What's Cooking With Kids

Jun 8Student Perspectives – Common Snacks for Teens

When asked what some of their common snacks were, students responded with this collection of photographs. Created with flickr slideshow. Would you say that these types of snacks are common in your household?

Jun 5Media Literacy with Teens – Spoof Ads

It should come as no surprise that a lesson on media literacy would accompany our big food unit in Biology. With food porn from Carl's Junior, weight loss advertisements, diet foods, teensy snack packages, and other not-so-subtle messages, food ads carry a pretty powerful message. I wanted my students to understand a few things about the real world: Women do NOT look like that. Men should not expect women to look like that. You don't need to make love to your food in the back seat of...

May 30The Weight of the Nation - Challenges for Famili...

We are in the midst of a unit on food and food systems ecology in my high school biology class, so I couldn't think of a better time for the HBO series Weight of the Nation to air. Even better is the fact that HBO is generously sharing this show with everyone, even if you aren't a subscriber. I found this portion of the show especially compelling - it focuses on our nation's children and the obesity crisis we are currently in. Things definitely need to change around here. Maybe one...

May 28Student Perspective: What Healthy Teens Look Lik...

When we started our big food unit in Biology, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give my students a photography assignment. Most of them can hardly be torn away from their smart-phones, so it seemed like a productive use for their technology. In this series of photographs, my students wanted to share their perspective of what healthy teens look like. They suggested that "healthy" behavior isn't limited to diet - but also includes an overall balanced lifestyle. What do...

May 19Guest Expert - Sustainable Farming and Pink Slim...

Guest Expert – Sustainable Farming and Pink Slime

As you can imagine, while I was building What's Cooking with Kids, I met some amazing people who care about good food and the health of our planet. I never expected that I'd meet farmers via Twitter - but that's how I met Rod Morrison, the owner of Rocky Mountain Organic Meats. We both care deeply about how animals are treated and about preserving the land for future generations. When I was hired to return to the classroom to teach high school biology this year, I promised Rod that I'd somehow...

Mar 15Student Perspectives on Genetically Modified Foo...

It's a lucky coincidence that during the same week that Pink Slime is making it big in the news, my students and I are discussing whether or not most foods are "natural." After a week of extracting our own DNA and using some fancy borrowed equipment, my high school students are intrigued about the uses of biotechnology in the world. Aside from their obsession with all things CSI and forensics, they were also curious about what is in the foods that they eat. The concept of "fish-berries" had...

Feb 22Real Food for Performance Athletes (Dog Sledding...

Regardless of your species, performance athletes require amazing REAL food to sustain their energy. On our winter vacation to Montana, our family had an adventure of a lifetime - we went dog sledding outside of Whitefish. The dogs were amazing athletes and ate an incredible diet. Dog Sled Adventures was an awesome operation, filled with 121 dogs (plus lots of barking and loads of yellow snow.) The animals are very well cared for, getting lots of attention from the staff and all of the...

Jan 26Extracting DNA from Strawberries – Food Science

Given all of the years that I have spent teaching children to cook and eat healthy, it comes as no surprise that I like to include food in my high school biology curriculum. Right now, we are finishing up a unit on cell division and DNA. My students were thrilled to find a large mug filled with strawberries on my desk this week on our lab day. But they couldn't get over the strange mixture of odors - the sweet fragrance of the berries combined with the vapors evaporating from our bottles of...

Jan 7Student Perspective - Reasons to Avoid Drinking ...

Student Perspective – Reasons to Avoid Drinking Soda

I recently set up a Facebook page for my high school biology students. I was having trouble getting them to visit our class website, so I figured I'd might as well meet them where they are already spending a lot of their time. In an effort to engage them, I decided that I'd post some super interesting (and gross) science-related news stories and offer them a little credit for giving their thoughts. The first news story that I posted was about a legal case in which a man sued Pepsi because...

Jan 1Happy New Year!

Our family couldn't have finished 2011 on a better note. Happy new year to you and your family. May it bring you delicious food, wonderful adventures, health and happiness. xoxoxoxo Michelle