From the workshop Local Food Literacy: Experiential Education in the Classroom

1. LOCAL FOOD
LITERACY –
Experiential
Education in the
Classroom
Danielle Pipher
Vermont FEED
(Food Education EveryDay)
danielle@tworivercenter.org
www.vtfeed.org
www.tworivercenter.org
Emily Jackson
Appalachian Sustainable
Agriculture Project
emily@asapconnections.org
www.asapconnections.org

2. ASAP Mission - Our mission is to collaboratively create and expand regional community-
based and integrated food systems that are locally owned and controlled,
environmentally sound, economically viable, and health promoting.
ASAP Vision -Our vision is a future food system throughout the mountains of North
Carolina and the Southern Appalachians that provides a safe and nutritious food supply
for all segments of society; that is produced, marketed and distributed in a manner that
enhances human and environmental health; and that adds economic and social value to
rural and urban communities.

3. Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day)
A community-based approach to school food system change in Vermont
VT FEED works with schools and communities to raise awareness about healthy
food, the role of Vermont farms and farmers, and good nutrition. We act as
a catalyst for rebuilding healthy food systems, and to cultivate links
between the classrooms, cafeterias, local farms, and communities.
“Tomatoes are inspirational!
Inspirational means you love
something too much.” Hope, Age 6

4. Recognized in-state and nationally as the Vermont Farm to School
program and is a partnership of three Vermont non-profit
organizations:
FOOD WORKS AT TWO RIVERS CENTER
THE NORTHEAST ORGANIC FARMING
ASSOCIATION OF VERMONT (NOFA-VT)
SHELBURNE FARMS

5. Vermont FEED acts as a catalyst for rebuilding healthy food systems, and to
cultivate links between the classrooms, cafeterias, local farms,
and communities.

6. THINGS WE’VE LEARNED…

7. Some 4th/5th graders had
NEVER tasted a raw tomato

8. See how engaged? Real tools mean real,
authentic experiences.

11. “I want to be a chef when I grow up.” Jacob, Age 7

12. Even high schoolers want to take
their chef hats home!

13. Get kids excited about what is
about to come from the garden

17. Mixing taste
tests with
civics lessons

18. 1st& 2nd Grade
Local Veggie Dip
School-Wide
Taste Test

19. Chef hats (for
name tags) and
those wonderful
choppers!

21. Healthy Food = Happy Kids

23. Individualized for
Head Start

24. Children’s literature that
includes recipes.

25. Preparing food right out in the garden
(but wash those Sungold tomatoes
first!).

26. quot;I like carrots because when you take a bite out of it it is
nice and juicy. Sometimes it quenches your thirst. Also
when you are digging them out of the ground it is sort of
like digging for buried treasure.” Dana, Age 11
quot;I like onions and I like the
way it makes your breath
stink.” Arianna, Age 7

27. quot;I'm growing my own tomatoes now!” Taylor, Age 8
quot;Red Swiss Chard is cool because it is red with long pretty veins.
I love chard!quot; Lucille, Age 7
quot;Mustard greens just look cool! They don't look like mustard.
It just looks interesting.” Liam, Age 8

28. The Things We’ve Done…

29. Resources and Training for
Farmers and Educators

30. CHEF FEST
Now a
community
resource for
schools,
churches,
scouts…

31. Cafeteria Staff

32. Mitchell Project

33. Tasting on the farm
Head Start project

34. More than 100 school communities worked with VT FEED this past year to
establish, refine, and expand Farm to School programs.
FARMERS,
TEACHERS,
FOOD
SERVICE,
COMMUNITY

35. And the secret
ingredient is
once again, local and
seasonal foods from
Vermont!
Teams of 3-5 students in
2 categories—Middle School
(grades 6-8) and High School (9-12)
will create one delicious dish using
seasonal, local foods, which can be
easily prepared for school food
service menus. Each team's dish will
then be judged by a group of
celebrity judges to determine who
will be Vermont's
future Jr. Iron Chefs!

37. GARDEN SONGS & GAMES
PLANT JOURNALS
&
GARDEN THEATER
quot;I was looking at that plant and it said
to me quot;will you write about me
today?quot; And I did. It felt really nice
when it was talking to me.quot;
Tristan, Age 9

38. Gardens for Learning
This flagship program was created in the mid-1990's in response
to the increase in childhood hunger in the summer months when
school lunch and breakfast is not available. Now in fifteen sites
across Vermont, the GFL community-based gardens provide at-
risk children with hands-on skills in growing, cooking and
nutrition for eating fresh local foods. The Two Rivers Center is the
statewide demonstration and training site for all Gardens for
Learning programs.

39. Project Potato
An Innovative Approach to Service Learning
A Program of Food Works at Two Rivers Center
Through Project Potato students will:
•Know more about food insecurity statewide and in
their community.
•Grow potatoes, make healthy recipes and learn about
nutrition.
•Experience organic farming and conduct agricultural
research.
•Visit and experience their local emergency food shelf
(through delivering potatoes).
•Engage in meaningful service learning through
growing and delivering food to the local food shelf.

40. What Parents Have to Say…
“They just won't stop eating vegetables. I
can't explain it!”
“Jeremiah (age 5) asked to have salad for
dinner for the first time ever - he's never
liked salad before. I asked him why he
wanted it now and he said that he had
harvested it and eaten it at school and
really liked it. We now make an effort as a
family to eat salad as much as possible!”

41. How children
learn – important
that they see it
growing, grow it
themselves,
and/or prepare it
Mary Poppins

43. www.vtfeed.org

44. National Farm to School Network

45. RESOURCE CD INCLUDES:
•ACTIVITIES
•CURRICULUM IDEAS
•LITERACY CONNECTIONS
•LITERACY BEDS & GARDENING WITH KIDS TIPS
•NUTRITION EDUCATION INFO
•PROJECT POTATO INFO
•RECIPES

46. GRIDDLE RAFFLE…
If you’re interested in having your very own griddle to use in cooking
with kids, and you’re willing to haul it home with you, please enter
your name in the raffle and we will draw the winner at the end of
the workshop session.

47. Questions?

48. Getting ready to cook with kids…
Clean hands, safety & respect

49. Let’s use potatoes as an example…
Potatoes are a great crop to grow with your class! They’re easy
to grow, you can plant them in the spring, they require very
little care in the summer and you can harvest them with your
new class in the fall. Digging for potatoes is like uncovering
buried treasure! Potatoes are also a generally well-liked, kid-
friendly vegetable, have a lot of history and are easy and fun to
cook with. There are so many different ways to cook with
potatoes. Let’s try cooking with potatoes today!

50. Two Old Potatoes & Me ~ Mashed Potatoes
Latkes (Potato Pancakes)