Synergy: Celebrating Food

FOOD is any nutritious matter that plants, animals, or people eat, drink, or absorb to sustain life. Food contains essential fat, protein, carbohydrates, or other nutrients. All living things need energy to grow, heal, and work.

To understand a concept, it’s useful to read a cluster of books related to a theme. Explore these recently published books for young people:

PIZZA, PICKLES, AND APPLE PIE: THE STORIES BEHIND THE FOODS WE LOVE by David Rickert explores the history of food. In addition to historical information, this engaging work of graphic nonfiction incorporates facts about science and nutrition along with fun, hands-on activities. ARC courtesy of Kane Press, an imprint of Astra Publishing House, Inc.

DAVID ATHERTON’S BAKING BOOK FOR KIDS: DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR BUDDING BAKERS written by David Atherton and illustrated by Harry Woodgate shares dozens of recipes for tasty treats including breads, cakes, cookies and sweet treats, pastries, and showstoppers. Along with step-by-step instructions, recipes provide ingredients and sometimes tips. ARC courtesy of Candlewick Press.

LOOK AND COOK SNACKS: A FIRST BOOK OF RECIPES IN PICTURES by Valorie Fisher features a couple dozen easy-to-make recipes for children. After an introduction to cooking, this highly visual cookbook uses photographs and diagrams to present ingredients and procedures. ARC courtesy of Astra Young Readers, an imprint of Astra Publishing House, Inc.

Synergy: Food

Food is any substance used by living things as a means of nutrition. People, plants, and animals all need food to survive and grow. People around the globe eat a wide range of food often based on their local agriculture and traditions.  

Read the recently published nonfiction book, then learn more at the website:

ULTIMATE FOOD ATLAS is a delicious way to learn about food and the world through maps, games, recipes, and more. The book is organized into chapters based on continents with subsections focusing on particular types of foods. The book concludes with information about the oceans, global nutrition, and other useful information. Maps, photographs, and visually-rich pages encourage readers to connect specific locations with the fascinating foods available.

TASTE ATLAS is an interactive map providing access to local ingredients, traditional dishes, and authentic restaurants around the world. Users can search for a particular location or food. Or, use the map to explore areas of the world.

To learn more, go to https://www.tasteatlas.com/.

ARC courtesy of National Geographic Kids.

Website: Fuel Up to Play 60

FUEL UP TO PLAY 60 is a nutrition and physical activity program.

A collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture along with the National Dairy Council and the National Football League, the website contains resources for students, educators, parents, and the community.

The program includes a wide range of contests and activities that involve the entire school. The Playbook section of the website contains step-by-step instructions for healthy eating and physical activity ideas. The Tools section includes background information for educators.

Librarians will find that the library serves as a great place to coordinate a school-wide health and active living program. Be sure to check out the school funding opportunities and examples from past programs.

To visit the website, go to https://www.fueluptoplay60.com.

Website Review: Kids Cook Monday

THE KIDS COOK MONDAY is a website that encourages families to cook and eat together as a family.

This website contains resources for both adults and children. The About section features ideas for cooking as a family. The Resources area includes school program ideas, toolkits, and downloads to start a program. The Recipes section provides simple family recipes along with the opportunity to submit ideas. Finally, the News area features ideas and resources.

Librarians can use this website as the basis for an engaging library program, learning center, or display. Download the starter materials for lots of ideas. Build a healthy meals display that incorporates website materials along with cookbooks.

To visit the website, go to http://www.thekidscookmonday.org/.

App Review: Ed and the Curious Crew

ED AND THE CURIOUS CREW provides a “behind-the-scenes” look at a children’s hospital.

Published by The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne Australia, this engaging app follows Ed and his friends as they learn, watch, play, and explore. Users choose from five sections: fun & learning, film & television, nutrition & allergies, fundraising & helping, and sustainability & environment. A different member of crew leads each section.

