Somerville Farm to School Project

"They have learned so much!" That's what one of the Transition to Kindergarten teachers said to me as I left her classroom for the last time. I had been visiting 6 different classrooms once a week for the past four weeks to teach the students about the plant parts we eat and what plants need to grow. Another teacher quipped, "I didn't know which plant parts I was eating until I went to college. It's great that they are learning about it now." That was our goal: to get students thinking about where food comes from and to get teachers thinking about how to incorporate food literacy into their lessons. Our first day started with Sunbutter and seed collections. Chef Guy Koppe from Project Bread led the kids in preparing Sunbutter, using this recipe. The students watch toasted sunflower seeds transform into creamy Sunbutter right before their eyes.    Preparing and tasting sunbutter   After reading Seeds, seeds, seeds! by Nancy Elizabeth Wal...

On Wednesday, March 11 we kicked off our National Nutrition Month Celebration at the Arthur D. Healey School. During lunch, we held a tasting of a Veggie Yogurt Dip . Students tried the dip on green, yellow and red peppers. Each student who tried the dip received an "I tried a new food today" sticker! They also had a chance to vote whether they would eat it again. Almost 200 students tried the recipe with an amazing 81% of them voting to eat it again! Thank you to Caitlin Kelly, PEP Grant Director and Leslie Schmille, Framingham State Nutrition Intern for helping out with the event. Content and photos provided by Karyn Novakowski, PEP Nutrition Education Coordinator.

Our latest taste test was the closest yet!  Students tried the Spencer and Cortland varieties.       Seventy-nine percent of the students participated in the test. The students preferred the Spencer (51%) to the Cortland (49%).        Thank you to our volunteer, Jen Capuano for helping with the taste test!   Content provided by Karyn Novakowski, Farm to School Project Director 

Nature art is trending on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. These Face the  Foliage images are all over the web! Face the Foliage Art Series, Justina Blakeney We can't get enough of Ker­stin Hiester­mann's nature inspired art and this post  which inspired our post title. Collaborating with Nature, Playful learning     Drop, Ker­stin Hiester­mann So, when we were invited to participate in the Healey School's Adventure camp, we thought a nature art activity would be perfect! The Healthy Eating Active Time (HEAT) Club at Adventure Summer Camp at the Healey School focuses on eating healthy, nutrition and exercise. An art project might not seem like a natural fit for this club, but there is nothing healthier for the mind and body than getting outside and exploring nature, looking closely at the things growing beneath our feet, breathing fresh air and stretching your legs while hunting for interesting leaves, rocks and stick...