. Choose fresh fruit instead of high-sugar, high-fat desserts. Make catching up with family and friends your focus, not the food. Another good tip for summer eating is to limit frozen treats like ice cream to no more than once a week.
— Nemours/KidsHealth.org
More Fitness from Head to Toe
Information and activities are from the "Fitness Head To Toe" tab from the NIE Institute.
Your Mouth Your mouth gets a lot of exercise every day. When you eat breakfast, chomp gum, and talk on the phone, you give the old jaw muscles a good workout. Maybe that’s why the strongest muscle in a human’s body is the one that connects the jawbone to the skull. Besides showing off its muscles, though, the mouth plays a more important role in fitness and health. It’s the front door for a lot of fitness factors. Open it for an apple and you’re ahead of the game.
Water World
Water might seem dull, but it can really float your fitness boat. Not only is water used to digest food and carry waste out of the body, you also need water to help your cells function and to keep you at a comfortable temperature. If you get stuck on an island, you can live for many days without food, but you won’t last long without water.
In fact, it’s difficult to make it through the day without water. If you don’t drink enough water (six to eight glasses a day), your body will start pulling water from your body’s cells and even from your blood. The lack of water, or dehydration, that results can cause headaches, heart problems, and heartburn. Makes you kind of thirsty, doesn’t it? The next time you’re tempted to open your mouth for food that’s less than healthy, take a big old drink of water instead. Drink it bottled, on ice, or from a water fountain. Fit more water into your life!
Bite into Water
Besides being vital for bodily functions, water can also make you feel full. People who are worried about overeating can eat less by choosing foods that have a high water content. Here are good “wet food” choices:
1. Yogurt
2. Low-fat milk
3. Tuna (canned in water)
4. Ham (extra lean)
5. Soft pretzel
6. Three-bean chili 7. Chicken chow mein
8. Salsa
9. Fat-free mayonnaise
10. Ketchup and mustard
11. Frozen fudge bar
Not Enough Input
Putting too much junk food in your mouth is unhealthy, but it’s also unhealthy to not eat anything. People who become so concerned about their weight that they stop eating have an eating disorder called anorexia. Those who throw up what they eat suffer from bulimia. These disorders can cause serious health and appearance problems and should be treated by a doctor.
ACTIVITIES In small groups, make two posters. On one, draw a wide-open mouth and fill it with newspaper words or pictures of things that should go in your mouth. On the other, draw a closed mouth and around it, attach words and pictures of unhealthy things.
More Food for Thought – Nutrients
Information and activities are from the "Food For Thought’ tab from the NIE Institute.
NUTRITION ESSENTIALS
Food supplies the body with nutrients, the substances we must have to stay healthy. Although a person may live for several weeks without food, body processes will eventually break down and stop without nourishment. There are six major groups of nutrients.
1. Water
The body uses water in many ways.Water is needed to carry other nutrients to the tissues and to transform food into energy and building material. Water also carries away waste and cools the body. SOURCES: Drinking water, beverages.Water is also present in food.
2. Carbohydrates
Sugars and starches are carbohydrates. They supply energy that enables the body to do its work. You could not run, play soccer, study, or even watch television without energy to fuel your body’s actions. SOURCES: Most foods. Milk contains lactose, one type of sugar; another sugar, fructose, is found in many fruits and vegetables. Bread, beans,grains, pasta, peas, and potatoes contain starches.
3. Fats
Fats are a form of very concentrated energy. They are made up of glycerol (a kind of alcohol) and fatty acids. SOURCES: Plant oils, fish, olives, peanuts, dairy foods, and meat.
4. Proteins
Proteins have several jobs. They supply energy and building material for muscles, skin, and hair. Proteins called enzymes are present in every cell of the body and speed up chemical reactions. Proteins also fight diseases and act as chemical messengers. SOURCES: Complete proteins are found in eggs, fish, lean meat,milk,and cheese.Cereal grains, vegetables, peas, and nuts also contain protein.
5. Minerals
Maintaining body structures and fluids is the job of minerals. They are also necessary for growth. Some minerals help form bones and teeth; others help make hemoglobin (an oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells) and help enzymes function properly. SOURCES: Many foods. Milk contains calcium, cereals and meat contain phosphorus, meat contains iron, and green, leafy vegetables contain magnesium.
6. Vitamins
Vitamins regulate the chemical processes that convert food into energy and body tissue.
