Ginnette Cameron-Garnder – Librarian/Primary Teacher

Simple Kitchen Experiments: Learning Science with Everyday Foods by Muriel Mandell

This book can be found in the Primary Library at JNF 507 MAN.

This is an exciting book as it not only contains dozens of recipes with step -by-step instructions, but also explains why you need certain ingredients to make the recipe a success but why you need to restrict the use of some ingredients. For example, the book details that we need sodium and chloride, 2 minerals that salt provides, but too much can cause health problems. An experiment in which salt is placed on lettuce leaves and let stand demonstrates that the leaves become limp and flaccid as this causes dehydration. The connection is made to our body’s cells when we eat too much salt and the sodium level in the fluid surrounding the cells is too high the cells cannot function properly. Too much water and potassium are drawn from the body’s cells which can also cause kidney damage or high blood pressure.

By explaining why we have to be careful about how much salt we use, a valuable lesson is learned.

Similarly, which apples are best to bake? A Delicious apple will go mushy, a Jonathan will stay firm and tasty. Why? What is the difference between them? Questions like this are answered whilst providing recipe and method for baked apples.

What effect does the weather have on baking? What is yeast, what does it do and what do we do to make it become active?

An intriguing book that explains much of the science of food.

NSW Premiers Reading Challenge

We have another High School student completer: Miriam Itzkowitz, and from Primary School Jemma Drutman Year 4. Mazal tov.

Many students are entering their reading. The Year 1 students probably need their parents to enter for them or assist them in entering as only 6 of the students in Year 1 have commenced entering their reading. We hold many picture books that are in the Challenge, they have a PRC sticker on the front and the PRC ID number inside the back cover. A selection of these are in the bookcase just inside the door of the Primary Library.

“The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality Literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.

“In a series on the PRC booklist, you can read any 2 books as PRC books. You can read up to 5 other books from the same series as Personal Choice books. (NSW PRC website.)