Kitchen Calendars a HUGE HIT!

A fellow teacher in the county was doing these with her students, so I decided to order some calendar blanks from http://www.barebooks.com/ and have the kids create one for themselves as well.  Each month had a different theme and the students had to create their calendar with illustriations and information to be used in their kitchen.  We started with June, since we were working on them into May and they will be able to use them into May of 2011.  Here are some pictures from a student calendar.

This calendar was very well done, and was a superior example of what the kids are doing in class!  I hope that those who have had calendars brought home are enjoying them!

Bubble blowing at It's Best!

With the rainy weather comes a great time to blow bubbles.  Why?  Because the humidity in the air keeps the bubbles wet longer, letting them float along in the breeze for a good distance.  You don't want to blow bubbles in the rain, but before or after a rain shower is a great time for long lasting bubbles.

This is a great science experiment for you to try out with little kids in the summer season - Be sure to follow the directions for letting them sit out and age a little as mentioned at the end.

See more bubble photos HERE

Here is a recipe for making your own bubbles -

2/3 cup Joy dishwashing soap

1 gallon water

2 to 3 tablespoons of glycerine (available at the pharmacy)

Gently stir the ingredients together and leave the solution in an open container overnight. We believe that this gives the alcohol on the dishwashing soap a chance to evaporate some. In any case, the solution seems to get better with age. If you substitute some other soap for Joy, you will have to experiment with the rest of the formula... but that's the fun of experimenting!

Lunchtime Manners Matter

There is nothing more revolting than being on lunch duty and seeing some of the poor manners that students have while eating their lunches.  This week we are looking at manners and how they matter not only in school or at home, but in the general public where other people will see you eating and interacting with others.

Mind your Manners...

Here are a few tips to help you become a well mannered student eating your lunch...

Don't play with your food...  Making sculptures with your form and spoon being stabbed into the fruit you were required to take is not appropriate...  while it can be fun and does make conversation at the table, it is not appropriate to play with your food.  If you do not want to eat your fruit, let it sit on your plate until it is time to throw out your trash.

No matter what the cartoon above says, don't lick your plate - That is gross!  Eat as much as your silverware cleans off of your plate - You should not lick your plate for any reason, no matter how great the food tasted...  you are a human being, not a dog.

Milk is to drink, not to use as gravy - Drinking your milk builds strong bones and muscles - Dumping your milk all over your mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese is a sure recipe for disaster when you go to clean up.  Drink your milk, don't play with it.

Keep your feet off of the table - I know - It sounds ridiculous, but I have seen kids put their feet on the table while sitting to wait on food - I found this picture at frecklephoto.com and thought it was fitting for this discussion...  This little kid is just lounging out eating a sandwich, but his manners are not very good.

Finally - Know what your silverware is used for - The picture below shows a very elaborate table setting which includes a serving for fish, salad, dinner and desserts...  Know what your silverware is for and you will avoid the embarrassment of asking someone later.

List some of the other things that you have seen kids do in the lunch room that gross others out - Why are these not acceptable and how can you ask them to fix those things that they are doing?

Earth Day 2010

Happy Earth Day!

What are you doing to help out the Earth?  Do you recycle? How are you conserving water?  How are you trying to save electric?  If anyone reading this has a family like mine - We still have a ways to go on understanding the long term effects of our resource usage...  I am constantly going around turning off lights, TVs, video games, closing doors (although that has lessen since we now have a cat and the kids are aware that she will escape if the door is left open) and turning off water that is dripping (sometimes small hands can't quite turn it all off)

Here are some things to consider when thinking about saving energy and resources...

LEAKY FAUCETS WASTE WATER...
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sc4.html has the following information... There is no scientific definition of the volume of a faucet drip, but after measuring a number of kitchen and bathroom sink faucets, the volume seems to be between 1/5th and 1/3rd of a milliliter (mL). Drips from bathroom tubs come in a bit more, though, at about 1/2 mL. So, for our calculations below (numbers are rounded), we are going to use 1/4 mL as the volume of a faucet drip. So, by these drip estimates:

One gallon: 15,140 drips

One liter: 4,000 drips

Looking at it this way, it seems like that drop of water down the drain is pretty insignificant.

Log on to their website and use the water calculator to see how much water could be wasted my a few leaky faucets, and to think that people in most cities are paying for water and sewage - That is a lot of wasted money!

http://www.csgnetwork.com/elecenergycalcs.html is a general electric Energy Cost calculator that will give you a visual on how much money you are using on kitchen appliances, laundry, personal care items and light bulbs.  Many items you may not even think about their use.

What items do you have at home that are using electric just from having them plugged in that you never use?  How many hours is your computer turned on and not being used?  All of these things use electricity that someone, somewhere is paying for, and even if that someone is not you, you need to consider  this and help to conserve by making sure lights are turned off when you leave a room, TV are only on when being watched, and computers are not sitting idly by with no one using them.

Consider doing some of these things as well to help keep things out of the landfill...

1.  Purchase cloth towels for use in the kitchen, rather than paper towels.  Keep your hand towel separate from your dish towel so that you do not cross contaminate things from the dirt on your hands

2.  OPT-IN for paperless billing - Get all of your statements sent to you via e-mail - This saves paper and keeps your personal information from being taken from your mailbox!

3.  Paper or Plastic?  Always opt for paper if you are not using the re-usable grocery bags.  Plastic is very difficult to recycle (especially those plastic grocery bags)

4.  If you live close enough to work to walk, then do so - Save gas and air pollution while getting much needed exercise!  We don't walk nearly enough in this country, and if it is iwthin a 5 mnute drive, you can walk there is little time as well!

