These are the survey results from the 1-3 graders at Riebli School. We’re pleased!

Survey Questions
09/12/2012 class, ending October 10th.

Q: How many body systems do you have?
A: 11
Pre-test 25%
Post-test 100%
Increased by
(post%-pre%) 80%

Q: What is a food mile?
A: The distance food travels from the farm to the your table
Pre-test 16.6%
Post-test 90.9%
Increased by
(post%-pre%) 89.24%

Q: How many hours of sleep do kids need each night?
A: 9 hours
Pre-test 58.3%
Post-test 100%
41.7%

Q: Which of the following is a whole-grain?
A: Brown rice
Pre-test 41.6%
Post-test 100%
Increased by
(post%-pre%) 58.4%

Q: Which of the following is a muscle?
A:Heart
Pre-test 66.6%
Post-test 81.8%
Increased by
(post%-pre%) 15.2%

We teach the kids many lessons from the five directions that make up D5! We decided to teach them about GMO’s at the same time we taught the kids how to make pudding. It’s a cornstarch-based pudding, and since corn is #1 on this list, we thought it was appropriate!

First the list of the 10 Top Ten GMO Foods.

• Corn: Our number-one agricultural commodity. In 2000, 79.5 million acres of harvested cropland in the U.S. were corn, 25% of which GMO.
• Soy: The number-two U.S. agricultural commodity. Sixty percent of processed foods contain soy ingredients, and 82% of edible fats and oils consumed in the U.S. are soy-based. In 2000, 54% of the 74.5 million acres of soybeans grown in the U.S. was Roundup Ready soy.
• Potato: Currently, the only GE potato is a Burbank Russet variety, marketed under the name NewLeaf. This Bt-producing plant is lethal to the Colorado potato beetle – and possibly to beneficial insects.
• Tomato: The first GE tomato, the Flavr Savr, was introduced commercially in 1994, but flopped because it proved tasteless. Since then, other varieties, including a cherry tomato, have been genetically engineered to delay ripening and extend shelf life.
• Canola: Of the 15 million acres of canola grown in the U.S. and Canada annually, 35% is GE, mostly for herbicide-resistance.
• Cottonseed Oil: In 2000, 61% of the 15.5 million acres of cotton grown in the U.S. was genetically engineered. Every year, half a million tons of cottonseed oil makes its way into salad dressings, baked goods and snack foods. About 1.4 million tons of cottonseed meal is fed to livestock annually.
• Papaya: More than one third of Hawaiian papayas have been genetically engineered to withstand the papaya ringspot virus. Organic papaya growers in Hawaii worry that the pollen from GE papaya trees will contaminate their crops.
• Radicchio: Currently one variety of radicchio, called Seed Link, has been genetically engineered to be resistant glufosinate, an herbicide.
• Squash: Several varieties of summer squash have been genetically engineered to resist mosaic viruses. Some scientists are concerned that resistance to the virus may spread to weedy relatives, such as gourds, found in the U.S., creating invasive superweeds.
• Salmon: A company called Aqua Bounty has engineered a salmon with genes from two different fish species so that it grows much more quickly than non-GE salmon. The company now seeks FDA approval to market this fish for human consumption. Escaped into the environment, (which is inevitable on fish farms), the GE fish may be larger and more aggressive, eat more food, and mate more often, though their offspring are less fit to survive in the wild, raising the possibility of wild species extinction. Human health effects are also relatively unknown. Currently, research on transgenic strains of 35 fish species world-wide is underway.

Now for pudding!

Vanilla Pudding

This is a simple cornstarch pudding

Serves 5

Ingredients

2 cups milk

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat milk until bubbles form at edges. In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into hot milk, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into serving dishes. Chill before serving.

Variation: For coconut pudding, coconut milk instead of the milk. To make this vegan, delete the butter. For chocolate pudding, add 3 tablespoons cocoa to the sugar/cornstarch mixture.

Here is a photo journal of this years Gala! Enjoy!

