Directions:

Respond to each item. Each response should be concise and between two and three paragraphs in length.

Use MS Word to write your responses, and submit your answers to all three questions in one Word document.

Copy and paste each question within the document, so that your Instructor can see which question you are responding to.

Drawing on your Learning Resources this week, briefly explain at least three ways in which poor nutrition puts children's health at risk. Then select three of the following nutritional factors: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, water, or any of the specific vitamins or minerals described in your text in Section 6.4. Explain how each of the factors you chose affects children's health and development.

Review pages 289-296 in your text on food as an issue of control, especially Table 8-7. Identify at least three ways in which food can be used by toddlers and/or adults as a means of exerting autonomy or control. How could you avoid the negative aspects of each of these kinds of control if you were working with young children and their families?

Consider this scenario: You are currently working with 5-year-olds in a program that serves breakfast and snacks but not lunches. You have noticed that several children in your group have been bringing foods in their lunches that are mostly empty calories.

You send reminder notes home to families, but they occasionally forget. Review the strategies discussed in Sections 8.3 through 8.5 and describe what you might do to ensure that the children with whom you work get a more balanced diet at lunch. Include some suggestions or activities you could offer to the families you work with to encourage them to choose foods more wisely.