Food for Thought

We eat to live – and maybe live to eat… and in a way, we are what we eat. The more we know about food, the better choices we can make about eating it – and the more we can appreciate the impact of food. Food can also be a creative pastime and even career. There’s lots of food for thought here.

Connect:

There is a palette of ways to think about food, and this site is a great place to start tasting: http://www.cspinet.org/smartmouth/index1.html

Now that your taste buds have been whetted, try a couple of the following activities.

> How do you know what’s good for your body to eat? Let’s start with a balanced meal: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

> Bone up on good food here: http://www.bestbonesforever.gov/

> What’s in your food? The contents may surprise you. Find out how to read food labels at http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/labels.html.  A fun activity is to cut out the food labels, and read aloud just the ingredients to your family – see how long it takes them to guess what the food is. Marshmallows may never look the same….

> How safe is your food? Check it out at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/educate.html> Where does food come from? Explore food chains at http://www.planetpals.com/foodchain.html

> There’s a science to cooking as you can find out at http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/

> Have you ever heard of bug juice? That’s sometimes what fruit punch is called at camp. But there really is bug food; explore the possibilities at http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/dept/bugfood1.asp

> And now for a little history: http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/nutri/matter/2006-09.asp   history of the hot dog

http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/utensil/index.html   http://inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART/pasta/historypasta.html

Create:

Let’s get creative with food!

> Try your hand at kid-friendly cooking at http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com  and http://www.spatulatta.com/

> Here’s a parent-approved way to play with food: http://www.goldeneggs.com.au/kids_crafty.asp

> Here’s everything you need to know about pumpkins, including how to grow them. A great ay to recycle your Halloween pumpkin is to make it into a pie! http://www.pumpkin-patch.com/

Care:

Food is very precious in some parts of the world. Is there enough food to feed everyone?  How can you help the food situation? This lesson plan has lots of good issues about food, and what you can do to help: http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit358/lesson3.html

Here are some other sites where you can make a positive difference in terms of helping feed the world:

http://feedingamerica.org

http://www.kidscanmakeadifference.org/

http://www.thehungersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites.woa/138

!! As you’re looking at ways to help out, know that not everyone is honest, so be careful as you locate “do-gooder” websites; some might be more interested in helping themselves than anyone else.

Careers:

Are you a foodie? You could make a living from being a food expert; in fact, the food industry is the largest business in the U.S. (which makes sense since everyone has to eat). Here is a list of 150 food-related jobs! http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/cookbook/2008/food-jobs/culinary-job-list.html#axzz1zOOao82j

> Find out more about careers in food at http://www.kidsarus.org/kids_go4it/your_future/food_industry.htm

> The Bureau of Labor Statistics discusses different food careers; start here at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Food-Preparation-and-Serving/Chefs-and-head-cooks.htm

> Become a Crime Scene Investigator: Check out page 1 of the family guide.

> Learn about several different forensic disciplines as you try to solve the murder of playboy Robert Hughes: http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/expositions-exhibitions/detective-investigator/en/game/index.php