Top 5 Must-See Food DVD’s

All of these shows should be mandatory viewing for all

adults—especially educators!! You can find the first four

through www.netflix.com (several of which you can watch

instantly). Parts of these movies might be worth showing to

your classroom, given your students’ age. (Some have some

language or some scenes that might be harsh for young

eyes, so most certainly preview!)

1. Food, Inc. (2008)

2. Super-Size Me (2004)

3. King Corn (2007)

4. Killer at Large: Why

Obesity is America’s

Greatest Threat (2008)

5. Jamie Oliver’s Food

Revolution (this 2009 series can be found on

www.hulu.com or www.abc.com)

Fish Free Fridays

Unfortunately ocean toxins are making

certain fish fall in the “dangerous food” category. Use the

Plastiki fish info pages to give your students an opportunity

to “read for information” to learn why some fish can be

harmful (http://www.theplastiki.com/fishfreefriday/).

Then invite them to either use the information to write

persuasive/informative paragraphs or speeches. You also

could turn the info into a Jeopardy style game!

The Dirty Dozen Grocery Grid

The “dirty dozen” has nothing to do with Dirty Harry.

Rather, it has to do with the 12 fruits and vegetables that

are best to buy organically if you are picking and chosing

where to go organic in your grocery quest. It is the food in

this list that tend to hold a higher level reason of chemicals

(both pesticides & herbicides) than other grown edibles (as

found at http://organic.lovetoknow.com/Dirty_Dozen_Organic_Foods).

Introduce your students to the “dirty dozen” by giving each

student a copy of page 2 of the Green Team Gazette. After

reading the intro and the directions, invite your students to

hunt for the 12 coordinates at the bottom of the page to

find the 12 foods on the grid.

The Green Team Gazette Volume 3, Issue 3, page 1 November 2010

Harvest Time

The autumn brings to mind harvest

time and Thanksgiving. It is the time

we start to think about food,friends,

fellowship, and all the things for which we are thankful.

One thing most certainly to be thankful for is your

health. Especially since Thanksgiving opens up a 6+ week

season of parties, feasts, & often over-indulgence. It

doesn’t help that portion sizes in America are a lot

larger than they were in “days gone by.” According to

the CDC (the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention),

in 2002 the average American man weighed 191 pounds

(up from 166.3 lbs in 1960) and the average female

weighed 164.3 pounds (up from 1960’s 140.2 pounds).

The same holds true for kids:

A good place to start your discussion in a classroom is to

show this chart and invite your students to start doing

the math. Then, bounce from there into a conversation

as to why Americans apparently are growing!!

GTG Blog Archives

A visit to the Green Team Gazette webpage and a

click on “food” in the “GTG Cloud Labels” will give you a

bundle of extra food/nutrition resources (http://green-

teamgazette.blogspot.com/search/label/food).

The Green Team Gazette is a publication

co-sponsored by the founders of CynerGreen

CGKidz, and Eagle Cove School (formerly “Gibson Island Country School”), a Green

School in Pasadena, Maryland. Our mission is

to educate and share ways to “go green”—both big & small--

and be environ-mentally-proactive at home, in school, and

beyond. It is written by Vicki Dabrowka, 3rd grade teacher

& co-Green Team Leader at Eagle Cove School. To learn

more visit www.cynergreen.com, www.cgkidz.com, and

www.eaglecoveschool.org. You can also follow us at

http://greenteamgazette.blogspot.com/ or find us at “Green

Team Gazette” on Facebook.

Please print on recycled paper. Copyright © 2010 Vicki Dabrowka

Weight 1960s 2002 2010 10 yr old boy 74.2 lbs nearly 85 lbs No info

yet…but odds

are, it’s

trending up!

10 yr old girl 77.4 lbs nearly 88 lbs

15 yr old boy 135.5 lbs 150.3 lbs

15 yr old girl 124.2 lbs 134.4 lbs

The Dirty Dozen Grocery Grid: The Answers Apples C1 Cherries E5 Grapes A4 Peaches F2

Celery A6 Bell peppers B2 Lettuce F6 Pears D2

Potatoes E7 Strawberries C6 Spinach D4 Nectarines B7

The “Dirty Dozen” Grocery Grid

Use the coordinates below to find the 12 foods that you should always try to

buy organic when you have the choice. Can you find the “Dirty Dozen.”

7

bananas

nectarines

avocado

onion

potatoes

turnips

6

celery

green beans

strawberries

tomatoes

pumpkin

lettuce

5

pineapple

limes

eggplant

garlic

cherries

radishes

4

grapes

cabbage

blueberries

spinach

corn

cucumber

3

carrots

artichoke

watermelon

cantaloupe

broccoli

zucchini

2

plums

bell peppers

lemons

pears

cauliflower

peaches

1

kiw

mushrooms

apples

raspberries

honeydew

asparagus

A B C D E F

C1 _________________ E5 _________________ A4 __________________

F2 _________________ B7 __________________ D2 __________________

F6 _________________ C6 __________________

A6 ________________ E7 __________________

D4__________________ B2 __________________

retain a higher level of pesticides and herbicides used by farmers than other types of produce. Let's take a closer look,

but first, a little background information.

The Green Team Gazette Volume 3, Issue 3 , page 2 November 2010

Copyright © 2010 Vicki Dabrowka