Nutrition and Food!

 Nutrition and Food

Food contains the nutrients we need to live and thrive! Different foods have different nutrients and we need different amounts of each nutrient. This is why it is important to learn about the nutrition in food and what nutrition your body needs. There are five different types of nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and Vitamins and minerals. 

Watch this video to learn to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy foods! 

A healthy diet, or nutritious diet, is one that is balanced, meaning it has food from every food group, and is varied, meaning it has a lot of different types of food. 

Our bodies need: 

Vitamins and Minerals
Carbohydrates 
Proteins
Fats 

Vegetables and fruits have loads of vitamins and minerals. Different fruits and vegetables have different vitamins and minerals, this is why it is important to eat a variety of them. 

Carbohydrates can be found in things like bread, pasta, and rice! It is better to eat whole grains as our source of carbohydrates than processed carbohydrates, such as white bread and sugary cereals. 

We can get protein in many things. Protein can be found in meat, fish, beans, nuts, dairy products, and vegetables too! Protein is important to build strong muscles, bones, and teeth. Foods that have protein contain the mineral calcium which is important for our bones. 

It is also important to have fats in our diet, but not as much as the previously mentioned things. Fats are stored for when we need extra energy. Some examples of healthy fats are olive oil, eggs, and avocado. 

Eating healthy isn't the only thing we have to do to be healthy! Doing exercise, limiting screen time, sleeping enough, and following hygiene rules are also ways to help us to keep healthy!

Here is a video of exercises you can do at home to stay healthy!

These kids are all exercising to stay healthy, what are they doing? Put your answers below. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

Check your answers here! 

1. biking

2. running

3. sit-ups/crunches 

4. lifting weights 

5. jumping rope

6. yoga

It is important to limit your screen time because screens are bad for your posture and eyes. what are three things you could do that are healthy for you, instead of being on a screen? 

1. __________________

2. __________________

3. __________________

Some examples are: read a book, go for a walk, paint a picture, play an instrument, play with an animal, sing a song, talk with your parents, garden! The possibilities are endless. 

Besides being active, limiting screen time, and getting a good amount of sleep, it is also important to maintain good hygiene to be healthy. Good hygiene means: 

1. You should wash your hands often, especially before eating and after going to the bathroom.

2. You should brush your teeth at least twice a day, when you wake up and when you go to bed. 

3. You shouldn't eat food when it has expired. 

4. You should wear plastic shoes when you go to the swimming pool. 

5. You should blow your nose with a tissue when it is runny and throw the tissue in the bin afterward. 

6. You should shower and brush your hair. 

Can you think of other ways to stay healthy besides the ones we mentioned here? 

Food intolerances and allergies!

A food intolerance means the digestive system doesn’t work well when you eat products with a specific ingredient. 

Common food intolerances include lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance. People with lactose intolerances should avoid dairy products. People with gluten intolerances should avoid bread. 

A food allergy means that your body reacts badly to certain foods: you can get a rash, an upset stomach, or difficulty breathing. 

Common food allergies include peanuts, soy, dairy, shellfish, and eggs. 

Watch this video on peanut allergies to understand more about allergies!

Digestion and Excretion

Our Digestive and Excretory Systems!

Our digestive system is how we get nutrients from the food we eat. Our excretory systems allow our bodies to get rid of the excess water and waste from the food we eat and liquids we drink. 

How does the digestive system work? 

1. Digestion starts in the mouth! The mouth has teeth that break down the food into small pieces and a tongue that mixes the food with saliva. 

2. Next, the food travels through the esophagus to the stomach. 

3. The food stays in the stomach for three hours. In the stomach, the food mixes with gastric juices. The food is eventually turned into a thick liquid and passes to the small intestine. 

4. In the small intestine, the nutrients from the thick liquid are absorbed into the bloodstream. The remaining liquid moves to the large intestine. 

5. The waste (what our body doesn't absorb) is then passed through the large intestine and exits the body through the anus. 

Watch this animation to get a visual of the digestive system!

