Mission Explore Food

Written by Geography Collective and Tom Morgan Jones

This is a most unusual book targeted for children nine and older. There are almost three hundred pages divided into six sections. If you expect a conventional book on food groups and good nutrition, you are not looking at the right choice. Some adults may find parts of it distasteful. This volume does provide a lot of information written in a way that many children will enjoy and includes some very unconventional activities. .

The book is available in hardcover and kindle editions. While the kindle version has nice pop up features, you will need a paper journal to complete activities. Basic premise of the book is to change the way you view food forever. Practical information is provided on how to deal with emergencies related to food like choking, poisoning, insect bites and first aid. It teaches how to set up balanced meals, use sustainable foods, and the methods of cooking and harvesting foods. There are diagrams showing the cuts of meat, and lessons on preserving foods, and how to forage, hunt and fish. An extensive glossary explains terms that will be unfamiliar to a child exploring the many topics included here.

Probably the most unusual parts of this work are the mission or exploration sections. For example, in the balanced food section there is an activity to train yourself to eat foods you don’t like. Some suggestions are to take a given list of foods and record how they affect your breath, combine foods from several different countries, reverse the order in which you eat your daily meals, and make a graph comparing the number of calories people in different countries eat. Children are given different statements and asked whether they believe them to be fact or fiction. Some missions are rather conventional like planting herbs, flowers and bulbs. Others are truly unique like making chocolate poo and keeping a poo diary in the section on waste. The reader learns how to make a band of edible musical instruments, graph and eat his height in spaghetti and eat his words on sugar paper. Cooks in the kitchen learn how to make ginger beer monsters, bake cookies in the shape of countries and invent their own cheese by combining a few ingredients.

I think by now you have a good idea of what this book is about. The content is somewhat rambling, but the work has a lot of value in the basic knowledge that it imports. Even though some of the missions and activities may appear somewhat strange, most children will find an interest that they would like to explore. I feel that the book is most valuable as a reference tool on food nutrition, earth science, geography and environment.

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Nifty Fifty State Facts for Fun! (Book 2)

Written by Wyatt Michaels

This is the second in a series making learning about the fifty states fun and informative. Rather than presenting a list of state capitols, symbols and associations, Michaels assembles trivia and facts in game format. In each case, the question is posed with three possible choices. The reader is asked to choose the correct answer. If you are wrong, you are given the opportunity to make another choice. In many cases, the reader is given a hint to help make a decision.

There are many where questions. For example: Where is Mount Rushmore?; Where did the sundae begin?;Where was the birthplace of the first TV?  A lot of questions involve firsts: the first state to vote for independence, the first National Park, the first state to make laws for cars, the first celebration of Memorial Day, and  the location of the first public zoo. Another group of questions deal with the longest and the largest. These include the longest running radio station, longest floating bridge, longest sky way bridge, the largest gold producing state, and largest cable bridge. Then there are the facts dealing with unique situations. Which state was the birthplace of four presidents? Which state holds the world record for most rainfall in a 24 hour period? What is the name of the state which turned down hosting the Olympics? Name the state that has a floating post office. From which state do the names on the Monopoly game board originate? Whose state flag was designed by a teenager? What governor has a state named after him even though he never set foot in that state?

This book makes a great activity for children on a long car ride. Much better than name the license plate. Children and adults will also learn some useful information to use as conversation starters. The game provides a quick reference source. There are maps and photographs that will enhance geographical knowledge as well. So if you are going on a road trip or want a new book to place on your coffee table, you might want to consider this quick read.

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