Farm to School Promising Practices | Food Education - 1 through 20

Description

Rogers Primary School’s garden has been carefully planned so that lessons which were previously taught in the classroom can now be presented in a new and natural environment. Students are learning about their eco-system and how it relates to the food supply. They are gaining hands-on experiences with composting, sustainable agriculture, how food is grown, and the processes that are involved in bringing food to the table.

In addition to these science-oriented lessons, the garden provides an environment for learning mathematics, reading, nutrition, art, Social studies, music, and physical education. The garden area consists of the following:

• A greenhouse which allows the students to grow flowers and vegetables.
• Trails with various types of observation areas. These include different types of gardens (e.g. butterfly, herb, vegetable, and flower) and plant identification signs.
• A teaching area with benches for students and a table which the teacher can use for teaching and lab work.

Description

This school garden is supervised by the science teacher for third, fourth, and fifth grades. There are 120 students in these science classes, all of whom participate in the garden project. Each class receives two, one-hour science lessons a week, and, weather permitting, half of each of these lessons is working on the garden project, for a total of about one hour a week in the garden per student/science class. Some of the Kindergarten through second grade teachers also have their students contribute to the project by visiting the garden to water the plants.

Seeds were planted inside the classrooms in March. The students dutifully observed and cared for their seedlings’ light and water needs until the second week of May, when the students transplanted the seedlings into raised outdoor beds. This is when they also began to start some plants inside a greenhouse located within their garden area.

The entire garden area includes an eight foot by eleven foot greenhouse plus five raised beds, each of them four feet by five feet.

Although nothing has ripened enough to be eaten as of this writing, the students are expecting to be eating from their very healthy garden before school ends on July 8. With the new school year starting up again on August 25, there will be many opportunities to eat from the garden at the beginning of the new school year, as well. Plans include serving garden produce to the students for their snacks.

Description

Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese was contacted by a representative from Red Tomato, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit brokerage operation that helps family farmers find markets. Red Tomato wanted to find out if there were opportunities for farmers to sell their produce to the Archdiocese’s many school food service programs. Patrick Temple-West, founding director of the Nutritional Development Services (NDS), and former board member of the Food Trust, led the initiative for the Farm to School project of the Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese, and Joan Reitz, the Purchasing Manager at NDS, agreed to try this new approach. Although she admits to being skeptical at first, Joan has been pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the partnership and plans to continue to purchase local items as long as her standards for quality and price are met.

In 2004, as part of this Farm to School project, NDS began to purchase seasonal fruits – primarily apples, but also pears, peaches, and nectarines – from Beekman Orchards, a large local grower. Presently, NDS purchases seasonal fruits from another local supplier, Bear Mountain Orchards, in Aspers, PA. The farmer, John Lott, delivers the fruit directly to the warehouse just like any other supplier. NDS accounts for seasonal availability by simply listing “fresh fruit” on the printed menus. Generally, peaches and nectarines are offered in the late summer, and apples are served in the fall. To promote nutrition education, NDS periodically hands out information sheets to students about the foods they eat. Nutrition information sheets have been made for varieties of apples and peaches. It is hoped that after students learn the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables, they will share this information with their families, so they are encouraged to take the info sheets home.

The cost of the produce was originally an issue; however, Bear Mountain Orchards has been able to provide fruit at a competitive market rate without outside funding for the program. Additionally, the partnership with Bear Mountain Orchards has fit into the conventional purchasing and provision system and has not required additional labor or purchase of kitchen infrastructure. With no extra funding required and support from NDS, this program is sustainable.

The Archdiocese serves about 18,000 meals per day, including breakfast and lunch, at 150 Catholic and charter schools in the Philadelphia area. During the summer, these numbers grow to 36,000 meals as NDS also administers many summer meal programs at schools, churches, and community centers.

Description

This program was piloted in one school, East Vincent Elementary School (EVE), beginning with an outdoor educational garden. The pilot program at EVE expanded to nutrition education and guided discovery that supports Pennsylvania Standards for Kindergarten Education. EVE Kindergarten teachers received a grant to provide whole food snacks (foods that are grown). Students learn about “healthy choices” in a variety of ways. The program has now expanded through the PA Department of Agriculture Healthy Farms, Healthy Schools Grant to include all district kindergarten students in five elementary schools.