Now that you have watched the video, try pronouncing the important terms. 

Human excretory system 

How does our excretory system work? 

1. The blood goes through the kidneys. The kidneys remove excess water and waste products from the blood and turn them into urine. 

2. The ureters are long tubes where the urine goes down to the bladder.

3. The bladder is like a bag, it collects the urine. When it is full it sends messages to our brain. It is time to go to the toilet.

4. The urethra is a short tube. Urine goes down here and leaves our body when we go to the toilet.

Watch this video on the excretory system to learn more!

Now that you have watched the video, try pronouncing the important terms. 

For each of these terms, identify whether the term comes from the digestive system or the excretory system. 

1. Kidney 

2. Gastric juices 

3. Stomach

4. Urine

5. Urethra

7. Small intestine 

8. Bladder  

9. Esophagus 

10. Teeth 

Answers here: 

1. Kidney, excretory system 

2. Gastric juices, digestive system 

3. Stomach, digestive system 

4. Urine, excretory system

5. Urethra, excretory system

7. Small intestine, digestive system 

8. Bladder, excretory system 

9. Esophagus, digestive system 

10. Teeth, digestive system 

Plants!

Plants are amazing things! They give us food and produce the air we breathe. Plants are living things. Because they are living they need things to stay alive, just like you and I. What do plants need? 

What Plants Need!

Plants need: 

Air

Sunlight

Soil

Water

How a plant grows: 

The rootstake in water from the soil. 
The stemholds the plant up. 
The leaves take in air and sunlight. 

The flowers of a plant are colorful and produce seeds for the reproduction of the plant. 

Trees:

Trees are tall, woody plants. 

Trees have a thick, hard stem called a trunk.

They have roots and branches. 

Some trees have flowers and fruits.

 

Deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn. 

Evergreen trees are green all year round.

Flowers:

Some plants have flowers.

Most flowers have four parts:

sepal, petals, stamens, and pistil.

Flowers make seeds

These seeds then make new plants. 

Some flowers turn into fruits 


The fruit contains seeds. When the fruit falls to the ground, new plants grow from the seeds.

Non-flowering plants: 

Mosses and ferns are plants. Mosses are short and soſt.

Ferns have green leaves. Mosses and ferns don’t have flowers and they can’t make seeds. They reproduce with spores.

Ferns are small and green and live in shady places. They have roots, stems, and leaves. Ferns donʼt have flowers or fruits.

Here is a picture of mosses and ferns, can you tell which is which?

Finish off with these exercises! 

1.- Write the correct part of the plant according to the description.

LEAVES     -      STEM      -      FLOWER     -      ROOTS

_____________________they take in water and nutrients from the soil.

_____________________they take energy from sunlight and make food for the plant.

_____________________it takes water though the plant to the leaves.

_____________________it matures to form the fruit.

2.- LABEL THE PARTS OF THE PLANT

   Valentines day 

What is Valentine's Day? 

Valentine's Day is a romantic day celebrated on February 14th. People send greeting cards called valentines to their loved ones. Many valentines have romantic verses, and others have humorous pictures and sayings. The most common saying is, "Be my Valentine." 

Schools decorate their classrooms with paper hearts and streamers just for this occasion! In The United State of America, many children bring valentines to school to pass out to their friends and classmates. The most common gifts to give on Valentine's Day are candy and flowers.  

Watch this video to learn some amazing facts about Valentine's day, and then answer the questions below to test your comprehension! 

Valentine's day video questions: 

1. Who receives the most Valentines each year? 

2. Who was the first person to make chocolates for Valentine's day? 

3. What did Claudius II make against the law? 

The answers are at the bottom of this blog post :) 

Can you name these Valentine's day symbols? 

rings, a rose, February 14th, 

a heart-shaped box of chocolates, a love letter, a heart-shaped balloon,

a calendar, candles, a heart locket 

Valentines Day Vocabulary: 

Love 

Valentines 

Sweetheart 

Candy 

Box of chocolates

Girlfriend

Boyfriend

Beloved 

Cupid 

Dove 

Friendship 

Heart

Kiss 

Hug

St. Valentine

Romance

The History of Valentine's Day 

The holiday of Valentine's Day is thought to have come from the ancient Roman feast called "Lupercalia." 

