Here’s the place to find a quick and easy reference of some talking points for each day during the Quest. Teachers can check it each day to get an overview of the new content and some ideas on how to lead the class through the Quest that day.

Day 8: Influences on Food Choices

Discussion Questions:

1.    What do you think influences the Ikarians on what they choose to eat?
2.    What influences you in what you eat or want to eat?
3.    What do you think is the most powerful influence on your food choices: your parents, your friends or advertising?
4.    Can you give examples of why you say this?
5.    We see a lot of ads every day.  Do they seem to tell the truth or just tell us what we want to hear?  Can you give an example of this?
6.    Interview friends or family members about their favorite foods and how they learned about them.  Was it from family members, friends, packaging, advertising or what?
7.    What if you made up a menu for a day or week with choices only from TV and magazine ads?   How healthy would those food choices be?
8.    What can you do to make healthier food choices?

Interested in learning more about how you can live a longer, healthier life? 
Check out the Blue Zones Challenge at http://www.bluezones.com/ikaria/educator/blue-zones-challenge

Day 7: Staying Physically Fit

Discussion Questions:

1.    Do you think walking makes you physically fit?
2.    What do the words “physically fit” mean to you?
3.    What are the characteristics of a physically fit person?
4.    Can you explain how exercise is beneficial to our health?
5.    Can you guess how much exercise we need to be healthy?
(The American Heart Association recommends moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week;  Or do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week.  And do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.)
6.    How much exercise do you get each day?  How do you feel about that?
7.    Do you think people are getting more or less fit?  What evidence do you have?
8.    Why do you think some people choose not to exercise?
9.    If you don’t like organized exercise, what else can you do to keep fit?

 

Day 6: Free time and chores within cultures

Discussion Questions:

1.    What are some of your favorite things to do in your spare time?
2.    Why do you enjoy or value doing those things?
3.    Do you think your parents or grandparents did the same things when they were growing up?
4.    Are these activities things that are unique to your culture or do you think kids in other countries do these things as well?
5.    Do you think the centenarians in Ikaria did the things you like to do when they were growing up?  How about many of the kids in Ikaria now?
6.    What about chores and responsibilities at home, do you think your parents or grandparents had the same chores when they were growing up?
7.    Are your chores unique to your culture?
8.    Do you think the centenarians in Ikaria had those chores when they were growing up?  Do you think the kids in Ikaria have the same chores that you do?
9.    If you were given the opportunity to visit a host family in Ikaria for a month how would you feel?  What are you excited to see and do?  What would be your concerns?

 

Day 5: Qualities of a Super Senior

Discussion Questions:

1.    Think about the centenarians in Ikaria, what do you notice about them that is different from the oldest Americans you can think of?

2.    How would you describe the overall health of the Ikarians?

3.  How much do they move?  Do you think it would be hard for the older Ikarians to walk a mile?  Up a flight of stairs?  Stand for 20 minutes?  Kneel to the ground?  Carry something that weighs about 10 pounds?

4.  How easy is it for the Ikarians to get out of the house and do things like shopping, sporting events, social events, attend religious services or meetings?

5.  What important factors have contributed to their good health?

6.  Do you know any super seniors in your family or community that are living long, healthy lives?  Do you know what they do to stay healthy?  If you have a chance, ask them their secrets to longevity.

If you’d like to interact with super seniors in your own community, check out the Legacy Project at www.bluezones.com

Day 4: Customs and culture

Discussion Questions:

1.    What customs or cultural differences have you observed between Ikaria and your culture?

2.    What time do adults wake up and go to sleep in your town?  Do they take naps?

3.    How do some people in your culture feel about their work?  How is that different in Ikaria?

4.    Do people in your culture seem more or less stressed than those in Ikaria, Greece?

5.    What do people in Ikaria do to cope with stress or difficult times?  How is that similar or different from how people in your culture handle those difficult situations?

6.    Do you think everyone in your culture has the same beliefs?  How are your beliefs different from the ones shown about Ikaria?

7.    How do people in Ikaria handle situations differently than people in your family or culture?

Day 3: Diet, nutrition and culture

Discussion Questions:

1. Think of the US Food Pyramid or find it at http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html.
   The food groups are grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, protein like meat and beans and oils.  Based on what you know about Ikaria, how does their diet compare to the Food Pyramid suggestions?
2. How about you?  Think about what you ate yesterday.  How does your typical diet compare to the Food Pyramid suggestions?
3. Do you think people around the world eat similar types of foods?  What examples can you give?
4. As a class or in small groups, see how many foods you can name from different cultures:  Japan, Mexico, China, Italy, India …
5. How do some of these foods fit into the US Food Pyramid?
6. What stories can your class share with each other about food and culture?

Day 2: Diet and nutrition on Ikaria

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think diet and nutrition affects longevity?  How?
2. What are some foods that are unique to Ikaria?  What are some foods that are unique to your area or family or culture?
3. How nutritious does it seem the food from Ikaria is?  What information have you read or seen to back up that opinion?
4. How nutritious is most of the food you eat?  How about your family?  How about your culture?
5. What factors do you think contribute to food choices and how much people eat?  What influences your food choices?
6. Describe people you know who eat nutritious, balanced diets. What, specifically, do they do that might lead to a longer life and good health?

Day 1: Overview of the Quest goals and introduction to concepts

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think people are living longer today than in the past?
2. Can you give some reasons to back up your opinion?
3. Why do you think the Blue Zones Team decided to go to Ikaria, Greece?
4. What do you think is the average number of years most people live? Globally? In the US? In Ikaria? In your region?
5. What factors do you think contribute to a long life (longevity)?
6. Describe people you know who have lived a long time. What, specifically, do they do that might lead to a longer life and good health?