Individual kindergarten classrooms use indoor and outdoor gardens, nutrition lessons, cooking demonstrations, food tastings, farm visits, farmer talks, and a culminating hands–on Farm Day to integrate farm, food, and health relationships into the curriculum. Topics include family–school–community partnerships; health, safety, and physical education; reading, writing, speaking, and listening; science and technology; and environment and ecology. Big books and other resources help teachers coordinate lessons. “Growing Vegetable Soup,” “Eating the Alphabet,” and “Diary of a Worm” are among the books used.

Kindergarten students cultivate fresh vegetables, and they taste foods they may not have otherwise tried. A local farmer visits each school to plant pea sprouts that the students harvest and eat. Lessons focus on whole food snacks as much as possible. Owen J. Roberts kindergarten students experience local foods in many ways, and they are encouraged to make intelligent food choices. They focus on five behavioral outcomes:

• Eat a variety of foods;
• Eat more fruits, vegetables and grains;
• Eat locally produced foods more often;
• Become comfortable with basic food preparation and safety; and
• Be physically active.

Kindergarten teachers use fun and behavior–focused nutrition education strategies to increase acceptance and preference for healthful and local foods. Educational trips for parents and students to local farms include the Milky Way Farm. Maysie’s Farm and Conservation Center also supports the program. Kindergarten Farm Day, a hands–on educational field trip in May that is planned and provided by high school agriculture students, provides:

• Opportunities for students to apply what they have learned about the grain chain;
• An opportunity to become “farmer for a day” and take products to market;
• Hands–on exposure to farm animals, local foods and butter–making; and
• An interactive concert.

Description

The Avon Charter School originally had difficulties with their school garden because they planted a lot of crops which required attention throughout the summer, when students and other stakeholders were often out of town. This problem was largely solved by planting items which are seasonal to the winter (potatoes, Brussels’ sprouts, carrots, etc.) and items which can be grown indoors.  The gardening which is done is incorporated into the school’s curriculum.

Description

Special Education students learn best when engaged in hands-on learning. The school garden is a perfect venue for this. It is safe, all students can participate, and they can see the results of their work. The garden builds confidence, and the students can use their experiences to learn about math, science, reading, and arts.

Students grow spinach, lettuce, kale and tomatoes in the school garden. This produce is used for the school’s salad bar. The students weigh the produce, determine its market value, prepare invoices, and keep a balance sheet.

Description

This year we hope to start our plants indoors and then transfer them to our outside gardens. Residents who are not allowed outside of the facility will be able to care for the plants during the inside phase. Then other residents will move the seedlings to the outside gardens.

We are also going to add herbs to our dining room planters so we can utilize them year–round. Our outside gardens presently consist of a variety of herbs and vegetables. Our food service staff freeze–dries the herbs and vegetables for year–round enjoyment. We will enlarge our gardens this year to allow for an increase in vegetables. We will add a pumpkin and gourd patch, along with watermelons, honeydews and cantaloupes. We also hope to start some fruit trees, and, if there is enough time, we may add a corn field. If we can secure the necessary resources and funds for a hot house, we also plan to grow crops year–round. Advice The program has been rewarding to both residents and staff, but it takes a lot of resources and volunteers to continue the success.

Description

Athens School District uses hydroponics to teach students about gardening, health and nutrition, economics, and science.

Approximately 350 high school students toured the Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority. This is a landfill which generates methane gas which is used to generate electricity and heat that powers a hydroponic garden. Hydroponics is a subset of agriculture and is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water, without soil.

Lettuce from the Northern Tier garden was combined with other vegetables grown at Athens School District's own hydroponic garden and a salad taste-test was enjoyed by students in the cafeteria during a normal school lunch. Part of the taste-test included nutrition education where students learned about portion sizes, calories associated with typical ingredients, and the nutrition content of fresh fruits and vegetables.

In addition, the students learned how their town's economy is affected by the production and purchase of local goods and services.

Athens School District also has a hydroponic garden and indoor greenhouse which provides fresh products for students, faculty and staff.

Description

The Urban League of Pittsburgh Charter School wanted to expand their garden to include items of historical and cultural significance to African Americans, such as collard greens and turnips.

Because space is at a premium at this downtown school it was decided to implement wooly pockets, which are a type of hanging planter. The pockets are able to hang from a greenhouse, thus no additional space is required for their use. In addition, the garden beds themselves have been expanded.

