THE BANANA SPLIT WEEK 6 Sponsored by CNC Software, Inc. and Nerac.com Tyler's Art Listen to the Kids As children feel more comfortable, they begin to express their thoughts spontaneously. Some do this through artwork and others through discussions. This week, I took a little time out from my regimented routine to listen to what they had to say. Their main topic of conversation was my recipe for a banana split. May 9 , 2004 THE RECIPES When I was young, one of my favorite toys was a little baking set. You could make miniature cakes from miniature cake mixes and bake them in miniature cake pans. When they cooled, you would frost them with a tiny amount of frosting. I loved to cook as a child, but I wasn't sure how universal this interest was for children. However, Thursday, as the children entered my room, they started talking about making my banana split recipe at home. THE COMMENTS It started with the girls. One approached me and announced that her family made my banana split the night before. I asked her if she liked it and she said she did. I asked if she made it exactly as described in the book and her answer was, "Yes." But I responded with, "There is a lot of fruit and very little ice cream," and she said that she thought it was delicious this way. Later, during the club, I asked the kids if they had tried the banana split. Many hands went up. Apple snack - always a favorite I was surprised. While there are healthy snack ideas and/or recipes on each page of my book, the Miles of Math Kids' Club is just that - a club - not a class and I don't assign homework. I was impressed and pleased that the children and their parents are using the book at home. Of course, everyone doesn't have the same appreciation of a healthy version of a classic indulgent dessert - like a banana split. I could hear one child exclaiming, "My mother said...TWO TABLESPOONS of ICE CREAM!!!!! That's not a banana split. That's not enough ice cream!" But this comment only made me smile. Kids and their parents are talking about the recipes and thinking. They are used to our normal American portion sizes. And I love the recipe. It's a great pre- or post-ride, and certainly an excellent post-run snack. And if you leave out the ice cream completely, it's very packable for a school lunch or snack. Making a mileage folder look like the cover of Happy Feet, Healthy Food TRAINING We are training for a 1-K run to celebrate our 10 weeks of running club. So Thursday, we didn't play a game. We went out to the field to start building endurance. We stayed together for the first two laps. We jogged one lap. Then we walked a lap. The last lap was free choice. The kids could sprint, run, jog, or walk. The eager children went first, then the rest of us fell into place and we were off. Everyone was happy and we all got plenty of exercise and hopefully started learning that pacing is crucial for comfortably finishing a long distance. I would like to mention that we had visitors from the Hartford Courant. The children were very talkative and wanted everyone to know how Happy Feet, Healthy Food and the running club have changed their lives. They spoke with enthusiasm about their new found love for fruit and exercise. 320 miles A misplaced folder becomes an opportunity to help each other. LINKS First Week at Miles of Math Second Week at Miles of Math Third Week at Miles of Math Fourth Week at Miles of Math Fifth Week at Miles of Math Sixth Week at Miles of Math Seventh Week at Miles of Math Eighth Week at Miles of Math Ninth Week at Miles of Math Tenth Week at Miles of Math