index

Farm to School Curricula and Resources

Kentucky Farm to School Workshop

June 28, 2011

Curricula

National

The Healthy School Meals Resource System Website The Healthy School Meals Resource System
Mon, Jan 1st, 2007

http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/
The Healthy School Meals Resource System’s website serves as a farm to school resource, including information on educational activities such as school garden materials.

"All About farmer's markets: A Teaching Guide for Classrooms, Camps, and Community Programs," Peggy Sissel-Phelan, Ed.D.
Thu, Dec 1st, 2005
A useful resource to help children make the connection between the land, the food we eat, and our health and well-being. The guide is 116 pages of original games, songs, and activities for PreK - 2^nd grade classrooms, and includes ideas for field trips and parent involvement.

Fundamentals of Organic Farming and Gardening An Instructor's Guide - Revised for 2009 Alexander McGregor, Lynn Pugh, and Jerry Larson
Thu, Dec 1st, -0001
Georgia Organics' curriculum on organic and sustainable growing is now free online. Intended for use by university extension agents, master gardeners, and high school educators, the program is the first of its kind in the state. It can be viewed online for free or it costs $10 as CD-Rom.

STATE LEVEL:

California

The Growing Classroom Roberta Jaffe and Gary Appel
Mon, Jan 1st, 2007
Garden and nutrition activity guide

Science Exploration Units Life Lab Science Program
Mon, Jan 1st, 2007
Activity guides for garden-based exploration, K-5 grades

http://www.lifelab.org/store-curriculum.html

FLORIDA

https://www.flagintheclassroom.com

Gardening for Grades, a comprehensive guide for Florida teachers to help plan, fund, create and learn with a school garden.

http://www.flagintheclassroom.org/gardening.html

KENTUCKY

Ag in the Classroom

https://www.kyfb.com/federation/program-links/ag-in-the-classroom/

Agriculture in the classroom is a nationwide program to help students in grades K-12 gain a broad-based knowledge of the food and fiber system. Agriculture is the number one industry in the state and over 400,000 Kentucky jobs are agriculture-related.

Regional Teacher Workshops - For nearly twenty years, Kentucky Farm Bureau has provided educators with a variety of teacher training and professional development opportunities designed to better enable participants to incorporate agriculture into their daily core curricula. More specifically, teachers learn the value of using agricultural related material to teach Mathematics, Social Studies, English and Science through real life application.

Lending Library - resources including KERA-based lesson plans, thematic units, bulletin boards, games, puzzles, activity booklets, toy farm implements, videos, fiction and non-fiction books--all available for fall instructional units.

Farm Bureau Volunteers - Assist in planning farm tours and school ag fairs, make classroom presentations and inform you about new ag education programs.

Lesson Plans - Packets of lesson plans (Preschool, K-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-12) developed around agriculture themes and the six KERA learner goals. Resource topics include food sourcing, consumerism, economics, animal welfare and the environment. (Project Food, Land and People)

Ag Ambassadors - Be an ag contact for your school! Receive program updates and assist in the distribution of materials to fellow teachers.

Adopt A Classroom - Programs have farm families and other agriculturalists "adopt" classrooms through exchanges of letters, videos, photos, field trips and farmer classroom visits.

Youth Activities - Farm Bureau provides opportunities from county to state levels for young people to compete for scholarships, cash awards and other prizes such as a Congressional Tour through the Outstanding Farm Bureau Youth and Variety Contests. Farm Bureau also supports 4-H, FFA, and IFAL (Institute for Future Agricultural Leaders).

Agriculture - Kentucky's Growth Machine

· Farming generates more than $17 billion in economic activity per year in our state.

· Our farmers pay more than $200 million a year in wages and over $50 million in property taxes.

· 65% of Kentucky's land is classified as cropland.

· 98% of our farms are owned by families.

· Kentucky agriculture is diverse: we have 8 farm commodities with annual sales of more than $100 million...tobacco, corn, soybeans, dairy, cattle, hogs, horses, poultry.

· Our farmers spend nearly $2 billion a year for production expenses.

