Growing Healthy Homes has created an incredible product titled Nutrition 101: Choose Life! It is awesome! I received the e-book and it is HUGE...448 pages! The pictures are beautiful, so I have been printing each chapter in full-color and putting them in a notebook with page protectors [to make a nice book].
The first 283 pages covers 6 units: 1) The Brain and Nervous System; 2) Digestion and Elimination; 3) Respiration and Olfactory; 4) Muscular and Skeletal Systems; 5) Cardiovascular and Immune Systems; and 6) Endocrine System and Emotions. The units include hands-on activities, science and art projects and nearly 80 family-friendly recipes. The remaining pages include an answer key and 31 appendices filled with nutrition facts, charts, practical tips and an exhaustive index.
It is a strong desire for my hubby and I to feed our children well and to teach them to eat healthy, so we cook low-fat, meals that focus on nutrition and I do my best to not buy junk food. We also buy organic, local when possible. We are all very active...the children are in gymnastics, tennis, & swim, my hubby mountain bikes approximately 50+ miles a week, and I exercise daily. We want them to grow up in a health-focused atmosphere, but I have been searching for a health curriculum that would teach my children the 'why' behind our choices. I had just about given up on finding a biblically based program (thought it did not exist), so you can imagine my excitement as we began reading the first unit 'The Brain and Nervous System'. The first paragraph states:
Psalm 139:14 declares "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." God made our brains and nervous systems to do some amazing things!I quickly realized that this was the health curriculum I have been searching for!
Each chapter is approximately 5-10 pages long and includes a yummy recipe. It works well with my four-day schedule! We read/study the chapter the first two days, complete the activities on the third day and create the yummy recipe the fourth day! As we worked through the first chapter 'The Brain' I gave my children a picture of the brain to color (found it on Enchanted Learning). My children focus/listen better while coloring and we enjoy notebooking, so I always try to find a picture that goes with the chapter/unit we are studying...once colored, we add it to our notebook.
The second chapter 'Brain Health and Nutrition' included a Greek salad recipe. On our 4th day of study, we celebrated with a 'brain power' lunch! It was fun and the kids ate the salad right up! I quizzed them by asking questions like: "Which ingredient contains omega fatty acids? How does it protect our heart?, etc.... They seem to eat better [and make better choices] when they know how different foods effect our bodies.
I 100% love this product! It is a complete science/health curriculum that the whole family will enjoy and benefit from. We have made a few changes that are already reaping benefits...cutting out sugar! The kids are on board because they now understand why sugar [a chemical] is bad for our bodies. Learning the 'why' behind our choices empowers us and motivates us to live healthy!
Nutrition 101: Choose Life! is available as an e-book on a CD-ROM for $79.95. The printed book can be bought for $99.95, and the book and CD-ROM can be purchased together for $129.95. *I would order the full-color printed book...it's beautiful and well-worth the price! This will be a resource you keep and use for many, many years!
Take a look at the sample pages. You can see the table of contents with all the details and index topics!
To read reviews from my TOS crewmates, click here!
