COMMON THREADS FARM FOOD EDUCATION PROGRAM
School-Based Food Education gives students the opportunity to learn about and fall in love with life-long healthy food choices from an early age at school. Common Threads provides coordinated leadership and support for school-based food education through our trained Food Educators.
Our aim is to:
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Raise kids who delight in knowing how to raise, prepare and eat healthy food
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Support learning across the curriculum (our lessons are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards)
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Improve the role that healthy food plays in school culture
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Help kids and their families get excited about preparing and eating healthy foods together
There are three key ways that we do this:
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Gardening during the school day – Food Educators lead lessons in school gardens during Fall & Spring. Students participate in caring for food-producing gardens as well as learning about various subjects through garden-based learning (e.g. math, science, reading, etc.).
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Cooking in the classroom -Food Educators cook/prepare simple vegetable-based recipes and discuss basic nutrition concepts. Students prepare recipes in small groups, building their ability to work in a team.
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After school programs – Gardening, cooking, or a combination of these activities.
In addition, Food Educators connect with other initiatives such as Harvest of the Month and school-based family nights.