· Over 400,000 Kentucky jobs are agriculture-related.

Education Resources - Check here for a list of agricultural education resources found on the web.

Farm 2 U Under Development

Available from county Cooperative Extension offices and Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Farm to School Program

Farm 2 U is a classroom curriculum being developed through a partnership between the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. The objective of the curriculum is to help students to

· Recognize the sources of their foods

· Explain the relationship of locally produced food to improved quality and nutrition

· Understand the importance of thriving agricultural businesses to healthy communities

· Identify the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the farming industry

· Increase their consumption of locally produced food and agricultural products.

The curriculum will be Kentucky specific, utilizing Kentucky examples and products, and meeting Kentucky academic standards for grade level. It will target grades K-12 and be based on the United States Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines.

Initially, eight units will be developed for each grade level:

· Introductory unit, providing an overview of MyPlate and the role of the Kentucky farmer in meeting Kentuckians’ dietary and lifestyle needs. This unit also sets a baseline for measuring student food purchasing and eating behavior.

· Grains unit, focusing on the role of grains in the diet, grains grown in Kentucky and how they are grown, processed and marketed

· Vegetables unit, focusing on the role of vegetables in the diet, vegetables grown in Kentucky and how they are grown, processed and marketed

· Fruits unit, focusing on the role of fruit in the diet, fruits grown in Kentucky and how they are grown, processed and marketed

· Oils and Discretionary Calories unit, focusing on the role of oils in the diet, plants grown for oil in Kentucky and how they are grown, processed and marketed. Will include foods of low nutrient density produced in Kentucky.

· Dairy unit, focusing on the role of dairy foods in the diet, Kentucky produced dairy foods, how dairy cows are grown, how dairy foods are produced and marketed

· Protein unit, focusing on the role of high protein products in the diet, Kentucky grown meat, poultry, fish, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, and how they are grown, processed and marketed.

· Conclusions unit, providing evaluation of change in student purchasing and eating behavior, and helping students to draw conclusions to initiate future change.

The research-based curriculum will provide a curriculum overview, references, additional resources, curriculum matrix, checklist for teachers, planning guide, tips for delivery, and evaluation tools. Each interactive unit will contain:

· A facilitator’s guide, providing a unit summary, objectives for the unit, suggestions for preparing to teach, materials list, additional resources, main points to cover, and suggested activities for reinforcement and evaluation

· Handouts and/or worksheets

· A family newsletter (for elementary students)

· A Powerpoint © presentation, if appropriate

KY Proud Lesson Plans

http://www.kyagr.com/marketing/ageducation/KentuckyProudLessons.htm

15 units for grades 3-5 integrated with math, science, geography and literature core content

LEAP (Literacy, Eating and Activity for Preschoolers)

Available from county Cooperative Extension offices

LEAP is a curriculum of 23 lessons using storybooks to teach children about staying healthy, being physically active, and eating more fruits and vegetables. Ten units target children ages 3-5, while 13 units are designed for children in primary grades. Each unit consists of an age-appropriate book, a facilitator guide, a taste of a fresh fruit or vegetable, reinforcing science or art activities, a physical activity, and a family newsletter to reinforce the lesson. The curriculum provides a strong emphasis on gardening.

Superstar Chef Goes to the Farmer’s Market

Available from county Cooperative Extension offices

Learn the connection between farmers, the foods they grow, and

how it affects individuals and the community.

Superstar Chef Goes to the Farmer’s Market consists of seven lessons:

A Visit to the Farmers Market

Safe Harvest

The Edible Rainbow

Versatile Vegetables

Healthful Beginnings

Cooking with Herbs

Thrill of the Grill

Each unit contains a facilitator guide, activities, recipes and evaluation.

Massachusetts

HTTP://thefoodproject.org/books-manuals

French Fries, and the Food System Sarah Coblyn
Wed, Nov 30th, -0001
This agricultural curriculum features powerful, original lessons written and developed by The Food Project's growers and educators. Organized by season, the material teaches youth how to develop a deep understanding of and appreciation for the land and local food systems. Lessons can be done both indoors and outdoors and can be easily adapted by instructors working in school-based plots, urban food lots, and environmental education programs.

