Main Frame in Snack

Phase I - Introducing the Topic

The snack project in the Kindergarten/First grade combination classroom at UPS evolved from the class first project of the year, which has been on corn. Foods made of corn were naturally of great interest, and were frequently used in our daily class snack selections. At UPS we follow an open-snack plan-the children may choose to serve themselves from 9:00 to 9:30 am., during activity time. The children were in the habit of keeping track on a grid of the days they ate snack. This continued throughout the project, and we provided opportunities for tallying, graphing, and comparison activities, which are described later.

The topic was introduced in group discussion on 10/21/96:

MB: I've noticed that you've been keeping track of who eats snack. And we've talked about and eaten all sorts of corn snack food. Why do you think we eat snack?
KH: So we won't be hungry before lunch.
PF: To make our muscles strong.
BV: In case breakfast wasn't big enough.
BS: We call it snack because it's not as big as breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Phase II - Developing the Project
The group brainstormed their snack web. Because UPS already embraces the project approach and many of the children in the class have been at the school since preschool, there is a general familiarity with the procedural expectations. One child remarked, "Here we go-brainstorming again!" In the first step of brainstorming, the children say anything they know or think about snack. The teachers wrote these comments on post-it notes and affixed them to a chart paper. The children had the following ideas (italics are added-they indicate the statements and questions that became the basis of the various sub-topics of our project)
talking about food makes you hungry some snacks have sugar in them snack can taste like something it's not bugs are good for you but don't taste good some snacks have butter in them McDonald's can be a snack apples are snack a tomato is a snack if you eat too much fat in a snack, you can get sick you can get a heart attack from too many sweets you can get cavities in your teeth garter snakes eat mice some snack foods, like carrots, grow in a garden you can eat snack almost anywhere you want get snack at home snacks can be small, medium, big, or extra-large snack is between breakfast, lunch, and dinner snack is good for you snacks can have vitamins some foods, like carrots, have carotene in them applesauce is good for you	candy is a snack I like snack juice is a part of snack manatees like lettuce for snack some have salt snack can be sweet corn is a snack snack isn't always good for you candy can make you gain weight animals in the wild eat snack do sea animals eat snack? cereal is good for you good food can be sweet
This process is incredibly rich. It was thrilling to witness the children start out with very simple statements such as "I like snack" and "corn is snack," and progress to more complex ideas such as "snack isn't always good for you" and "snack can taste like something it's not." (This last statement was questioned right away. SA explained that you can have cherry Jell-O, but it's not really made of cherries. The children had lots of examples to add to this: "Fruit roll-ups," Pop-Tarts, some fruit flavored drinks, some cereals.) The teacher offered suggestions for general topic headings in order to sort the web into a manageable format. In discussion, the children divided their comments from the day before into these categories: Healthy food Junk food Bodies/Teeth Where we get food Animal snacks The student topic web shows these five main topics of interest. These subheadings became the foci of the small study groups.

Phase III - Concluding the Project

In December, the students invited their parents to the classroom to view their puppet shows, to sing some of the snack-related songs we had been learning, and to share in a healthy snack prepared by the students. The snack study sub-group planned the menu and took a mini-field trip to the grocery store to purchase food and supplies for the program.

Our class was fortunate to have a collaborative relationship with a kindergarten classroom at Yankee Ridge School. They were involved in a snack study at the same time, so we had the opportunity to correspond, share ideas, and finally to share our work with the other class in a culminating activity.

