Food and Nutrition

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 Fourth grade scientists did a study of food and nutrion.  In the first activity, students are introduced to fats as nutrients in the human diet.  They spread or crush small samples of differnt foods on brown paper and look for evidence of fat after 2 or 3 days.  Students measure the area of the grease spots made by their food samples and compare them to the grease spot produced by a sample of pure fat (cooking oil).  In the second activity, the sugar test, students discover that when yeast is provided with warmth, water and sugar, it begins to metabolize and give off a gas, carbon dioxide.  Using yeast as an indicator of the presence of sugar, they set up experimehts to find out if a selection of breakfast cereals (and other foods)contain sugar.  Students also try to determine the identity of 20 lunch foods by examining only lists of their ingredients.  Students learn to calculate calories and use nutritional guidelines to help them make choices about foods they eat.