Week 22 of Nutrition Expedition: The Adventures of Wiggly Tooth!

February 22-26, 2016

We met "Wiggly Tooth" this week in Nutrition Expedition! It's a short video about a little girl named Julia who has her first loose tooth! It's narrated by her adorable talking tooth, Wiggly. He describes what it's like being a tooth, and what happens to your baby teeth as you grow older. The kids got a kick out of it, and begged to watch it again! Below is the video; I apologize for the poor quality, as it's quite old!

After viewing the movie, we sampled some tooth treats from our nibble trays! I brought in carrots, apples, celery, cottage cheese, and yogurt (all healthy foods for our teeth). Delicious!

Super Sleuth Questions

1. What happened to Wiggly the Tooth when Julia ate too many snacks? (answer:  he got covered in yucky plaque)

2. What kinds of healthy snacks did Ms. Kelli B. bring to your class? (answer:  celery, apples, carrots, yogurt, cottage cheese)

Week 21 of Nutrition Expedition: Toothy Time!

February 15-19, 2016

Toothy Time!

We discovered more things about our teeth this week in Nutrition Expedition! The children took turns working at different tooth discovery centers that I set up in their classrooms. It truly was a toothy time!

For the first center, we learned about the different types of teeth in our mouth (incisors, canines, and molars) and what they are used for (biting, tearing, and grinding food when we chew). Using the uncolored playdough we had left from last week's lesson, I prepared incisors, canines, and molars, and allowed them to dry over the weekend. With red playdough, I formed a top jaw and a bottom jaw for each child. I handed out a tooth diagram as a reference, and the children identified each type of tooth and where to place them in the gum line. 

The second center was diagramming a tooth. We checked out what the inside of a tooth looks like and discussed each section (enamel, dentin, pulp, root). I gave the children supplies to piece together their own tooth diagram. Check it out!

For the final discovery center, the 4-year-old class made their very own toothpaste! We mixed 3tbsp baking soda, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp glycerin, and several drops of peppermint extract. Viola! Instant toothpaste! It sure smelled good, but unfortunately, it did not taste good (an example of "don't try this at home")! Next time, I shall find a different recipe :)

The school-agers were very excited to participate in Nutrition Expedition this week, as they had a delayed start from school this past Wednesday. We discussed the importance of regular visits to the dentist and keeping our teeth clean. I was able to bring the activity from last week's blog, "This is the Way We Brush (and Floss) Our Teeth". They really enjoyed the brushing and flossing practice. Ms. Sally even picked up some new tooth brushes for each of them to take home!

Super Sleuth Questions

1. What are the biggest teeth in your mouth? (answer:  molars) What are they used for? (answer:  grinding food so we can swallow it better)

2. What is the bottom of your tooth called, where it is attached to your gums? (answer:  the root)