While the kids may be clamoring for Ho-Hos® and Hawaiian Punch®, something a little healthier will keep them going longer and stronger. Snacks can be fun, delicious and just as easy as opening a bag of chips.
- Pack a Punch of Power Protein! Combine cut-up beef jerky, cubed Cheddar cheese, and pretzel nuggets for a quick, easy and delicious game-time snack!
- Kids Love Crunch: Pretzels, Popcorn, Mini Flavored Rice Cakes, Animal Crackers, Trail Mix, Granola Bars, Baked Chips, Graham Crackers, Cereal or fruit like Apples, Baby Carrots, Celery Sticks
- Give ‘Em Something to Chew-y On: Raisins, Dried Fruit, Bagels, Breakfast Bars, Rice Krispie® Treats, Chewy Granola Bars, Fruit Bars
- Dreamy-n-Creamy: Lowfat Pudding Packs, Lowfat Cheese Cubes, Lowfat String Cheese, Flavored Lowfat Milk, Lowfat Yogurt, Peanut Butter, Bananas
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Fruit Frenzy: Applesauce, Canned Fruit, Cherry Tomatoes, Tangerines, Oranges, Grapes (try them frozen!)
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It’s important for parents to get involved in their children’s homework. Here are some tips to make it a valuable learning experience for you both, along with some troubleshooting tips.
- Understand your children’s learning style. Do they learn by listening or seeing? How well can they process ideas and organize thoughts?
- Establish a positive climate and effective routine for homework. Work with your children to determine what lighting, space, materials, time of day, etc. works best for them (not you!)
- Help with reading, writing and math homework. Be available to answer questions and offer advice.
- Motivate your kids with specific positive feedback and constructive criticism. Praise their efforts and persistence, and emphasize the importance of learning from mistakes.
- Collaborate with your children’s teachers. Understand their expectations upfront, and advocate for your children while encouraging them to advocate for themselves as well.
Click here for Troubleshooting Tips and possible solutions for when your children are having problems with their homework.
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The Jellybean Test
Look Again Layers
Lemon to the Rescue
The Jellybean Test
Think “taste” and “flavor” are the same thing? Think again! This fun activity will show you the difference between the two – just by eating jellybeans!
What You Need
One small cup filled with an assortment of jellybeans.
Note: Jelly Belly® brand jellybeans are especially good for this experiment because of their authentic flavors. Participants will need their own cup of jellybeans.
What You Do
1. Close your eyes, hold your nose and remove one jellybean from the cup.
2. Put the jellybean in your mouth and chew for 5-10 seconds. What do you taste?
3. Now release your nose and breathe in. Now what do you taste?
What You’ll Learn
When your nose was closed, you probably tasted something sweet, or maybe something a little sour or salty depending on which flavor jellybean you got, right?
But when you unplugged your nose, you probably got a blast of watermelon, lemon, licorice or bubblegum, depending on what flavor jellybean you ate, right? That’s because your olfactory receptors took in the aromas of the jellybean.
“Taste” is the sensation that starts on your tongue. (The five basic receptors are sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami *.) “Flavor” is the combination of taste plus other sensations such as aroma, which is picked up by your olfactory sensors – the part of your brain that helps you smell – at the top of your nasal cavity (the inside of your nose).
*Wondering what “umami” is? It’s our fifth taste sensation, and often the most overlooked or forgotten. It’s sometimes described as meaty or savory. Beef is full of umami!
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Look Again Layers!
This liquid density trick is so cool it’s half science, half magic trick!
What You Need
A tall, clear glass (a martini glass makes a great showpiece)
¼ cup each of maple syrup, glycerin, light cooking oil, rubbing alcohol and water
Food coloring (red and blue)
What You Do
1. Mix the water with 2-3 drops blue food coloring.
2. Mix the rubbing alcohol with 2-3 drops red food coloring.
3. Pour the maple syrup into the bottom of the tall, clear glass.
4. Next, add the glycerin by very slowly pouring it down the side of the glass so as not to upset the syrup. Wait a few minutes for the two layers to settle.
5. Slowly add the blue water, then the cooking oil. Finally, pour the rubbing alcohol onto the top.
What You’ll Learn
Talk about the “liquid parfait” you’ve created. How did you make liquids float? Just like solids, liquids have density or a weight per volume. As long as you know what order to layer them, you can float a less dense liquid on top of a dense liquid. In this case, rubbing alcohol is the least dense liquid, while syrup is the most dense. Remember, this experiment is just for looking, not drinking!
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Lemon To The Rescue!
Lemons and apples make quite the ‘pear’ in this simple experiment.
What You Need
1 apple
1 lemon
Small knife
Small plate
What You Do
Cut the apple into four parts. Put the apple pieces on the plate and squeeze lemon juice onto two of the pieces. Let all the apple pieces stand for 3 hours.
What You’ll Learn
The pieces of apple not treated with lemon juice have turned brown. The apple pieces with lemon juice have not. Why?
When exposed to air or oxygen, certain chemicals in the apple react by destroying cells which turn brown. The Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) in the lemon juice slows down this chemical reaction, which preserves the color and taste of the apple.
*Did you know? A similar chemical reaction happens to ground beef. The fresh ground beef you normally see in your grocery store meatcase is a bright cherry-red color, but this is only because it’s been exposed to air (oxygen). The beef’s natural color is purplish-red, which is what you’ll find in the interior of packaged ground beef that has not been exposed to air. Once broken apart and exposed to air, the ground beef will turn bright cherry-red.
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