5th Grade Science: Food and Nutrition (and Landforms Projects)

Good afternoon! Today, the fifth graders looked a little deeper into what contributes to a balanced and nutritious meal. Some discoveries made:

“Just because a food is low in fat, does not mean it is good for you!”

“Carbohydrates don’t just mean bread and pastas! Apples and bananas have a lot of carbs”

“You need to look at the serving size and servings per container on the nutrition label” 

“If you can’t pronounce an ingredient in the list, you probably shouldn’t eat it”

Some students also shared what changes they might make to make healthier choices. Another finding was that students who have dietary restrictions often have a harder time choosing a well-balanced meal, but with a little more work, it is certainly possible!

Here is a link for the video we watched in class. It has a wealth of information, that summarizes a lot of what we spoke about in class today.

You can continue this discussion with your students throughout the week, too! Read nutrition labels with them. Ask them to hypothesize about what foods are high in protein, carbohydrates, and fats, as you eat dinner. Encourage them to choose their own foods for a meal. Also, the students calculated calories from fat, protein, and carbohydrates based on a specific list of 20 foods. They can continue this process for a real meal that they are consuming! Ask them to extend what we did in class and take a closer look at the meals they are actually eating on a day to day basis. A lot of students came up to me and asked, “Is this good or bad?” The truth is: anything can be bad, if it is not balanced. Even eating too many fruits can be a bad thing! Moderation is key 🙂 So, like I told them, eat that bag of potato chips! Just make sure your other food choices are low in fat for that meal!

One final note:

Here is a look at some of our amazing landform models! Please note that all projects must go home this week. I am sad to see them go, as they were truly amazing!