Books of the Month
The Vegetables We Eat and The Fruits We Eat by Gail Gibbons
About the Books
Berries, apples, melons and grapes; oranges, grapefruits, bananas--yum! This scrumptious picture book, a companion to The Vegetables We Eat, offers youngsters an inviting, information-packed cornucopia of favorite fruits. Gail Gibbons combines a clear, simple text with her signature illustrations to present fruit facts galore: the parts of fruits, where and how they grow, harvesting, processing, where to buy them, and how to enjoy them as part of a healthy diet. Once again, Gibbons proves "a master at creating factual books through which young readers can explore details of nature at an accessible and engaging depth."
The Challenge
Our food sources are so important to us -- from the farmers who produce them, to the places we purchase our produce, and where and how they are grown. For the month of May, we would like to offer the opportunity to discuss healthy food choices with students as they begin their summer! As classes take trips to the garden and begin to study plants and animals in their curriculum, we would like to connect our book of the month to the fruits and vegetables we eat... with a fun twist.
At school, students will be creating sculptures out of fruits and vegetables that they bring from home. Students can get creative with their designs and then enjoy a healthy snack after they have planned and synthesized their product!
Materials needed for students:
Fruits
Vegetables
Toothpicks
Skewers
Paper plates
Materials needed for teachers:
Mellon ballers
Knife for cutting fruit
Graters/ Peelers
The challenge will take place on May 26th in classrooms (unless directed or coordinated by grade teams to meet elsewhere). Parent help is welcome, but please coordinate with your student's teachers about volunteering.
Criteria:
Each students will work on their own structure/ design (but may help one another with ideas and the engineering process).
Each student will need individualized materials. Classroom teachers will decide/ communicate how they would like those delivered. (Materials can be assigned to children/ parents to be shared throughout the class versus each child bringing in a set of materials).
Each student should leave the challenge understanding the benefits of good nutrition and the experience of enjoyable collaboration with their classmates!
Students should plan out their designs in their classrooms using the engineering process, starting with the "Imagine" phase. Improvement will come on the day of the challenge. :)
Constraints:
Students will only have that day to work on their structures. Structures will not be saved over the weekend. All structures that are not taken home or eaten by the end of the day will be thrown away.
Students will only have the time allotted by the classroom teacher to complete their designs. This is a one-day activity, so it will not be offered any other day or time, due to time constraints.
Stem Habits of Mind
“Our bodies are our gardens – our wills are our gardeners.” ~William Shakespeare
“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” ~Thomas Edison