MISSOURI

Eating From the Garden

A nutrition and gardening program for 4^th and 5^th grade students developed by University of Missouri Extension. May be accessed by contacting:

elliottk@missouri.edu

mcginnisr@missouri.edu

NEW MEXICO

Cooking With Kids

http://www.cookingwithkids.net/

Cooking with Kids motivates and empowers elementary school students to develop healthy eating habits through hands-on learning with fresh, affordable foods from diverse cultural traditions. Through cooking classes and tasting classes, students explore varieties of foods using all of their senses, have fun, and exercise choice.

On this website, you will find educational materials developed for our program in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where we work with over 4,300 pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students in twelve public schools.

Curriculum Materials
The complete Cooking with Kids curriculum, available on our on-line store includes lessons for cooking classes and fruit and vegetable tasting classes. Cooking classes focus on dishes from different regions of the world. The curriculum includes lesson plans, instruction for hands-on food preparation, recipes for classroom use, food history and nutrition information, student activities, and take-home recipes. Cooking with Kids curriculum supports interdisciplinary learning in math, science, social studies, language arts, music and art. All student materials are bilingual in Spanish and English.
View a sample cooking lesson.

Fruit and vegetable tasting lessons are available as free downloads. In these fun and simple one-hour lessons, children learn about and taste varieties of fruits or vegetables. Materials include lesson plans, nutrition and food history information, letters from farmers, student activities, and simple recipes.

For more information please download (pdf): Cooking with Kids, Integrated Curriculum Guide
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
March 2009 (Vol. 41, Issue 2, Pages 149-150)
Review by Teri L. Burgess-Champoux

VERMONT

Vermont FEED

http://www.vtfeed.org/tools_and_resources/tools_for_teachers/Teacher_units

Various lessons for pre-K through high school, integrating Farm to School education with other subject matter. Includes many interactive approaches such as cooking, research,

Resources

National

The Healthy School Meals Resource System Website The Healthy School Meals Resource System
Mon, Jan 1st, 2007

Resources for Advocating, Initiating and Implementing F2S Programs

Small Farms / School Meals Initiative (PDF|1.68 MB)
USDA. Food and Nutrition Service.
A step by step guide on how to bring small farms and schools together.

From Farm to Fork: A Guide to Building North Carolina’s Sustainable Local Food Economy (PDF|2.18 MB)
NC State University. Center for Environmental Farming Systems.
This guide is intended to provide key action ideas for building a sustainable food economy in North Carolina at the state and local levels. Many of the ideas can be revised for use in your particular state.

Buying and Selling Local Foods: Publication
Occidental College. Urban & Environmental Policy Institute. Farm to School.
Provides state and national resources, articles, and fact sheets to promote buying and selling local foods.

Marketing Local Food
Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture.
A guide to promoting local food in your area, the resource was created in Minnesota and uses many Minnesota examples of promoting local foods.

Cooks for Kids: Cooking Green Across America
National Food Service Management Institute.
This season looks at the foods served at schools from seed to table and back to dirt through composting. It shows the connection schools have with local farms to serve healthy meals in school cafeterias, how they are using the school garden to teach children about where food comes from and improve student nutrition, and look at ways schools are becoming more ecofriendly.

Cornell Farm to School Program
Cornell University.
Site discusses strategies and disseminates information to increase the amount of locally grown food served in New York's schools, colleges and universities.

Delivering More: Scaling Up Farm to School Programs (PDF|1.1 MB)
Community Food Security Coalition.
How can farm to school programs reach more students and more schools? This booklet looks at CFSC's work with four farm to school programs seeking to answer this question through strategic planning related to distribution capacity. This booklet profiles each program's planning efforts, describes the related work of The Farm to School Distribution Learning Community, and explores the implications of the results.

Farm to School
FoodRoutes Network.
Providing resources and facts to encourage the initiation of a farm to school program.

Farm to School FAQs
Georgia Organics.
Answers common questions about farm to school programs, how they can be implemented, and the opportunities and challenges that are presented.