Numeration & Problem Solving Skills

Preparing snack provided a rich variety of investigative experiences for the children in all four learning areas (knowledge, skills, dispositions, and feelings):

Knowledge

counting out: items such as cups, bowls, plates, and eating utensils for the classrooms

dividing: making sure all will have equal portion (see picture below)
measuring: utilizing measuring spoons and cups, dry and wet measures
comparison of measurement: various measurements were used and compared (liter, milliliter, ounce, cup, tablespoon, pint, quart, gallon)
increments: 1/4,1/3, 1/2, 3/4, 2/3, 3/4) this came up naturally as children "divvied up" food
multiplication: If we cut this square pumpkin pie in 5 slices in one direction, then 5 slices across, how many pieces will we have? Children counted by 5s to 25.
concepts: more/less, hot/cold, quickly/slowly

Language Arts

Reading
The teacher read Gregory the Terrible Eater by M. Sharmat, to the group. This story is about a goat who doesn't eat what his parents expect him to (garbage) , so they consider him a terrible eater. Little by little he learns to enjoy goat "health food." This brought up the discussion of junk food:
PF: "McDonald's is junk food because there is too much fat in it."
CL: "Junk food has too much sugar."
(Many children) "Pizza is junk food."
This discussion progressed without an adult correcting misconceptions.

Stone Soup Activities
After reading three renditions of the "Stone Soup" folk tale, the students decided to make their own version of the soup. First,the children drew pictures of their favorite soup ingredients, then they wrote a letter home asking for the donation of one of those items for our class soup pot. A parent who was a nutrition authority, volunteered to supervise the soup-making and to answer children's questions about how food affects our bodies.

The sign-in question for one day was, " Do you think you will like the stone soup?" All but three children predicted "No!" They answered a second survey after they had tasted they soup. We tallied the results: seventeen liked it, five did not.

Poetry
In the literature group, the children learned the song Aiken Drum, which is about the man in the moon who is made of all kinds of food. The children then constructed individual Aiken Drums out of construction paper. They dictated their version of the song to the teacher, and it was typed and printed on the computer. In pairs, they read their versions to each other. The Aiken Drums were displayed on the wall.

Some examples were:

There was a man who lived in the moon, lived in the moon, lived in the moon.
There was a man who lived in the moon and his name was Aiken Drum.

And he played upon his ladle, his ladle, his ladle.
He played upon his ladle and his name was Aiken Drum.

And his head was made of cheese, cheese, cheese.
His head was made of cheese and his name was Aiken Drum.

And his eyes were made of olives, of olives, of olives.
His eyes were made of olives and his name was Aiken Drum.

An his nose was made of a plum...

Question Framing
Examples of Questions Generated by Students for the Pediatric Dentist

Is pizza good for your teeth?
(ANSER: Not bad)

Here are a few more examples...

What food is the worst kind for your teeth - chocolate or sugar?
How long does it take for sixth year molars to come in?
Why do you have a big chair?
What is that red stuff that holds your teeth?
How do cavities come?
Do pigs grow teeth when they are babies?
How did you become a dentist?
Did you bring x-rays of teeth?
What is the filling called?
Does only junk food give you cavities?

Investigative Skills

Questions About Snack

After the initial conversations regarding recollections, assumptions, observations, and inquiries, The teacher utilized the daily sign-in sheet to pose a yes-or-no or two-option question. Signing in is the children's first obligation of the morning, so the teacher used this opportunity to stimulate interest and start the children thinking about a particular area of snack. Some of the questions were generated by the children, others by the teachers. They served as a springboard for various activities (group discussion, experiments, interest group sign-up, measurement/calculations). Some of the questions were:

Which do you think would be a healthier snack, Cheerios or Fruit Loops?
Do you think your nose helps you taste?
Do you think pizza is a healthy food or junk food?
Would you like to help turn the dramatic play area into a grocery store?
Do you think green bananas are good to eat?
Does your family eat special foods during the holidays?
Do you go with your family to shop at the supermarket for food?
Which do you see more of, ads for healthy food or ads for junk food?
Do you prefer hot or cold cereal?

Observations, Hypothesizing, Predictions
Below are examples from some of the investigations:

Which popcorn will popcorn will pop best? (popcorn kernels that have been baked in the oven, popcorn kernels that had been soaked in water, or popcorn kernels that just came out of a plastic bag)

Do you think your stomach makes noise when you are NOT hungry?
Do you think sugar helps to make you strong?
What do you think will happen when we put sugar in water?
Do you think your teeth help you digest your food?
How do you think vinegar and water will affect eggshells?

