Kids out of Classroom and into White House Garden
By Madison Hartke-Weber
June 25, 2009
Many parents think that good nutrition is the key to keeping their kids healthy. President and Mrs. Obama are no exception. On June 16, First Lady Michelle Obama held a harvesting party in the First Lady’s Garden on the White House grounds in Washington, D.C. She used the opportunity to teach about the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables. About 30 fifth and sixth graders were on hand to help.
“Too many kids are consuming high calorie foods with little or no nutritional value,” said Mrs. Obama at the event.
The students were from Bancroft Elementary School in Northwest D.C. They were the same kids who helped plant the garden in March. They were invited back to help harvest, prepare, and eat the product of their hard work. Harvested vegetables included lettuce, peas, and the garden’s first cucumber.
The First Lady’s Garden is the first vegetable garden at the White House since First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden during World War II. About 55 different varieties of vegetables were planted in the garden on the South Lawn.
Dressed in orange jeans and a bright orange and white sweater, Mrs. Obama thanked the students for helping with the garden. She then split them into groups to perform various tasks. About half of the kids picked produce with the First Lady, while the other half cleaned the vegetables with the help of associate White House chef, Sam Kass.
Like the First Family, Kass, who was the Obama’s personal chef in Chicago, believes that it is important for kids to develop good eating habits from an early age.
“Eat apples or other fruits that you don’t have to cook,” he told Scholastic Kids Press Corps when asked for the tips on how kids can incorporate fruits or vegetables into their everyday meals. “You can also eat a small salad with meals.”
After harvesting the plants, the students carried everything into the White House kitchen to cook. With help from White House chefs, they made baked chicken with rice and peas, salads with a honey dressing, and cupcakes decorated with blueberries and raspberries.
Some students worked in the kitchen along with the First Lady shelling and cooking peas. Everyone else worked outside making salads and dressing, or putting the fruit on cupcakes.
Before the meal, Mrs. Obama talked to the students about the importance of good eating habits.
“As a nation, we need to make good food more accessible,” she said.
She pointed out that many people live in places with no grocery stores or farmers’ markets nearby. They are forced to buy groceries at convenience stores and gas stations. One-third of the nation’s children are overweight or obese, she said, and likely to have “a shorter life span than their parents.”
Many schools also need to improve the quality of school lunches and teach students about the importance of nutrition. Before sitting down to eat, she thanked the “terrific young people” in front of her, for helping to educate the nation about good eating habits.
In conclusion, she urged everyone to go home and become “little ambassadors,” taking their experiences from the First Lady’s Garden back into their own communities.
Source: Scholastic News Online
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
California Brings Electric Books
By Lara Anderson
June 23, 2009
Textbooks are heavy, clunky, outdated, and expensive, according to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. That’s why he plans to do away with them, in favor of electronic textbooks. He recently announced plans to make electronic versions of math and science textbooks available in California public schools this fall. High school math and science classes will be the first to make the switch to electronic textbooks.
Critics of this plan say schools don’t have enough computers to allow each student to use electronic books. But Governor Schwarzenegger says it’s important to make the change now because it will help kids learn-and save the state millions of dollars during tough economic times.
What Are They Like?
Electronic textbooks are read on a computer screen. These textbooks are interactive, meaning students can search the text, watch videos, print pages, highlight and make notes within the text, and add bookmarks to help organize information.
“If I want to understand a calculus problem, I could click on a link in a digital textbook and watch someone solve it,” Rae Belisle, a member of California’s State Board of Education, told The Mercury News. “Better yet, I could watch them solve it over and over again.”
And unlike printed textbooks-which usually are used in the classroom for six years-electronic textbooks can be updated constantly. This gives students access to the most-up-to-date information.
Why Now?
California officials are looking for ways to cut costs in the state’s budget. They say they want to limit cuts to education programs. The Governor’s plan to introduce electronic textbooks could help save millions of dollars for the state. With six million public school students, California spent $350 million on textbooks last year.
Schwarzenegger says electronic textbooks will cost much less than printed ones. Some of the electronic textbooks being considered for use in California schools are free.
“We must do everything we can to untie educators’ hands and free up dollars so that schools can do more with fewer resources,” Schwarzenegger wrote in the San Jose Mercury News.
Electronically Challenged
But not everyone is on board just yet. A major problem is the lack of access to computers. In fact, there is just one computer for every five students in California schools. Critics of the Governor’s plan point out that any money saved by using electronic textbooks will have to go toward technology expenses.
“Every kid, every classroom, needs access to the Internet and to a computer if you’re going to talk about putting textbooks on the Internet,” Sheila Jordan, Alameda County Superintendent of Schools, told The San Francisco Chronicle.
Jennifer Black, a San Jose English teacher, agrees. “Most of my high-achieving students have computers at home, but a lot of my struggling students don’t,” she told The Mercury News. “I don’t assign homework by e-mail or ask for papers to be typed because online access is just not a daily part of their lives.”
Positive Thinking
Neeru Khosla is the founder of CK-12 Foundation, an organization that seeks to reduce the cost of textbook materials. Khosla supports the Governor’s call for electronic textbooks. She says that not every student needs access to a computer as long as the teacher can print out pages or use a classroom projector to display materials.
“We need to get our kids excited about learning,” Khosla told The Mercury News. She says that’s just what electronic textbooks do.
Source: Scholastic News Online
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com