Librarians will find this engaging interactive app to be useful beyond the hospital setting.

To download the app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/…/ed-curious-crew-at…/id1014855340….

App Review: Ed and the Curious Crew

ED AND THE CURIOUS CREW is an educational app exploring life at a children’s hospital.

Designed for ages 9-11, children choose from five areas: fun and learning, film and television, nutrition and allergies, fundraising and helping, and sustainability and environment. In each section, users can learn, watch, play, and explore. The easy-to-use activities engage children in age-appropriate learning experiences related to hospital and health-related topics.

Librarians will find this adorable app to be a great way to explore health-related topics. Pair it with books about illness and hospital visits.

To download the app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/…/ed-curious-crew-at-…/id1014855340.

Website Review: GirlsHealth.Gov

GIRLSHEALTH.GOV is an informational website focusing on the health and well-being of girls.

Sponsored by the Office on Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the website’s tagline is “be healthy, be happy, be you, beautiful.”

The information sources are divided into the following sections: body, fitness, nutrition, illness & disability, drugs, alcohol & smoking, your feelings, relationships, bullying, safety, your future, and environmental health. Each section provides an easy-to-understand overview and sub-pages exploring key ideas. Many of the pages include testimonials or experiences of teens that will be of interest to youth.

In addition to the major sections, users can also try quick quizzes, use interactive tools, and explore lists and tips. A search box provides an easy way to locate information by topic.

The website also links to social media. The Twitter feed contains links to youth health topics of interest across government websites. The Pinterest board contains short articles and images related to popular topics.

Librarians will find this website to contain useful information for teens taking health classes along with teens who have questions about specific topics related to personal issues such as relationships and bullying. Teachers will find the self-contained sections match well with health science topics such as fitness, nutrition, and environmental health. The website is also useful for addressing up-to-date topics such as Zika virus.

To visit the website, go to http://www.girlshealth.gov/.

Website Review: BAM! Body and Mind

BAM! BODY AND MIND from the Center for Disease Control provides information and activities aimed at helping young people make healthy lifestyle choices.

Designed for children 9 to 13 years old, the website contains six sections: Diseases, Food and Nutrition, Physical Activity, Your Safety, Your Life, and Your Body; all are packed with information and activities. For example, the Disease section includes the Disease Detectives and Immune Platoon activities and more. Information about Asthma is found within Disease Detectives and more details are added in Meeting the Challenge in the Physical Activity Section. Acne and its treatment are explained in the Under the Microscope section of Your Body.

In the Teachers Corner, educators can quickly view lessons and activities, handouts, and recommended related materials. Teachers can use BAM! to provide interactive, informative and fun activities in their classrooms; activities that are linked to the national standards for science and health.

Librarians can partner with teachers to plan and deliver a healthy food activity. Setup a blender with needed ingredients and have students try the recipes for drinks and smoothies found in the Food & Nutrition section. Lots of other recipes are provided in Cool Treats. Pair this activity with a cookbook display featuring healthy recipes.

Visit and learn more about BAM! at http://www.cdc.gov/bam/

Website Review: Kids Health

KIDS HEALTH is an outstanding, informational website for kids, teens, parents, and educators.

This award-winning website is sponsored by the non-profit health organization The Nemours Foundation and contains limited ads. It’s available in both English and Spanish versions.

The Parent section contains information and advice for parents on topics including general health, growth, infections, diseases, pregnancy, nutrition, behavior, school, first aid, and other topics.

The Kids section is aimed at children including topics related to How the Body Works, Puberty & Growing Up, Staying Healthy, Recipes & Cooking, Staying Safe, Health Problem, Illnesses & Injuries, Health Problems of Grown Ups, People, Places & Things That Help, and Feelings. There are also areas containing Q&A, movies, quizzes, games, and a medical dictionary for kids. Most of the pages include attractive visuals and interactive elements to engage users. The reading level and focus are appropriate for elementary and middle grades.