I think the vinegar will get bubbly and the eggshell will get bumpy.
I think the eggshell will get squishy in water because its much thinner than our teeth.
What happens when potatoes and onions are set in water?

The onion is going to grow and have more little onions.
We observed the fat content in various foods by rubbing them on brown, absorbent paper. We waited until the next day, then looked to see if a stain was left behind. If there was, that means there was a lot of fat in that food. We hung it on the window so that the stains would be easier to see.

What will happen when we put flour in water?
Experiment: Now that we've seen sugar dissolve in water, what do you think will happen when we put flour in water? Observations: Felt the flour. PF: It feels like polar bear fur. KP: It's soft. PA: It's made from wheat. They take the seed out and inside the seed is a special thing. PF: It's like snow.
The children draw and write their predictions. They measure and mix 1 cup of flour and 1cup cold water. SA: It will get thick. PA: It's sticky. Teacher: Did it dissolve? PA: No way, because we put too much flour in. The water made a big ball of it. SA: Thick. PA: Yucky! Children measure and mix 1 cup flour and 1 cup hot water. SA: It's thicker! Teacher: I wonder why? SA: Maybe because there wasn't as much water. PA: No, maybe because it's hot water. What do we use flour for? SA: Cooking. Cooking makes it thick - the hot makes it thick!

Data Collection

How can we keep apple slices fresh?

We talked about keeping food fresh so that it is good for us. We watched what happened to apple slices: some were left out in the air, some were dipped in lemon juice, and left out, and some were put in the refrigerator. The refrigerator kept the apples freshest. The lemon juice kept the apple from turning brown as fast.

Students were asked to survey their families over the Thanksgiving holiday to determine what their favorite foods are. Results were compared and displayed in the classroom.

Art/Aesthetics

Representations
Throughout the duration of the project, students were asked to document their assumptions and observations in drawings. Drawings from memory earlier in the project have a rudimentary quality that has been surmounted in later examples of observational drawing.

Opportunities for visual art activities arose daily during either activity or language time. Food materials such as dried beans and pasta for mosaics and apples and oranges for printing were available. Visual art activities were often related to the piece of literature read to the group.

IK and LB display the stuffed paper fish they decorated with apple and orange print "scales"

SG makes a bean/pasta mosaic.

Dramatic Play

Music Singing and body movements are important to the children's attachment to the project topic. Most children have very positive feelings when engaged in musical activities, and the rhythm and rhyme inspire their creativity. We performed three songs for the performance for the parents, one of two culminating activities. Two of the songs are listed below.
"At the Corner Grocery Store" There was corn, corn, blowing on a horn in the store, in the store. There was corn, corn, blowing on a horn in the corner grocery store. My eyes are dim I cannot see, I have not brought my specs with me. I have not brought my specs with me. There were beans, beans, trying on some jeans in the store, in the store. There were beans, beans, trying on some jeans in the corner grocery store. My eyes are dim I cannot see, I have not brought my specs with me. I have not brought my specs with me. We started singing "At the Corner Grocery Store" in October, and we still periodically sing even in May! The children like to think up new verses such as "There was cake, cake, swimming in a lake" or "There was bread, bread, standing on its head."
"Going on a Picnic" Going on a picnic, leaving right away. If it doesn't rain we'll stay all day. Did you bring the sandwiches? Yes, I brought the sandwiches. Did you bring the lemonade? Yes, I brought the lemonade. (any foods) Going on a picnic, leaving right away. If it doesn't rain we'll stay all day.

