SECTION 6 - Solutions 12+, Arts, Literature, Science, & Social Studies Edible Insects AGE RANGE: 12+ SUBJECTS: Arts, Literature, Science, & Social Studies OBJECTIVES • Identify the barriers to eating insects, which is called called entomophagy. • Prepare and taste an alternative protein source like a cricket or vegan burger. • Compare the taste, texture, and how you feel after consuming an alternative protein source with a beef or chicken and predict how likely you are to change your diet to include at least one alternative protein source a week. DURATION ENDURING UNDERSTANDING • Each activity could be 30-45 minutes • Insects as viable sources of nutrition that are much better for the environment than eating meat. In many countries around the world, eating insects is very common, but in North America, it might sound strange or ‘gross’. This is because it’s not part of our culture yet, but this is changing. — The Carbon Almanac Read some of the information from the almanac about the prevalence of entomophagy worldwide. ACTIVITIES: DISCUSSION: • In whole group or small groups discuss and write down the groups ideas on: ʦ the barriers to eating insects ʦ ideas that would make people more open to the idea of eating insects RESEARCH: • Using a computer, The Carbon Almanac, or another resource provided by your educator, research the topic of edible insects to discover if entomophagy is a good nutritional source. • Choose one insect and research it • List the nutritional information you 昀椀nd about your chosen insect • Create a visual representation (graph, pie chart, etc) showing clearly the di昀昀erence in resources consumption and carbon emissions between cattle and a chosen edible insect, i.e. crickets. TASTE TESTING (REQUIRES ACCESS TO A KITCHEN SPACE): • Prepare with the learners or ask for volunteers to prepare the cricket burgers at home and bring in for the group to sample (the recipe is in the Carbon Almanac) • Ask another volunteer to prepare some vegan burgers to sample • Conduct a taste-testing ANALYSIS: • List 昀椀ve literary characters that you know from stories or novels that you have read. • After each character’s name answer the questions: ʦ Do you think this character would be willing to try something new? ʦ Then after that answer, explain why or why not they would be willing to try something new. RESOURCES: T • The Carbon Almanac: Solutions: Edible Insects, p.208-209/ 104 • Generation Carbon, An Almanac for Kids, ebook, p.36 • 2016 study comparing nutritional stats of various meats and insects 36