timeforkids.com

This month, Congress looks at school lunch programs. Will fresher foods be on your tray?

Edition 3–4 • oCtoBER 5, 2009 • vol . 15 • no. 6

World A long drought grips Kenya.

My Cool Jobs What is it like to try 50 jobs?

Space Hubble’s amazing views of the universe

52 October 5, 2009 Visit timeforkids.com/kids for the latest news.

News Now

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The East African nation of Kenya is experiencing a severe drought. Crops are failing. People are struggling to feed their families.

For the past three seasons,

This month, hundreds of school districts across the U.S. will begin offering students swine flu vaccines.

The in-school flu shots are part of an effort by the U.S. government to guard against a new outbreak of swine flu, which is also known as the H1N1 virus. Children top the government’s list of people to be inoculated first.

Vaccines contain tiny amounts of the germs that can make you sick. Your body’s immune system learns to make cells that attack the germ.

H1N1 was first reported last March. Since then, more than 160,000 people worldwide have caught the bug. But experts say H1N1 is no stronger than seasonal flu. Most people recover without needing medical care.

Still, experts say the best way to keep germs away is to practice good hygiene. Cover your cough. Avoid touching your eyes. And wash your hands often.

World

Nation

Kenya’s Long Dry Season

Get Ready to Fight the Flu

Thirteen panda cubs pose for a group photo with their keepers. The pandas were born at a research

Snapshot A Pack of Pandas

Wash your hands often to help keep away the flu.

This is a magnified image of the H1N1 flu virus.

drought (drowt): a long period of low rainfall; a shortage of water

immune system (im-yoon sis-stem): the body’s natural ability to fight illness

inoculate (in-oc-yuh-late): to treat with a vaccine

vaccine (vak-seen): a preparation containing a killed or weak virus. It is given to boost the body’s defenses.

the rains have failed to come to Kenya. The nation’s grasslands are dried out. Bare, leafless trees dot the landscape. Watering holes are almost dry.

The drought has caused cattle to die and crops to shrivel. This year’s grain harvest is expected to be 28% less than last year’s. Food prices have risen by as much as 130%.

Kenya is facing a severe food crisis. The United Nations World Food Program says it will need to provide emergency food aid to 3.8 million Kenyans over the next six months. To find out how you can help, go to wfp.org.

1. Pizza 2. Chicken nuggets3. Mexican foods 4. Hamburgers or cheeseburgers 5. Sandwiches or wraps

*The other 7% chose a variety of foods.

SOuRCE: SCHOOl NuTRITION

ASSOCIATION

Pizza, please. In a recent poll of 343 students, 175 said that pizza was their favorite lunch food. Here are the top choices.

What percentage 1. of kids said pizza was their favorite?

True or false: More 2. kids prefer pizza to the other Top 5 foods combined.

Favorite Lunch Foods

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Hippos need water to survive. This one is

in an almost-dry watering hole in Kenya.

center in Chengdu, China. After months of care in the panda nursery, the animals are ready

to greet the public. Soon they will leave the nursery to live on the grounds of the center.

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Foods

Cover Story • Nutrition

Get food writer Michael Pollan’s tips at timeforkids.com/pollan.October 5, 20094

Congress is taking a hard look at school lunch. Experts agree: It’s time for a change.

How much of what you ate for lunch today was fresh? A recent School Nutrition Association (SNA) study says most schools cook fewer than half of their main courses from scratch. Most school meals are likely to include processed foods, which are often loaded with salt, fat and sweeteners.

Experts say the time has come to change school lunch. It should be made with locally grown natural ingredients.

The Child Nutrition Act is set to expire at the end of this month. It was created in 1966. The act sets aside $12 billion to pay for breakfast and lunch for 30 million schoolchildren. Soon, Congress will take a look at how that money is spent.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to change school nutrition standards this year. The standards have not changed in 15 years. They determine what is sold in school stores and vending machines. The standards also say what foods can be served in schools.