Technical Skills

Snack Preparation Snack preparation naturally became a popular choice during activity time each morning. The teacher limited the participants to six per day due to the size of the kitchen. The group was responsible for preparing and setting out snack for the twenty-five children in the preschool classroom as well as the twenty-six students in the Kindergarten/First grade classroom. The focus was on healthy snack food-the children were quickly aware that sugar-filled foods, such as cookies, would not be prepared. Some sample menus are:
orange slices, cereal mix, juice applesauce, corn chips, juice tortilla with melted cheese, carrots, juice muffin and juice popcorn, carrots, water	corn chips, salsa, juice peanut butter and crackers, juice cheese and crackers, juice bagels and cream cheese, juice peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, milk
During the week of November 4, the cooking group prepared different types of pizza each day. This plan grew out of the discussion on October 28 when several children in the class voiced their opinion that pizza is junk food. Healthy options were prepared (see list) At the end of this week, the children agreed that pizza could be healthy or unhealthy, depending on what's on it. Unhealthy toppings were thought to be greasy pepperoni and other meats that have too much fat.	Healthy Pizza Options: rye crackers with sauce and mozzarella cheese pizza crust topped with peanut putter and sliced bananas bagel quarters broiled with mozzarella on top, dipped in sauce "make your own pizza" English muffin quarters topped with sauce and mozzarella cheese
Skills learned: using cooking equipment such as measuring cups and spoons, knives, spatulas, stirring spoons, turners, as well as more specialized equipment such as apple corer/peeler, juicer, ice shaver & waffle iron. learning to safely use stove and handle hot food. balancing trays of juice cups or food.
Below, two cooks use an ice shaver to create "orange slushes."	Above, a student tries out an apple peeler, corer.

Social/Emotional Skills

Emotional Awareness
The group discussed what it feels like to be hungry. They drew pictures and wrote descriptions of their own hunger feelings. I feel sad when I'm hungry. When I'm hungry, I would go to my refrigerator and get something to eat. I feel tired when I'm hungry. When I'm hungry, I feel empty. When I'm hungry, my tongue is sticking out. Stomach twists. I feel like my stomach is saying something and it growls. When I'm hungry, my stomach feels a little open. My dad or my mom walks to the store with me to get cookies. When I'm hungry and Mom won't let me have chocolate, I feel mad!	"grrr"
"When I'm hungry, I feel deserted."

Dispositions

problem solving - faced with dividing food or measuring ingredients, the children used their problem solving skills. The teacher thinks, too, those children who are more naturally disposed to solve problems modeled their persistence for other children. Over time, most cooks seemed willing to make attempts at problem solving.
cooperation-children had to figure out ways to take turns, to make the cooking experience as fair as it could be for the cooks. Often this involved intense negotiation, but over the course of the project, I saw their disposition to cooperate improve immeasurably.
generosity-even at the rather narcissistic ages of four through seven, the cooks exhibited their generosity in preparing and serving snack. I saw this carry through to the altruism of the whole group when they decided to donate soup to the Emergency Shelter.

Four Children cooperate to make bread dough creations.

Feelings

confidence-an adult (teacher, parent or college student volunteer) always supervised the cooking activity, but the cooks quickly displayed their confidence in their own ability to prepare snack. They knew, for example, how many cups were needed for each class, and most cooks would take it upon themselves to prepare the trays of cups.
team player-snack preparation was a group activity, each cook having duties that led to the outcome.
helpfulness-many people enjoyed eating snack, so the cooks demonstrated that they felt useful in providing the food.

Counting
Above, the cooks serve up pumpkin pie. They determined how many pieces must be cut to serve everyone in the class	Below, two children count out juice cups for the class

Vocabulary As unfamiliar words came up in discussion, during experiments, or during an expert's visit, we talked about the meanings then added the words to a list displayed on the wall. Evidence of understanding was demonstrated when the children used the words in journal writing and observational documentation.
Borborygmus Neutralize Acid Intestines Bacteria Nutrition Digestion Colander Food Mill Milliliter	Calcium Fructose Cavity Saliva Dissolve Grams Spatula Grinding Mill Dehydrated Stethoscope

Sharing Part of the stone soup the class made was for the class. The rest (two gallons) was donated to the Emergency Shelter. The children decided to make this donation after hearing Little Willy and the Soup Kitchen, discussing hunger and homelessness, and discussing the "Food for Families" drive that had been going on in the community. A drop box had been in our classroom.
Communications

Writing
	Haw das mxt help ugr oe