Grow Little Turnip, Grow Big – Activity

This activity is an extension of my last blog.  I have done this activity with child care providers many times to provide ideas for their classroom.  Children enjoy this hands-on activity where they can be involved.  This is just one example of how you can make a book come alive. Choose your own book and let your imagination run to come up with your own activities.  Remember to link your classroom together with themes for learning.

Read the book several times before you conduct the activity.  This will allow time for your children to become familiar with the story,

Has anyone eaten a turnip root?  What about turnip greens?  Our story is about a big turnip.  Grow Little Turnip, Grow Big is written by Harriet Ziefert and illustrated by Laura Rader.  What do you think this book is about?  Has anyone seen a big turnip root?

This book, is about an old man, an old woman, a little girl, a big dog, a cat and a tiny mouse.  (prepare pictures for each for the children to hold, I suggest laminating each so you can use them multiple times).  Ask for six volunteers to help with the story.  As the children come up give them a picture to hold (or punch two holes at the top of the card and use yarn to thread through so the child can wear the picture around their neck, this is my preference to leave their hands free).  Move all the children to the side, except for the old man.  You can have a pot with a plastic turnip planted in a pot covered by moss that you hold. (see example at the bottom of the page, you can make your own)

As you read the book, ask your volunteers to help act out the story.  As you talk about the characters from the book pulling up the turnip, each one tries to pull up the turnip individually, then they try to help the person in front of them pull.  At the end they all work as a team and are successful.

To involve the entire class in the story, make the following change:

Page 20 They pulled and pulled and pulled.  Line up the children and stress that they are only going to pretend to pull on the person in front on them.  On the count of three we are going to pull up the turnip. 1-2-3.  Pull it up!  Pull it up!  Pull it up!  Yeah!  The turnip did come up.  Now the old woman can cook the turnip for supper.

Suggested questions for end of book discussion:

• What color is the turnip root?
• What color are the leaves of the turnip?
• Where do turnips grow?
• Has someone eaten the white turnip root or the green leaves of the turnip?
• What other foods did you eat with the turnips?
• Can someone name other types of “greens”? (mustard, kale, spinach, collards)
• Why were we finally successful in pulling up the large turnip? (everyone worked together to pull up the turnip)

Can Children Learn Science through Food Activities? Absolutely!

In previous posts, we discussed ways to add nutrition education into various areas of the curriculum.  So what does science have to do with food?  Let’s explore ways we can merge science into food experiences.  I hope that you will share some of your ideas too.

Science Skills Learned through Food Experiences

• Cause & Effect
• Chemistry
• Temperature
• Testing Hypothesis
• Physical Properties of Food
• Investigating the Origins of Food
• Life Science (growing foods in the garden)
• Changing Forms – liquids, gases, solids
• Predictions & Observations

Food experiences can inspire children’s curiosity, thinking and problem solving, which offers opportunities to make predictions and observations.   Some experiences you plan can stimulate all the senses.  Ask questions, let the children make hypothesis on how a product may change, discuss temperatures of foods cooked and uncooked, put an item in a blender discuss what it looks like before it is blended – let children discuss how it might change, blend food item and discuss the final state of the food.  There are so many possibilities to incorporate science learning into food experiences.

Turnip (can use other foods)

• Show a turnip seed packet & seeds.  (many children may not have ever seen a turnip)
• Show a turnip from its raw state, then show a peeled turnip.  (ask children have they eaten a turnip before)
• Pass the turnip around for the children to feel & smell. (encourage discussion)
• Provide a uncooked sample & a cooked sample. (ask children how they think it will change when you cook the turnip)
• Discuss the differences in the uncooked & cooked turnip.
• To extend the lesson, have a farmer or home gardener come to talk with class about growing food.
• Have children plant a seed and make predictions on what will happen with it.  As the plant grows it will provide additional opportunities for discussion and learning.
• Another food item to use is potatoes, many children have only seen them as french fries.  Of course, the possibilities are unlimited on fruits and vegetables.
• Read & have an activity for “The Great Big Enormous Turnip” by Anna Award or “The Enormous Potato” by Aubrey Davis. I will post an activity on my next blog.

Apple Slice Science

https://www.education.com/activity/article/Apple_Slice_Science/

New Foods to Celebrate

What better way to celebrate National Farm to School Month than to introduce children to some new fruits and vegetables.  Food can be incorporated into every area in your center and can be such fun!!  When you begin to explore books that focus on foods, healthy eating, gardening, and planting the number available is quite large.  So here a few and some activities to get you started.  Use your imagination, make the books come alive, sample new foods and add activities during the month to get your children excited about healthy eating.   When they are more involved with the activities they are more likely to try new foods.

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

This book is great for the introduction of new foods by reading your way through the alphabetical world of fruits and vegetables. Currents, jalapeno peppers, parsnips, star fruit, ugil fruit, and yams are just a few of the foods mentioned. There is also a glossary of the fruits and vegetables described in the book.

Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

This bright, bold picture book is about vegetable gardening for the very young. The story starts off “Dad says we are going to grow vegetable soup”.  The necessary tools are pictured and labeled, as are the seeds (green bean, pea, corn, zucchini squash, and carrot). Then the real gardening happens . . . planting, weeding, harvesting, washing, chopping, and cooking! In the end? “It was the best soup ever.” A recipe for vegetable soup tops it all off!  After reading the book serving vegetable soup would be a great way of adding vegetables to your children’s diet.  I would also suggest to share a recipe with your parents and encourage them to try this at home.  Parent buy-in is very important and can extend classroom learning.  They may also try something new too!

 

Recipe Corner

Sometimes children will try a new food when they can dip it.  My goddaughter is happy to eat anything if there is something to dip it into.  I think it is the experience of it all.  So if they are a little hesitate to taste a new vegetable or fruit these healthy dips may be a way to encourage the new food experience.

Ranch Sauce*

• 1 cup plain low fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup light ranch salad dressing

Combine ingredients in a small bowl.  Serve with any cut vegetables.

Cinnamon Dip*

• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• dash of cinnamon

1.  Place yogurt in small (1 cup) bowl.
2. Add brown sugar & dash of cinnamon to yogurt.
3. Stir until well mixed.
4. Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Serve with your favorite fruits, such as apple wedges, banana slices, strawberries, peaches or other fruit.

Fruity Parfaits*

• 1/2 cup lightly sweetened cereal, such as Life or granola
• 6 oz. vanilla low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup berries or cut-up fruit (drain if canned)
• 2 Tablespoons chopped pecans (check for any food allergies before using nuts

1. Place cereal in small bowl or cereal dish.
2. Add yogurt.  Spread evenly over cereal.
3. Rinse fruit or drain if canned.  Sprinkle fruit evenly over yogurt.
4. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over fruit.  Serve.

*Recipes are courtesy of the Georgia Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).  To find out if this free nutrition program is available in your area contact your local county Extension or in Georgia 1.800.ASK.UGA1 or visit http://www.fcs.uga.edu/extension/efnep.

See upcoming blogs for more ideas for adding fruits and veggies.

Get Rad with Radishes

Are you looking for a gardening activity with quick results?  Planting radishes is a great way for you and your children to begin.   They germinate in 3-10 days, and have a very short growing season of 20-30 days. They can be planted closely, 4-6″ apart. Plant in cool weather for a mild radish, or hot weather for a hotter radish.