First, the Sad Facts about America’s Kids from the Centers for Disease Control

• Among preschool children aged 2-5, obesity increased from 5.0% to 10.4% between 1976-1980 and 2007-2008 and from 6.5% to 19.6% among those aged 6-11.
• Among adolescents aged 12-19, obesity increased from 5.0% to 18.1% during the same period. The prevalence of pre-diabetes and Type-2 diabetes from 9% in 1999 to 23% in 2008.
• The percentage of young people who are obese has approxi­mately tripled since 1980. In 2003–2006, 16.3 % of children and adolescents aged 2–19 years had a body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for age and sex on the CDC growth charts.
•  In 2007, 65% of young people in grades 9–12 did not get the recommended amount of physical activity; 35% watched tele­vision for 3 or more hours on the average school day
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is identified as an important liver disease in children, occurring even in the very young.The incidence in the general population is 2.6% but increases to 53% in obese children; thus, NAFLD is expected to become the most common cause of pediatric chronic liver disease in the near future.
• Obesity is a significant risk factor for asthma: investigators have suggested a link between the pro-inflammatory state in obesity and the increasing prevalence of asthma.
• Among children and adolescents, annual hospital costs related to obesity were $127 million during 1997–1999 up from $35 million during 1979–1981.

American adolescents carry a heavy burden of future heart disease and diabetes risk, and while obesity has strongly contributed to their poor health prospects, normal-weight kids not consuming enough health-supporting foods are at risk for various diseases as well. Lack of dietary fiber, as just one example, affecting gastrointestinal health, is a major problem in adolescents.

Addressing obesity and ill-health in today’s children will alter the frequency and severity of a host of diseases they will encounter decades later, a return on investment that may be profound, says the National Commission on Prevention Priorities (NCPP)

Although these statistics are disheartening, at DirectionFive, we know that we can help. We are founded on the principles that if kids are a part of the process, they will be part of the solution. Our five programs are based on what the kids told us they want to learn in combination with the information we know they must learn. With DirectionFive’s help, our kids receive the necessary tools to live healthier lives, while having a healthy dose of fun in the process!

D5’s five programs cover many aspects of health. We educate in the fundamentals of nutrition and the effects of stress. We show the importance of fitness as well as covering the connection between the Earth’s health and their personal health. The key to our success is this: These lessons are taught as kids learn to cook–a vital life skill and proven determinant of health.

Our mission is simple:

Our mission is to improve the health of kids so they can lead healthier, happier, more productive lives.

“Tell me and I will forget, Show me and I will remember, Involve me and I will understand

Join us at Savory Spice Shop in Santa Rosa on October 4th for a a tour of herbs and spices from around the world. Sip on wine while you also learn about the various nutrition/healing properties of herbs and spices!

Please join us this Saturday for our second annual Gala! We need all of you there to help us help kids. If that’s not enough, there is great food and beverages and the Pat Jordan Band!

It’s always fun and exciting teaching 6-8 year-olds knife skills! We had a full class of 12 kids and they did just great!

Gala!

I can’t wait for you to see all the incredible food and dink this year. Last year was great, but this year will be even better! Please purchase your tickets today-it really helps our Chefs to plan. If you can’t attend, would you please consider purchasing one ticket as a donation?

Also, for our Silent Auction, we have purses/a handmade quilt/jewelry/a BMW motorcycle for the day/many baskets of food and drink…ad so much more! We even have an artist painting a painting just for our Gala!

Just click on this link to purchase your tickets for an evening of fun and good cheer while we help kids lead healthier lives!

https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/252898

Very soon we will be starting after school classes at so many schools-and we are so excited! This Roasted Veggies Salad is just one recipe the kids will learn to make. Are we at your school??? If not, we should be!

Here we are at Bayer Farm!

This was a series of three classes and this was the last class at Bayer Farm-for now. We made a big tossed salad using ingredients out of The Bayer Farm Garden! We also taught the kids to make a composed salad. This day it was a Caprese Salad with Chipotle Infused Oil drizzled on top and a couple cubes of bread to soak up all the juices. Many of the kids took some artistic license with their salads! They loved it!