You’re working from home and facing constant interruption by your child who needs help with a chore, schoolwork, or preparing a snack. Sound familiar? Many of us are wearing several hats: the working-at-home professional, the teacher, and the child entertainer.
Why not combine two of those roles – teacher and entertainer – with one activity to give yourself a bit of a break?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has many food safety education resources for families, including the Food Safe Families Activity Book. Recently, this activity book was updated with science-based lesson plans that will help your youngster learn about and practice food safety while at home. This educational resource is for children ages 6 to 10, and fits into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – STEM – curricula.
Friendly characters teach elementary school-age children about the four simple steps of food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill, plus the types of germs that can cause food poisoning. They’ll learn about food safety myths; for example, the myth that leftovers are safe to eat until they smell bad. In this book, food safety is taught through games, puzzles, and other activities based on the science of food safety. It also includes games for the whole family to test your household’s food smarts.
Have questions? Consumers can learn more about key food safety practices at foodsafety.gov, by following @USDAFoodSafety on Twitter and by liking Facebook.com/FoodSafety.gov. Consumers with questions about food safety can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, in English or Spanish, or email to mphotline@usda.gov. Consumers can also chat live at ask.usda.gov.
If you have questions about storage times for food or beverages, download USDA’s FoodKeeper application for Android and iOS devices.
