In grade 6 the students learn about Folic Acid which is one of the B vitamins. Folic acid has many uses in the body but its main importance is in the prevention of Spina Bifida in newborns and has been linked to cleft palate problems.
Folic acid needs to be consumed by the pregnant woman in the first 3 weeks of pregnancy……before she knows she is pregnant. Therefore it is an essential vitamin for all women of child bearing ages.
Before giving the students a handout we show the class all the foods that are a good source of this vitamin that we bought in the market.
We then cover up all the foods and have a game of Kims Game. In this game the students have to see how many of the foods they can remember!!!!!
We give each student a picture handout. This handout shows the locally available folate containing foods. It is in picture form as the majority of the moms can not read or write. We explain to all the students that they need to tell their mom and older sisters about Folic acid and show them the handout.
Next we have a cooking class were all the students make a healthy citrus avocado salsa. The students have never tasted a combination of food like this. The majority of the students just love the cooking and eating experience.
We then explain how to care for a citrus tree. Then each student receives a lime or mandarin tree and a bag of organic compost. Citrus fruits are an excellent source of Folic acid and in the next year and a half they will start to have citrus fruits reddily available.
Over 300 citrus trees have been given to grade 6 students.
Here are some photos of trees from previous years grade 6 classes. These plants are just over a year old.