After the students, teachers, and volunteers implemented the changes the vegetables were used for classroom lessons on African American history and culture.

Description

Exeter Township School District contracted with Chef Bill Scepansky to provide recipes and cooking techniques to four elementary school head cooks. After their training the cooks helped coordinate tasting events in each school. These events introduced students to new items which are locally grown and served in season. Parents helped in the events, which helped to reinforce the lesson to the students’ entire families. Every student, including those who normally bring their own lunch, was invited to participate. The first tasting event featured corn and black bean salsa, which is now a regular part of the school lunch menu. Other items included roasted butternut squash, Napa cabbage slaw, stir-fried bok choy, and Tuscan white beans with rosemary and Parmesan.

Description

Students studied the parts of a plant, raised their own broccoli, spinach, leaf lettuce, strawberries, radishes, sweet potatoes, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and pumpkins. They also re-purposed an old plastic kiddie pool into a makeshift garden box filled with broccoli and lettuces. The children enjoyed poking holes in the bottom of the pool to facilitate drainage before filling the container with soil and planting seeds.

Students served their own garden produce in the form of zucchini bread, tomato salsa, pepper salsa, and mint tea to parents who visited the garden during a Garden Open House. The biggest hit of the night was the pepper salsa which was a family recipe of the assistant principal.

The entire student body participated in a “mystery ingredient” contest*. The cafeteria prepared muffins using the mystery ingredient (sweet potatoes from the school garden). Then students tasted the muffins and guessed the mystery ingredient. There were over 550 guesses.

Plans for 2014 include growing all of the above plus Mexican sweet gherkins on the entrance arbor. The school is also purchasing an indoor grow light cart that will travel between classrooms. This will enable students to study how seeds germinate and grow under different conditions. Classes will grow vegetables on their windowsills to be transplanted to the outdoor garden in the Spring. Students will taste garden-grown strawberries and the student body, which exceeds 600, will compete in a “Strawberry Poetry Competition.” The winning classrooms will have a strawberry sundae party. Sixth grade leaders will open a stand at lunch and give out stickers to students who try new vegetables (spinach and radishes) from the garden.

*When providing food items with ingredients that are unknown to the students, be sure to be aware of possible food allergies and intolerances before providing the food.

Description

Most of the students in Pottsville Area School District have little to no experience with rural settings, farming, or healthy snacks. To combat this, first graders were taken on a field trip to Jersey Acres farm and taught the origins of their food. A guided tour of the farm provided lessons on what is required to produce the food that eventually ends up on a student's plate, the kinds of produce which are locally grown, and the challenges which farmers face.

Once back home these lessons were incorporated into the Food, Land, and People curriculum in the classrooms. To complement these lessons the students planted mixed lettuce, herbs, and vegetables in their classrooms and these items were then placed in the school solarium. Each class took turns tending to these items.

In the Spring, once the threat of frost had passed the students transplanted the items to raised beds in the school courtyard and continued to water and care for their produce. During the last week of school a local chef instructed the students to create their own salad dressing which they used on the items they harvested from the garden. Students who participated received a sticker and were encouraged to share their knowledge with their families when they arrived home.

During the Summer Title 1 Reading Challenge students were given fruits and vegetables for taste testing, many of which came from the school garden.

Description

Antietam School District worked with their produce supplier to bring in seasonal, locally grown fruits and vegetables which students may not have tried at home.

Three taste testing events were held at each of the schools which enabled students to try the new items in their raw (uncooked or processed) state. During the following months these same items were incorporated into the school lunch menu, which allowed them to try the items cooked. Teachers and cafeteria staff distributed information about the food items the students were trying and encouraged them to take home the fact sheets, activity books, and recipes to share with their families. In addition, the produce vendor made a television presentation which was shown to the high school students.

Featured items included Empire apples, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, Asian pears, and corn and black bean salsa. All of these were incorporated into the school lunch menu.

Description

The Harrisburg Math and Sciences Academy partnered with Seed Savers, an heirloom seed company from Iowa. The founder of the company visited the school garden and explained to the students the differences between heirloom and GMO seeds and provided the school with genetically unmodified seeds.

In addition, a local CSA, Cool Beans, and Broad Street Market both contributed plants and seeds to the garden. A broad range of items including many different varieties of peppers, tomatoes, berries, herbs, lettuces, etc. were planted as well as flowers which were chosen for their ability to attract certain kinds of insects as well as helping to pollinate the garden.