The Teens area stresses topics of interest to young adults including Body, Mind, Sexual Health, Food & Fitness, Disease & Conditions, Infections, School & Jobs, Drugs & Alcohol, Staying Safe, and Recipes. In addition, the Q&A page focuses on FAQs. The “hot topics” pages feature issues of particular interest such as Lyme Disease, Depression, and Volunteering.

The Educator section provides health-related lesson plans across grade and subject areas including discussion questions, activities, handouts, and quizzes.

Librarians will appreciate the many informational reading pages that can easily be tied to the Common Core standards. Some of the pages contain a LISTEN button that reads the page aloud. This is particularly useful for reluctant readers and those with reading challenges.

To keep up-to-date on website updates, be sure to subscribe to the free, weekly newsletter.

Both mobile and desktop versions of the website are available. The mobile version works well with handheld-devices and tablets.

To learn more, go to http://kidshealth.org/.

To access the teacher section, go to http://classroom.kidshealth.org/.

Website Review: National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month. Go to the EAT RIGHT website from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for lots of ideas for making informed food choices.

The website contains promotional resources such as a toolkit, handouts, and tips using in promoting National Nutrition Month. These are useful in library and school-wide displays focusing on nutrition.

The Good Nutrition Reading List contains a section on books as well as suggested websites.

The Interactive Games, Quiz, and Videos section includes sudoku, word searches, a “Rate the Plate” game, and Fad Diet Timeline. These games are a fun way to attract attention to healthy habits.

The website also links to the ChooseMyPlate website from the US government at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/. This resource contains many more tools and resources.

Go to the National Nutrition Month website at http://www.nationalnutritionmonth.org.

Go to the Eat Right website at http://www.eatright.org/.

For ideas about healthy eating for kids, go to http://www.eatright.org/resources/for-kids.

Website Review: American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month. The AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION (AHA) website at http://www.heart.org  contains lots of resources to increase awareness of heart health. Children and young adults can save lives if they know the warning signs of heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest.

The AHA website is full of authoritative information useful to both students and educators.

The Getting Healthy section explores the topics of nutrition, stress management, physical activity, healthy kids, weight management, smoke-free lives, and workplace wellness.

The Conditions section encourages an awareness of heart and health conditions such as cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.

The Educator section contains great resources librarians can use when collaborating with physical education and classroom teachers on school-wide programs.

The News section contains new articles, infographics, video, and photos that youth can use in their research projects.

The Interactive Cardiovascular Library features engaging, educational science content related to the anatomy and function of the heart as well as information about heart health.

Much of the website’s content would be excellent for STEM informational reading activities.

For more information, go to http://www.heart.org.

Website Review: Weight Control Information Network

Many children and young adults make weight-control part of their New Year’s Resolution. It’s important to provide quality information so youth can make healthy decisions. Check out WIN (Weight-control Information Network) from the National Institute of Health at http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/.

This government website focuses on “up-to-date, science-based information on weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related nutrition issues”. Explore resources specifically geared to youth.

Take Charge of Your Health: A Guide for Teenagers is an online booklet that discusses steps to becoming healthy including a healthy diet and exercise. Go to http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/take_charge.htm.

Charge Up! Is an online booklist focusing on healthy snacks and meals for teens. Go to http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/chargeUp.htm.

The Binge Eating Disorder online booklist provides information about the hazards and consequences of binge eating. Go to http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/binge.htm.

The Resources sections provides links to many more resources. Go to http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/resources/index.htm. You can also follow the project at Facebook.

Promote healthy habits through library bulletin boards, displays, and activities. Keep in mind that weight concerns can be a sensitive issue with children. Read Helping Your Overweight Child at http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/over_child.htm for ideas. Check out an infographic on childhood obesity at http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/infographic/childhood_obesity.htm.

The WIN project will send up to 100 copies of their booklets FREE to distribute in your library. They would be great for classroom informational reading activities.