Where’s the Money?Most school districts receive $2.68 for each

free lunch they serve. This often is not enough to cover the costs of healthier foods.

President Barack Obama’s 2010 budget set aside an extra $1 billion for child-nutrition programs. He wants schools to serve more fresh fruits and vegetables. Currently, only about half of

schools serve these healthy foods every day.

Be a Part of It!Katie Wilson, former president of the SNA, says

a good lunch plan gets kids to try nutritious foods. The best way to do that, she says, is to make sure school kitchens have the right equipment. Steamed veggies can be tasty if cooked properly.

Wilson says kids should have a say in what is served at schools. “Invite a lawmaker to breakfast or lunch,” she says. “Or write letters to tell them what foods you like. Be a part of this process.”

—By Andrea Delbanco

1880s ) Most kids bring their lunch to school in a sturdy metal bucket.

1902 The first tin lunchbox is made. It is decorated with pictures of children playing.

1930s The government begins helping schools start lunch programs.

1946 To help ensure that kids’ nutritional needs are met, the U.S. establishes the National School Lunch Program.

1954 ) The government adds the Special Milk Program. It provides a half pint of milk each day to each child.

1972 Congress allows vending machines in schools.

1997 ) The first farm-to-school programs are started.

2008 More than 31 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program.

The U.S. government didn’t help public schools provide lunch for students until the 1930s. This time line shows how the school lunch has changed through the years.

1880

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1900

1910

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What is usually more healthy: packaged or fresh 1. food?

In what year did the government start the 2. School Lunch Program?

What’s on your lunch menu? How can it be 3. made better?

It’s time to change school lunches. Why? How? When? Answer the questions!try it!

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Elementary school students in Olympia, +Washington, choose healthy foods for lunch.

expire: to come to an end

nutritious (noo-trish-us): full of healthy ingredients

processed: prepared,

treated or created a special way

standard: required level of quality

What’s for Lunch?

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ScienceMy Cool Jobs

rebuilding it. They put in two new cameras and other parts.

Hubble’s new parts make the telescope’s pictures brighter and clearer than ever before. “This is truly Hubble’s new beginning,” says NASA’s Edward Weiler.

Exciting New ViewsOn September 9, NASA released a new batch of photos

taken by Hubble. The new views show galaxies, planets and nebulas.

One photo shows gas and dust around new stars in the Carina Nebula. Hubble could not capture such an amazing level of detail before its recent round of repairs.

NASA has big plans for Hubble now that it is back in business. Over the next few years, the space telescope will take pictures of the planets of our solar system and of more distant worlds. Scientists hope that Hubble will create a picture-perfect portrait of our universe.

—By Vickie An

Twinkle, twinkle These stars are part of a giant group. The cluster contains 10 million stars.

Here’s Hubble! The 25,000-pound space telescope gets its power from the sun.

Baby stars This picture shows gas and dust around new stars forming in the Carina Nebula.

A space telescope is once again sending awesome photos of the stars.

Hubble Space Telescope is back, and better than ever! Astronauts from the space shuttle repaired the space telescope last May. Now, Hubble’s pictures are nearly perfect. NASA, the U.S. space agency, released amazing new photos from the “eye in the sky” this month.

Hubble flies through space, 350 miles above Earth. It orbits, or travels around, Earth once every 97 minutes.The space-based observatory has a clear view of the universe. It has sent pictures of deep space back to Earth since 1990. Some images show new stars being born.

Hubble’s New StartThe floating telescope has

had many problems during its 19 years in space. Last May, astronauts spent 13 days

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See more Hubble images at timeforkids.com/hubble.8

galaxy (gal-ak-see): a group of millions of stars held together by gravity

nebula (neb-yoo-lah): a cloud of gas and dust around stars

observatory (ob-zer-vah-tor-ee): a place that holds scientific equipment

Seddiqui grabs a *lobster in Maine.