Vitamin A promotes healthy skin and bone development.
Vitamin B1 helps change starches and sugars into energy.
Vitamin B2 helps the body use food.
Vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, and biotin function in various chemical reactions.
Vitamin B12 and folic acid help form red blood cells and promote a healthy nervous system.
Niacin enables cells to use carbohydrates.
Vitamin C helps maintain supportive tissue in the body.
Vitamin D helps the body use calcium.
Vitamin E helps maintain cell membranes.
Vitamin K promotes proper blood clotting.
SOURCES: Many foods. Vitamin A is found in milk and green and yellow vegetables, niacin in lean meat and nuts, Vitamin C in fruits and potatoes, and Vitamin E in vegetable oil and whole-grain cereal.
ACTIVITIES
1. How nutritious is your favorite snack food? Labels can tell you a lot about what’s in a food — and what isn’t. Check the label of your favorite food or, if it doesn’t have a label, do some research to find out how many nutrients it contains. Is that amount of nutrients significant?
2. Cut out pictures of foods that represent each of the groups of nutrients: water, carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Make a collage that includes all of these groups.
3. Plan a “Healthy Eating” week at your school to increase awareness of good nutrition. Talk to the head of your school cafeteria to find out how meals are planned and write an article based on your findings.
Food For Thought
Information and activities are from the "Food For Thought’ tab from the NIE Institute.
WHAT’S FOR DINNER?
Nearly everything you eat comes from either a plant or an animal.
Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains all come from plants. Meat, fish, eggs, and dairy foods are all animal products. Most of these foods come from farms.
Some of the food you eat may be locally raised, but much of it comes from faraway places. Some foods that you eat regularly, such as bananas, even come from other countries.
Plants take chemicals out of the soil and air to make their own food. The substances they contain, including sugars, starches, and minerals, nourish us when we eat them. When we eat animal products, we are getting these same nutrients indirectly, because animals eat
plants, too.
Many different parts of a plant can be eaten. During an ordinary dinner, you might eat leaves, stems, roots, bulbs, flowers, fruits, and seeds! If you don’t believe it, think about those leaves you had for dinner the other night (lettuce). In your salad, you might also have enjoyed some delicious stems (celery), roots (carrots), and bulbs (onions). If your meal included broccoli or cauliflower, you were actually eating flowers.
Grains such as wheat, corn, and rice are the seeds of grass plants. We eat grain in many forms. Wheat is usually ground into flour, which is used for baked goods. Corn may be eaten whole or ground. We usually eat rice whole, either with or without its brown husk.
Meat is the flesh of an animal. The meat we usually eat is muscle, although other parts, such as the liver, are sometimes eaten as well. Cattle (beef and veal), pigs (pork), chickens, and turkeys are the most common food animals in the United States. We also eat fish and other types of seafood. Other animal products include eggs, dairy foods, and gelatin.
A Fruit by Any Other Name …
When is a fruit not a fruit? “Fruit” actually describes the part of a plant that contains the seeds. By that definition, tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplants are fruits.We usually call them vegetables, however, and use the word “fruit” only for sweet-tasting plants. A vegetable is an edible plant part other than the fruit.
1. Look through your newspaper’s classified ads and circle all jobs related to food. These positions could include restaurant worker, nutritionist, caterer, and more. Which aspect of the food business is each job related to? Do any of them interest you? If so,why?
2. Even comic strip characters have to eat. Clip any food-related comic strips from the newspaper, discuss the role food plays in the comic’s story, and then design a bulletin board to display the comic strips by theme. Extend this activity by using the grocery ads to plan a special dinner for your favorite comic strip character.
3. Pick any fruit or vegetable from newspaper grocery ads and find out where it comes from. Trace its origins on a map or globe.
4. Arrange a field trip to a nearby farm. Before you go, prepare a list of questions you’d like to ask the farmer about his work. After your visit, write a feature story describing how the farm operates.
5. Many people think packaging should be kept to a minimum so that excess waste isn’t created. As an example, individual bags of potato chips packed in a plastic-wrapped box use material that wouldn’t be necessary in a single bag of potato chips. Look through your newspaper’s food advertisements for examples of efficient and inefficient packaging. Pick one package that you consider inefficient and redesign it.
6. A product’s packaging sometimes influences us. From newspaper ads, select pictures of several packaged foods and discuss with your class whether the packaging for these products is appealing.