Farm to School Program Information
Community Food Security Coalition.
Describes how Farm to School Projects work, assistance available for these projects, organizing tools, case studies, publications and links, and possible funding sources for these programs.

Farm to School Programs
University of California at Davis. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
Providing information on benefits of farm to school programs, brochures, and other resources for implementation of a farm to school program.

Farm to School: Case Studies and Resources for Success (PDF|960 KB)
FoodRoutes Network.
Provides case studies of successful farm to school programs already in place and resources to help implement a new program.

Fresh from the Farm: Using Local Foods in the Afterschool and Summer Nutrition Programs (PDF|2.97 MB)
Food Research and Action Center.
This guide outlines strategies and approaches for accessing local products such as working with an organization that is already using local produce, collaborating with the area food service director or operating the Farm to School program independently.

National Farm to School Program
UEPI. Center for Food and Justice.
Site highlights different state farm to school programs, provides a free resource packet by request, sample policies, case studies, and related news.

New York Harvest for New York Kids Week
NYS. Department of Agriculture and Markets.
This annual celebration is an opportunity for schools and communities to learn about New York agriculture, enjoy locally-grown foods, and inspire healthy food choices. Cafeterias feature NY farm products; classrooms do food tastings; students visit farms and farmers’ markets, or harvest their school gardens.

Rethinking School Lunch Guide
Center for EcoLiteracy.
Provides a framework with tools and creative solutions to the challenges of improving school lunch programs, academic performance, ecological knowledge, and the well-being of our children. Experts and practitioners highlight goals and challenges, showcase success stories, and offer resources for further exploration.

Resources for Educators

Farm to School Bulletin Board Resources
When children understand where their food comes from, such as from a local farm or a school garden, they are more interested in trying new fruits and vegetables! Use these resources to create a colorful, motivating display.

Pick the Good Stuff: Pick Virginia Grown (PDF|565.08 KB)
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
A coloring and activity book encouraging students to eat local Virginia produce at home and in school.

School Garden Bulletin Board Resources
A school garden is a great way to teach children about caring for plants, how fruits and vegetables grow, and about healthy eating!

Fruit and Vegetable Safety
Fruits and vegetables are an important part of everyone's diet, but special care must be taken to ensure their quality and safety. These resources provide food safety information specifically for produce. Also includes a section on school garden food safety.

Fresh from the Farm TIME for Kids
Thu, May 1st, 2008
TIME for Kids Magazine Teachers Guide on Farm to School

CATCH
Thu, Dec 1st, -0001
CATCH was the largest school based health promotion program ever done in the US - as a coordinated nutrition education - employing Go, SLOW , WHOA diet concepts to help children choose healthier foods and now utilized as part of CATCH along with the CATCH - EAT SMART Guide for school nutrition service providers and also CATCH Physical Education K-8. CATCH builds alliance with school staff, parents, community and administrators to focus on health, nutrition and physical activity. Certified CATCH Trainers also help schools and districts to build their coordinated school health efforts. And, most importantly, CATCH makes nutrition learning and physical activity FUN!

KidsGardening.org
Thu, Dec 1st, -0001
KidsGardening.Org - Helping Young Minds Grow

Provides classroom projects and activities centered on gardening.