In the early days of Rome, dangerous wolves lived in the forest nearby. 

The Romans called upon one of their gods, Lupercus, to keep the wolves away. 

A festival held in honor of Lupercus was celebrated on February 15th. 

One of the customs of Lupercalia for young people was called "name-drawing." 

On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia, the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and put in a jar. Each young man drew a piece of paper with a name on it. The girl whose name was chosen would be his "sweetheart" for the year.

Legend says that the holiday became Valentine's Day after a priest named Valentine!

Valentine was a priest in Rome at the time when Christianity was a new religion. The Emperor at that time was Claudius II. Claudius II ordered the Roman soldiers not to marry or become engaged, he believed that as married men, his soldiers would want to stay home with their families rather than fight his wars. 

Valentine disobeyed the Emperor's order and secretly married the young couples. He was eventually arrested, imprisoned, and executed. 

Valentine was executed on February 14th, the eve of the Roman holiday Lupercalia. After his death, Valentine was named a saint. 

As Rome became more Christian, the priests moved the spring holiday from the 15th of February to the 14th - Valentine's Day. Now the holiday honored Saint Valentine instead of Lupercus.

Here is a Valentine's day video about a little monkey, watch it to practice your English comprehension!

On Valentine's day people often...

  

Give gifts to their loved ones! Gifts such as flowers, cards, and candy. 

Write valentines to their loved ones and sweethearts.

Tell the people in their life that they love and appreciate them. 

Valentine's day video answers: 

1. Who receives the most Valentines each year? Teachers 

2. Who was the first person to make chocolates for Valentine's day? Richard Cadbury

3. What did Claudius II make against the law? Marriage

When you think of Valentine's day, what do you think of? 

How are you going to celebrate Valentine's day this year? 

 Animals

We are not alone on this earth! We share it with so many other beautiful creatures. These are animals! Let's learn about the other animals on this earth.  

Can you name each of these animals? 

Try to name them before looking at the answers below to see if you are correct. :)
 
there is a bird, a chicken, a cow, a fish
a mouse, a rabbit, a spider, a pig, 
a frog, a cat, a lamb, a dog
a camel, a butterfly, a horse, and an elephant! 

Mammals 

1. Mammals are viviparous.

2. Mammals drink their mother's milk.

3. Most mammals have hair. 

4. Most mammals have four legs. 

Reptiles

1. Reptiles are oviparous.

2. Some reptiles have legs.

3. Reptiles have scales. 

4. Some reptiles slither. 

Fish

1. Fish are oviparous

2. Fish have scales. 

3. Fish swim. 

4. Fish have fins. 

Birds 

1. Birds are oviparous.

2. Birds have two legs. 

3. Birds have feathers.

4. Birds can fly. 

Amphibians 

1. Amphibians are oviparous. 

2. Amphibians lay eggs in water. 

3. Amphibians have four legs. 

4. Amphibians have wet skin. 

Insects 

1. Insects are oviparous. 

2. There are vertebrate and invertebrate insects. 

Do you want to learn the names of 61 new animals? if so, watch this video! 
Animals can be: 

Herbivores

 

Omnivores 

or 
Carnivores 

Now that we have learned about the different classifications of animals, let's take a look at the picture again and decide if each animal is a mammal, reptile, fish, bird, amphibian, or insect! 

Can classify each of these animals? 

Try to classify them before looking at the answers below to see if you are correct. :) 
There is a bird, a bird, a mammal, a fish
a mammal, a mammal, an insect, a mammal, 
an amphibian, a mammal, a mammal, a mammal
a mammal, an insect, a mammal, and a mammal! 

Want to learn more? Watch this video to learn the names of wild animals!

What is your favorite animal?