Week 8 of Nutrition Expedition: Creepy Carrots!

Week 8 of Nutrition Expedition:  Creepy Carrots!

October 27-31, 2014

Creepy Carrots!

Creepy carrots are creeping everywhere! We had so much creepy fun this week in Nutrition Expedition! After doing some Animal Aerobics, I read the book Creepy Carrots!, by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown. It's a funny story about a rabbit named Jasper who enjoys picking and eating carrots from a field near his home. One day, he begins to get the feeling that the carrots are following him, and are out to get him. Ultimately, he builds an impenetrable wall around the carrot patch to keep them in, and we learn in the end that was the carrots' goal: to keep Jasper Rabbit out! The children absolutely LOVED this story, and they have been begging me all week to "read it again"!

Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown

After finishing the story, I took the children to the Rec Room, where there were "creepy carrots" hiding (I planted large carrots in gift bags with glow bracelets tied to them all around the Rec Room). With the lights off, they had to find a glowing creepy carrot to take with them for snack time! They really enjoyed eating them up!

The toddlers had fun reading the book Where is Baby's Pumpkin?, by Karen Katz. Then they had to find mini gourds hiding around the Rec Room! The infants also enjoyed the book, and had fun playing "Peek-a-Boo Pumpkin".

Where is Baby's Pumpkin?, by Karen Katz

Check out the pictures of all the creepy fun:

Special Edition: Michigan Apple Crunch Day- October 24, 2014

Michigan Apple Crunch Day!

Friday, October 24, 2014

This past Friday, October 24, 2014, was "Michigan Apple Crunch Day"! For those of you who haven't heard of this before, it is Michigan's part of the nationwide "Food Day". Put on by Cherry Capital Foods, a food distributor based out of Traverse City who works with farmers, growers, and producers strictly out of Michigan, the apple crunch day is an event to celebrate Michigan apples!  

At 10:00, all of Joyful Noise (and even some of the church staff) gathered in the front lobby entrance to First Presbyterian. Each child received his or her own apple, all purchased from local apple orchards. We talked about MI Apple Crunch Day and why it's so important to eat local foods, how apples grow, and how good they are for our bodies. We thanked the farmers (and the bees!) for the delicious apples, had a countdown and all took a bite at the same time! After, we casually ate our apples together on the rug and enjoyed some fellowship! What a fun time :) 

Check out the video (by Ms. Chantal) below:

Week 7 of Nutrition Expedition: Pumpkin Guts!

October 20-24th

Pumpkin Guts!

This week in Nutrition Expedition, we learned how pumpkins grow, explored it's "guts", and harvested/roasted it's seeds! I read the book, From Seed to Pumpkin, by Wendy Pfeffer, and we discussed the process of how a pumpkin begins as a tiny seed, which in turn becomes a plant that eventually produces the round, orange squash!

From Seed to Pumpkin, by Wendy Pfeffer

The older children enjoyed exploring the pumpkin guts with their hands, and picking out the seeds so that I could roast them for snack! We discussed the health benefits of seeds, and what they do for our bodies (magnesium to keep our heart healthy, omega-3 to help our brain development, zinc to keep us from getting sick, fiber to help our tummy digest food, etc.). After, I baked them with a little salt at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Ms. Kathy G. also made delicious spaghetti squash for lunch this week, so I roasted the seeds from that so the children could compare them to the pumpkin seeds!

The infants and toddlers enjoyed peeking inside the pumpkin, and squishing the "guts" through a ziploc bag. It was very interesting to see their reactions! We also read the book You Are My Little Pumpkin Pie, by Amy E. Sklansky.

You Are My Little Pumpkin Pie, by Amy E. Sklansky

Also, we tried out our new workout DVD, Fit Factor Kidz! Thank you to the family who donated it to our program; you know who you are ;)! The kids really enjoyed the animal exercises!

Check back early next week for a special blog edition on "Michigan Apple Crunch Day"! I'm sure you'll hear all about it from your children over the weekend!