BOOKS: The Science Behind Favorite Foods

[Ryan Goble]

From NSTA's Book Beat...

The Science Behind Favorite Foods

Activities that focus on food and cooking can help students see the science behind everyday activities like cookingbreakfast or baking bread. Author Sarah Young's Gourmet Lab: The Scientific Principles Behind Your Favorite Foods features hands-on experiments that challenge grades 6–12 students to take on the roles of scientist and chef in a quest to better understand science concepts from chemistry, biology, and physics. Download the free lesson "Cinnamon Rolls" and have your students explore how the presence or lack of yeast can affect the overall density of a delicious breakfast treat. For grades K–6, sample the reading and science lesson "Kitchen Chemistry" from Christine Royce, Emily Morgan, and Karen Ansberry'sTeaching Science Through Trade Books. Your students will make observations and determine whether the change they observe when cooking pancakes is a physical or chemical change. Also included in the downloadable lesson is an activity in which older students determine whether common household substances are acids or bases on the pH scale.