Approximately fifty students volunteered at least ten hours each to the project which not only included planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting but also establishing relationships with residents in a nearby retirement home. These residents shared the garden and its produce as well as stories and life lessons with the students.

The school garden also served as an outdoor classroom for lessons in science, nutrition, and the local economy. During warm weather classes were held in the garden which dovetailed with the school curriculum.

Description

HMS School for Children With Cerebral Palsy wanted to design a school garden that was not only wheelchair accessible but would also involve all five senses. Since some students have impairment of one or more senses it was important to ensure that the senses which the student does rely on are fully engaged in the garden experience.

The garden is constructed so that it is fully functional for a person in a wheelchair. Beds can be raised and lowered, students can independently access water and compost, and the garden provides a sensory environment by offering wind chimes, strong smells, and a range of textures.

Harvested items are used in a cooking group so the students can learn the process of how food goes from a seed to their table. However, some students are unable to eat by mouth. Therefore, it's important that they can experience the fruits and vegetables by smelling and touching them.

Description

Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School students studying Culinary and Health careers teamed with the school food service staff and a local farmer to promote fresh farm products. The farmer, from Taylor Farm, is located seven miles from the school. Members of the farm came to the school to discuss the processes involved in farming. Items made from the farm's produce were sampled including strawberry rhubarb pie, smoothies, quiche, roasted acorn squash, and butternut squash macaroni and cheese. The farmer also provided locally grown fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products which the entire school population was able to sample during several event days. These days were promoted by Health career students via colorful posters which educated students about the benefits of eating fresh, local food items as well as the nutritional content and health benefits of particular items.

Meanwhile, the Culinary Arts students researched and developed recipes which highlighted the locally-sourced items and prepared them for taste testing on event days. On event days the Health career students provided additional on-site educational materials which targeted specific food items. In total, approximately 80 students were involved, along with staff from the culinary program, lunch program, and health staff.

Description

Special needs students enrolled at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute are able to enroll in a Seed-to-Plate program which helps them train for careers in food production and preparation. The program began with the input of a local farmer who helped students and staff with the planning and preparation of a school garden.

The farmer gave the school helpful hints and techniques for garden preparation and maintenance including watering, insect control, and companion planting. The plants started under grow lights in a window that leads to the cafeteria. Hundreds of students pass the plants each day on their way to the cafeteria. This same hallway is home to the “Cafe Garden” which features raised beds and picnic tables so the students can witness the progress of the garden and be inspired to make healthy choices while on their way to lunch.

The special needs students are involved in planting, maintaining, and harvesting the items which are used in a variety of salads and herb dressings. Herbs are used in the preparation of other items which are then served during the staff lunch period and in items used for bake sales. Proceeds are used to support additional funding needed for field trips to the nearby Rodale Experimental Farm and the farmer's market.

Description

The LCCTC created two hydroponic tables (12'x4') and two tables (also 12'x4') of traditional, potted vegetables and herbs. The hydroponic tables included Boston Leaf Lettuce containing a total of 300 plants and two tables of potted plants with an assortment of 30 herbs and 50 vegetables. The hydroponic tables were customized into hydroponic systems by purchasing hoses and pumps and using pre-existing large tubs and the growing tables. Hydroponic float boards with holes to fit the net pots were used to put each plant in and set on the tables. The pumps are on timers that fill the table with water every four minutes and drain back into the tub. This occurs every 40 minutes. Every two weeks the water is changed and new nutrients are added. The potted plants are watered approximately every other day and must be watered last thing on Friday afternoon and first thing on Monday morning, since the building is closed on the weekends.

Students were able to pick the leaves of most of the herbs to use in the culinary program for savory dishes and also to learn about how each herb interacts with heat, and tastes with other foods. By having the opportunity to taste, feel, and smell the fresh herbs, students have learned the differences and the value in these plants. The herbs included a variety of types including basil (five types), chives, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, stevia, thyme, and lemongrass. Students were also introduced to some less common vegetables including beets, bok choy, kohlrabi, Swiss chard, as well as the more common broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, and spinach.

The project will continue for the following school year with the idea of beginning early in the year to allow for additional harvest cycles and a wider variety of plants and herbs. A seasonal schedule will be developed as an expansion to the project.