Family Cook-In Toolkit
Sun, Feb 7th, 2010
First, download our Screening Toolkit. (Go to: http://whatsonyourplateproject.org/blog/takeaction/toolkit). It has all the stuff you need to have a fun and delicious Family Cook-In! Second, watch What's on Your Plate? at 2:00 p.m. on Discovery's Planet Green. (Go to http:planetgreen.channelfinder.net to find your local channel). Third, check out the games and activities in our Screening Toolkit. Fourth, cook and eat together! Get everyone in the kitchen chopping, stirring, pouring and baking. Then sit down together for some fresh and yummy home-cooked food. Think food justice is too tricky for kids? Think again. What's On Your Plate? proves that not only can kids understand the issues, they can actually teach other kids about how they are what they eat. The film follows two eleven-year-old multi-racial city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. Sadie and Safiyah take a close look at food systems in New York City and its surrounding areas. With the camera as their companion, the girl guides talk to each other, food activists, farmers, new friends, storekeepers, their families, and the viewer, in their quest to understand what?s on all of our plates. According to Michael Pollan: ""What's On Your Plate?" is exactly the film we need now." And Alice Waters says: "It was an amazing experience to hear kids talking about these issues. This movie can have a real impact on the way we think about what we?re eating." Don't miss this chance to see this witty and provocative film on national television! Join in the conversation on how we can change what we eat, and in the process, change our world. Visit our website for more information on the film and how you can get involved. www.whatsonyourplateproject.com Can't make the Family Cook-In! broadcast? No problem. The film will be showing throughout the week, with additional broadcasts on: Saturday February 6th, 2010 at 10 pm Thursday February 11th at 11 pm Friday February 12th at 7 am Friday February 12th at 3 pm

Resources for Food Service Directors:

Eat Smart—Farm Fresh! A Guide to Buying and Serving Locally-Grown Produce in School Meals (PDF|1.29 MB)
USDA. Food and Nutrition Service.
Handbook for school food service personnel focusing on procurement, types and examples of farm-to-school distribution models, how to find locally-grown food and farmers, menu planning considerations, and strategies for success.

Fresh From the Farm: The Massachusetts Farm to School Cookbook (PDF|1.1 MB)
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
The cookbook features 45 recipes using Massachusetts crops. The recipes were school tested by Food Service Directors, cooks, and students in the schools themselves and designed for 50 to 100 servings. Also included are tips for using farm fresh ingredients and how to get started with farm-direct food purchasing.

Michigan Farm to School
C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems Michigan State University
A collection of helpful information on starting new farm-to-school programs in Michigan as a foodservice director and marketing your local Michigan produce. Contains information about the growing seasons and produce availability in the state of Michigan. A purchasing, marketing, and a Michigan produce menu guide can all be found on the website.

A Guide to Purchasing and Serving Local Foods in Schools (PDF|7.06 MB)
The DC Farm to School Network.
A guide for schools interested in participating in farm to school programs. This would be most helpful for schools in the Washington, DC area as it includes several local farms and vendors.

Resources on School Gardens

Gardens for Learning: Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden
California School Garden Network.
Comprehensive guidebook that provides a strong foundation to support the growing school garden movement. It was developed by a team of experienced garden educators, nutritionists, state officials, and other garden experts. This guidebook is a must-have resource for anyone looking to enhance learning through the use of gardens in schools and other community settings.

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Alice Waters and Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.
The edible schoolyard website uses the success of Martin Luther King Jr. middle school as a template for starting other urban school gardens and teaching students how to grow and prepare healthy food.

School Gardens
Texas A&M University. Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
Links to various helpful topics on school gardens, including: steps to build a school garden, ideas and curricula, nutritional benefits, and school garden resources.

The Edible Schoolyard New Orleans
The Edible School Yard NOLA.
Modeled after the Berkeley edible schoolyard, this New Orleans based edible schoolyard was created to encourage organic gardening and learning to cook and enjoy healthy, local foods.

New Journeys & Crossings Webcast: School Gardens
Library of Congress.
Constance Carter, Head of the Science Reference Section, Library of Congress, describes the history of the school garden in America and offers reasons why school gardens are making a comeback.

Eat Smart Farm Fresh; A Guide to Buying a Serving Locally Grown Produce in School Meals

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/guidance/Farm-to-School-Guidance_12-19-2005.pdf

REGIONAL LEVEL

Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, Growing Minds

http://growing-minds.org/

Recipes, educational resources

Resource Guide for communities just starting to implement Farm-to-School programs

Background

· What is farm-to-school? http://www.farmtoschool.org/files/publications_352.pdf

· Why should you be interested in farm-to-school? http://www.farmtoschool.org/files/publications_352.pdf

Examples of and lessons learned from farm-to-school programs around the US:

· Pennsylvania: http://www.rural.palegislature.us/Farm_School_Guide08.pdf