5.  Replace all the bulbs in your house with energy savings one. Energy savings bulbs will save you upto 70% in utility bills and at the same time uses less electricity.

6.  Set your thermostat in your house in the winter at 68-69 and in the summer 75 or more.  It does not need to feel like an icebox in your house - And set the temperature higher when you are not going to be home in the summer - There is no reason to be cooling a house for people who are not even home, plus you are saving yourself money by keeping it warmer while you are away in the summer, or cooler in the winter - No need to heat when you are not home either.
Remember - we only have one Earth and if we continue to used and abuse her, we will have nothing to replace her!

TV turn off Week April 19-25, 2010

This week is National TV Turn Off Week and we are wanting to know what YOU are doing rather than watching TV...  Did you know that most kids watch 3 hours of TV a day?

Kids spend more time in front of the TV each year than they do in school!  Yikes!  That is hard to believe (well not really, my kids are guilty of it, and I am constantly going around turning the TV off in rooms where no one is watching it)

TV's consumer a large amount of electric, and you would be surprised how much money could be saved by just not using your TV set, really!  I would not kid about this at all...

SO..... What are you doing in place of watching TV this week?  Or any week - You don't have to celebrate TV turn off on just this specific time, you can do it anytime!  Spend some time with your family - Go outside - The weather is beautiful!  Tell us what you are doing rather than watching TV, and playing video games!  Simply submit a comment below and let everyone know your plans for keeping the "Tube" turned off this week.  We love hearing what you have to share!

Caramel Popcorn - Getting Rave Reviews!

I love Crunch and Munch Popcorn with peanuts, and  This recipe is always a hit when we make it in class.

The concept is simple - get a paper grocary bag and shake the day-lights out of the popcorn after you have made the syrup!  The kids loved taking turns shaking it up, and got to enjoy the popcorn while learning more about SUGAR and the many uses that it has in the world, from candy, to powering Maui Hawaii, to using it as gasoline in vehicles.  It was a fun and educational day that the kids are anxious to share with their families!

CARAMEL POPCORN


Ingredients:

16 cups popcorn

1 large brown paper shopping bag

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 stick butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla



DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the popped popcorn in the brown paper bag and set aside.

2. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a 32 ounce (4 cup) glass measuring cup. Cook in the microwave on high for 2 minutes or until the mixture bubbles. Stir the mixture.

3. Microwave again on high for 2 minutes, stirring after each minute

4. Add the vanilla and the baking soda, stir well

5. Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn in the bag. Fold down the top of the bag and SHAKE WELL.

6. Place the bag in the microwave and microwave on HIGH for one minute and SHAKE

8. Microwave 30 more seconds and SHAKE

9. Microwave 30 more seconds and SHAKE

10. Pour the caramel corn on a foil lined tray to cool. After the corn is cool, place in an airtight container to keep fresh.

Warmer Weather Means Picnic Time... Keep safe by following these tips

I love a fun summer picnic, and with all the warm weather we have had here at the beginning of spring, I thought now would be the perfect time to talk about picnic safety.  Follow these tips to ensure a safe picnic with your friends and family.  No one wants to end up in the hospital with food-borne illness.


SOME KEY AREAS TO CONSIDER:

*  As always, wash hands and work areas before preparing food - clean hands help keep bacteria from forming in food.  Always wash your hands after you sneeze, blow your nose, pet the animals and go to the restroom.

*  Plan your picnic with safe foods in mind.  Bacteria grow best between 40 and 140 degrees. Most of the food you serve at your picnic will only be safe on the table for two hours and, if the air temperature is over 90 degrees, food becomes unsafe after only one hour. Once leftovers have been on the table that long, don’t keep them -- throw them away.  Don't leave food out while you are swimming or hiking, to come back and nibble on later - This is almost a sure recipe for disaster and illness.


*  Have enough coolers with ice or frozen gel packs in which to store the perishable foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs and salads. You want to keep the food at 40 degrees F. Pack foods right from the refrigerator into the coolers.

*  Don't put the cooler in the car trunk; Carry it inside an air-conditioned car.  The trunk of the car does not have airconditioning, so your cooler will warm up over time.  At picnics, keep the cooler in the shade and keep the lid closed. Replenish the ice if it melts.

*  Use a separate cooler for drinks, since the cooler will be opened and closed several times over the period of the picnic.  Opening and closing a cooler repeatedly allows the cool air to leave and warmer air to enter, leaving the possibility for food-borne illness.

*  Pack clean, wet, disposable cloths or moist towelettes and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces. Cross-contamination during preparation, grilling, and serving food is a prime cause of food borne illness.

*  Pack raw meats, poultry, or seafood on the bottom of the cooler. This will reduce the risk of them dripping on other foods. Pack coolers until they are full. A full cooler will stay cold longer than one that is partially full.

*  If you plan on getting takeout foods such as fried chicken, Eat them within an hour of pick up.

 *  Grill raw poultry until the juices run clear and there is no pink. Hamburger should not be pink in the center.  NEVER partially cook food to complete later - This can cause harmful bacteria to grow.

*  When taking food off the grill, Don't put the cooked items on the same platter which held the raw meat unless you have washed the platter in between uses, and never mix cutting surfaces for raw meats and vegetables.

*  Chances are, picnic leftovers have been sitting out for more than an hour or two. Discard these leftovers. Cold foods that were kept in a cooler that still has ice may be safe. If the ice has melted, the food should be discarded. 


Log on to http://whatscookingamerica.net/picnic.htm for more tips on picnic safety.