Good Food Brownie Scout Badgework (nka Eat Right, Stay Healthy)

Much of this was review for Shayla because we often talk of food in our home. But she had fun doing it anyway.

Smart Shopper

Although we eat mostly healthy and organic in our home, there are several nameless individuals that have to have a "good snack" every now and then. Thus, we have junkfood, too. I don't have to worry about myself or Shayla being tempted to eat it. We both remember how yucky we felt before so, it's not even an option to "sneak" it.

With that said, we got several products out of our stash. We looked at the packaging, read it, discussed it. I explained where to find the ingredients on a package. The items are listed on the label in the order of what it contains the most of. I read the ingredients and Shayla determined them to be ok or junkfood. We compared ingredients of homemade vs. packaged. We discussed the hidden names for corn, milk, wheat and gluten and other unhealthy ingredients. She asked a good question, why do they put those things in?

She became confused on the kool-aid. It claimed to be an antioxidant, contain large amounts of vitamins, and be gluten-free. This was also a good opportunity to talk about truth-in-labeling.

(health, science)

Great Groceries

We discussed what we needed at the store this week while looking at the store ads. We discussed meals and what kind of foods go together. Shayla cut out items needed and glued them on a paper. She took this to the grocery store with us.

She also helped put things into the cart and onto the conveyor at the checkout. This is a big step for her because usually she avoids being an active participant in our grocery shopping.

(health, fine motor skills, homemaking life skills)

Dairy Foods

Shayla identified different foods that belong to the dairy category. Unfortunately, we were unable to sample any because of food allergies to all dairy products, but instead, we did enjoy some Rice Divine (comparable to ice cream).

Proteins

Shayla identified several types of proteins, including meats, poultry, and dry beans and seeds.

Next, we looked at every kind of dried bean in our house. We had about every bean imaginable. We read labels on some packages and talked about the vitamins/minerals each bean contained. Shayla enjoyed feeling and smelling all the beans!

Then, she assisted me in making her one of her and her dad's favorite meals: soup beans! While doing this, I explained the importance of soaking the beans.

Plenty of Pasta

Similar to the activity we did with beans, we pulled every type of pasta out and looked at them, touched them and identified them.

We discussed how pasta can be made from different things, such as wheat, rice flour, spinach, etc.

She really enjoyed playing in a container of macaroni. We used to do this frequently as a sensory activity.

She will also be assisting me in making a meal of spaghetti & meatballs for our family dinner tonight.

(health, sensory)

*Note to self: If I were a supermom, I would teach my child to make homemade pasta to go with this activity, but, I'm not a supermom!