Surf’s up! In Hawaii, �Daniel Seddiqui works as a surfing instructor.

Say cheese! Wisconsin produces �more than 600 types of cheese. Here, Seddiqui learns about one.

I Worked at 50 Jobs

Eye on the Sky

Daniel Seddiqui, 27, spent a year traveling across the U.S. His goal: to hold a job in each of the 50 states. Here is his adventure.

After I graduated from the University of Southern California, in 2005, I struggled to find a job. I went on 40 job interviews, but I couldn’t find employment. That’s when I decided to explore the U.S. and

learn about the opportunities that exist in this country.

This year, I worked for a week in each of the 50 states. I tried to find a job in each state’s leading industry. I have done everything from catching lobsters in Maine to working as an auto mechanic in Michigan and cutting down trees in Oregon.

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employment noun: paid work; a job

hospitable (hah-spit-uh-bul) adjective: welcoming to strangers; friendly

To learn more about Daniel Seddiqui’s 50 jobs, go to timeforkids.com/50jobs.6

Americans Love to ShareI had to convince employers to hire me, and then I had to find places to stay. I discovered that Americans are incredibly hospitable. Every employer offered to let me stay in his or her home. After work, they included me in their interests and hobbies. I went ice fishing in Wisconsin and hunting in Montana.

I grew up in California. This past year taught me about the rest of the country. I had no idea what Alabama was like. I found that it is really beautiful. I’ve been to many cities, but I think I want to settle in Chicago, Illinois. It’s my favorite city.

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What is your state’s top

industry? Would you like to work in it?

Explain.

TIME For Kids (ISSN 1084-0168) is published weekly during the school year (Sept.–May), except school holidays. $4.42 per student subscription by Time Inc. Principal Office: Time & Life Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020-1393.Ann S. Moore, Chairman, CEO. Periodical postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. © 2009 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Subscribers: If the postal authorities alert us thatyour maga-zine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within two years. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to TIME For Kids, P.O. Box 30609, Tampa, FL 33630-0609. Subscription queries: 800-777-8600. TIME For Kids is a regis-tered trademark of Time Inc. Mailing list: We make a portion of our mailing list available to reputable firms. If you prefer that we not include your name, please call, or write us at P.O. Box 60001, Tampa, FL 33660, or send us an e-mail at privacy@timecustomersvc.com.

8 We love to hear from you! Write to us at timeforkids.com/emailbag.

Our Solar Systemn

as

a

Our solar system is made up of the sun and the objects around it. The sun is our closest star. The planets travel around the sun. Read the chart to learn more about the eight planets. Then answer the questions.

Which is the largest planet? 1.

Which planet is known as the Red Planet? 2.

mercury orbits the sun at 30 miles per second.

venus is named after a roman goddess.

earth is almost 93 million miles from the sun.

mars is often called the red Planet.

juPiter is the largest planet in the solar system.

saturn has many rings around it.

uranus is about four times larger than earth.

nePtune is named after the roman sea god.

President Obama 1. wants lunches to include more fresh fruits. meat. ice cream. salt.

Hubble is 2. an orbiting shuttle. plane. telescope. rocket.

The questions below are from stories in this week’s TFK. Answer them and show what you know!

ShOw what yOu knOw

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In what year was 3. Hubble was launched into space? 1990 1980 2000 2009

Kenya is a nation in 4. Africa. Asia. South America. the Pacific.

5. Drought means small. desert. little or no rain. a cold wind.

Wisconsin 6. produces how many types of cheese? more than 6,000 more than 600 about 850 fewer than 16

How many 7. planets are in our solar system? six nine seven eight

timeforkids.com

This month, Congress looks at school lunch programs. Will fresher foods be on your tray?

Edition 3–4 • oCtoBER 5, 2009 • vol . 15 • no. 6

World A long drought grips Kenya.

My Cool Jobs What is it like to try 50 jobs?

Space Hubble’s amazing views of the universe