I wish I had about 6 more months before I had to write my review of this comprehensive product. We’ve just barely scratched the surface of all the information that is packed into Nutrition 101: Choose Life! This is definitely a long-term study that will could easily count toward anatomy, health, and nutrition, as well as some home economics.
Its 448 pages six units: 1) The Brain and Nervous System; 2) Digestion and Elimination; 3) Respiration and Olfactory; 4) Muscular and Skeletal Systems; 5) Cardiovascular and Immune Systems; and 6) Endocrine System and Emotions. Each unit is then divided into 4 chapters which are easily doable in a week. Each chapter ends activities, discussion questions, additional resources, and a recipe for a yummy dish that extends the learning from that chapter. The activities are designed for a variety of ages, so you can do the same science with all levels.
The authors are firm believers in natural foods, supplements, and whole-body health, including exercise. However, it is not so extreme that those who are not “health nuts” can’t use it. We’ve tended toward a more natural style of eating ever since my mother passed away from cancer four years ago. Biblically based and packed with hands-on activities, science and art projects and nearly 80 family-friendly recipes, this program teaches and reinforces the why’s of what we should eat, not just “because I said so.” I’ve learned much and I haven’t even read most of it.
Most of the activities reinforce life skills, such as planning a meal, shopping for ingredients, or creating charts for nutrition and exercise. These are not just true/false, fill in the blank questions. They will tie the recipes to the activities also, allowing you to accomplish both at once. Finally, they often refer back to other recipes or activities, reminding my kids how all this fits together. Some of the recipes include guacamole, spice cookies, lemon pickles (haven’t tried that one yet), and whole-wheat cinnamon rolls. Yummmmm.
In addition to the 6 units, a comprehensive appendix, nearly half the book, contains 31 sections covering topics from kitchen safety and selecting fresh produce to mold, cancer, and household toxins. I appreciate that these additional sections are separated from the actual text, allowing me to choose what I include in our studies. While the actual size of the book might be overwhelming at first, the wealth of information contained within is divided into small bites.
How we’ve used it:
1. I read over the chapter and create/locate notebooking pages or other independent activities. I also locate, from our home or public library, books on the topic that are appropriate for my younger readers.
2. My 10 year old reads the chapter for one of his workbox assignments.
3. My 7 year old reads the Usborne (or other) books on the part of the body that we are studying for her workbox assignment.
4. We do notebooking, craft, and other projects together. When we studied the brain we made brain hats that I found here. My 7 yo has not been that keen on studying parts of the body (it’s gross she says), but even she enjoys wearing her “thinking cap” now, as they call them.
We are spending about a week on each of the early chapters, but it may grow as we find things we want to explore further.
The book is available for $79.95 on a CD-ROM. I printed my entire copy out, back-to-back, and 3-hole punched it for a binder. Yes, it was a lot but it was something to do on the last trip we took to Wisconsin (got me all the way through Chicago!) It is also available in hardcover, full color printing, for $99.95.
