Joyful Noise Nutrition Expedition: March 2015

Friday, March 27, 2015

Week 26 of Nutrition Expedition: Obstacle Course!

March 23-27, 2015

Obstacle Course Fun!

We overcame many obstacles this week in Nutrition Expedition! I set up a fun obstacle course in the Rec. Room for the children: first, two lines of tape for a long-distance jump, hula hoops for hopping across, a yoga mat for a quick yoga pose, cones to run around, a tunnel to crawl through, a bike to speed around the track, a basketball to shoot through the hoop, and finally, balancing an egg on a spoon as they made their way back to the beginning! Phew! It was tricky, but a fun time was had by all! :)

For the infants, I set up some fun climbing mats, a tunnel, and a ball pit! They really enjoyed the challenge!

Be sure to watch this cute video of our obstacle course fun:

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Week 25 of Nutrition Expedition: Worm Composting Bin

March 16-20, 2015

Photo by Ms. Chantal

Worm Composting Bin!

It was quite a wormy week in Nutrition Expedition! We made our very own worm composting bin! All the children from each classroom gathered in the Recreation Room on Tuesday morning to assist me in the construction of our bin. We will be using the worm castings (worm poop :D) as a fertilizer for a future garden that I am hoping to put together for our Dome playground this spring/summer. I'll be keeping the bin at home, and bringing it in periodically for the children to help me maintain it, and to observe how the worms are doing!

First, we read the book Wonderful Worms, by Linda Glaser. We then discussed what worms eat (dirt, coffee grounds, egg shells, decomposing fruit, green leafy veggies, etc.), what they won't like in their bin (meat, citrus fruit, oily foods, salt, sugars, etc.) and how they help the soil (churning it up to make it light and airy for plants, eating it and "relieving" themselves, which leaves behind good nutrients for plants and animals, etc.). A good rule of thumb is that worms don't like junk food! Here is a chart that we will be using to help us remember what we can and cannot put in our compost bin:

After our story and discussion, we were ready to begin construction! For a worm compost bin, you will need: approximately a pound of Red Worms (or Red Wigglers; I purchased ours from "Fish On" in Spring Lake), two 5-10 gallon Rubbermaid tubs, a few large rocks or wood scraps to prop up the top bin once they are stacked together, a drill, dirt, cardboard scraps, shredded newspaper, and food scraps. I started by drilling large holes (for oxygen) all along the top section of the first bin (I used a 1/4 drill bit for this). I then drilled small holes (for drainage) in the bottom of the bin (I used a 1/8 drill bit for this). This first bin will be used to house the worms and compost ingredients. The second bin will be used as a drainage bin to hold excess moisture from the top bin, as you don't want your compost to become too moist. This will cause it to smell and attract gnats and other critters.

After the drilling was complete, I set a few large rocks in the bottom of the second bin, so that the first bin will rest slightly above to allow for drainage to occur. I let the children help me fill the bottom of our composting bin with shredded newspaper and dirt. I saved a few egg shells, banana peels and spinach from home, and we placed those on top of the dirt. Then came the fun part: adding the worms! So exciting :) Another layer of shredded newspaper and a large piece of wet cardboard and our worms were happy! Here is the blog from which I gathered tips and instructions, if you're interested in making your own compost bin at home with your child:

DIY Worm Compost Bin

Link to Order Red Worms

Later in the week, I brought a few of our worm friends around for a science experiment! We wanted to know if worms prefer light or dark, so I found this experiment to see if we could find out the answer. I started by placing wet paper towel over a cookie sheet. I covered one end of the tray with a lid from a container (must be a dark color in order to create a shaded area), and placed the worms on the other end. We then took a flashlight and shone it on the worms. They scattered when the light touched them, and went directly for the shaded area of the tray! Some even tried to escape the tray all together! The children determined that worms prefer the dark :) It was very neat to see how they avoided the bright light!

Photo by Ms. Chantal

Friday, March 13, 2015

Week 24 of Nutrition Expedition: Dehydrated Paleo Fruit Snacks

March 9-13, 2015

Dehydrated Paleo Fruit Snacks

We made experimental dehydrated fruit snacks this week in Nutrition Expedition! I say experimental because it was just that: we were not sure how they would turn out. I have to say that the first batch I made with the 4's Class on Monday was my first "Pinterest fail", an expression used when a Pinterest recipe or activity doesn't turn out quite as planned :) Rather than the adorable fruit bites I was hoping for, they looked more like corn flakes! However, they tasted pretty yummy! The follow-up batches for the rest of the week turned out much better, but they were pretty hit and miss with the children as far as liking them or not! There were a few children who LOVED them and couldn't get enough, so I suppose we had some success with this recipe :)

If you are feeling brave and want to try them at home, here is the recipe and also a link to the blog from which I found them. There are other flavors you can try, but I was unable to find the white sweet potatoes that they required, so we went with the orange/sweet potato combo recipe.