Celebrating Farmers and Food Georgia Agricultural Awareness Week

Agriculture is Georgia’s #1 industry.  March 19-23 is the second Georgia Agricultural Awareness Week.  A celebration of agriculture in Georgia, with a special theme each day. Even if you are not in GA here are some ideas you could use in your classroom.  So let’s celebrate Farmers and Food this week.  This will just get you started.

Monday  – Kick‐off Georgia Ag Awareness Week in your community or school by hosting a ‘Pennies for Produce’ Drive. Funds collected should be donated to a food bank of your choice to purchase local produce when in season from the ag heroes who grow it!

 
Tuesday – Flavor of Georgia Day -try some new fruits or veggies that are Ga Grown.  March is an ideal time for strawberries, since they are in season.

Wednesday – Ag Hero Day, invite a farmer to the classroom or visit a local farm.  Explain to children what a hero is and ask them to describe some of the people they consider to be a hero.  You may even relate it to Super Heros, then relate it to local heros.  Have children draw a picture or write a thank you note to “thank a farmer.”

Thursday – Ag Literacy Day – Invite a local leader to read agriculture related books to your children.  For suggest books to read visit http://feedmyschool.org/assets/files/ag-awareness/Reading-list.pdf                                                                                                      You will also find a certificate to provide for your children.

Friday – Make my Plate Georgia Grown – Feature GA grown products through snacks or meals throughout the day.

For more information and ideas visit:  http://feedmyschool.org/FMS/AG_Awareness_Week

 

Grow Little Turnip, Grow Big – Activity

This activity is an extension of my last blog.  I have done this activity with child care providers many times to provide ideas for their classroom.  Children enjoy this hands-on activity where they can be involved.  This is just one example of how you can make a book come alive. Choose your own book and let your imagination run to come up with your own activities.  Remember to link your classroom together with themes for learning.

Read the book several times before you conduct the activity.  This will allow time for your children to become familiar with the story,

Has anyone eaten a turnip root?  What about turnip greens?  Our story is about a big turnip.  Grow Little Turnip, Grow Big is written by Harriet Ziefert and illustrated by Laura Rader.  What do you think this book is about?  Has anyone seen a big turnip root?

This book, is about an old man, an old woman, a little girl, a big dog, a cat and a tiny mouse.  (prepare pictures for each for the children to hold, I suggest laminating each so you can use them multiple times).  Ask for six volunteers to help with the story.  As the children come up give them a picture to hold (or punch two holes at the top of the card and use yarn to thread through so the child can wear the picture around their neck, this is my preference to leave their hands free).  Move all the children to the side, except for the old man.  You can have a pot with a plastic turnip planted in a pot covered by moss that you hold. (see example at the bottom of the page, you can make your own)

As you read the book, ask your volunteers to help act out the story.  As you talk about the characters from the book pulling up the turnip, each one tries to pull up the turnip individually, then they try to help the person in front of them pull.  At the end they all work as a team and are successful.

To involve the entire class in the story, make the following change:

Page 20 They pulled and pulled and pulled.  Line up the children and stress that they are only going to pretend to pull on the person in front on them.  On the count of three we are going to pull up the turnip. 1-2-3.  Pull it up!  Pull it up!  Pull it up!  Yeah!  The turnip did come up.  Now the old woman can cook the turnip for supper.

Suggested questions for end of book discussion:

• What color is the turnip root?
• What color are the leaves of the turnip?
• Where do turnips grow?
• Has someone eaten the white turnip root or the green leaves of the turnip?
• What other foods did you eat with the turnips?
• Can someone name other types of “greens”? (mustard, kale, spinach, collards)
• Why were we finally successful in pulling up the large turnip? (everyone worked together to pull up the turnip)

New Foods to Celebrate

What better way to celebrate National Farm to School Month than to introduce children to some new fruits and vegetables.  Food can be incorporated into every area in your center and can be such fun!!  When you begin to explore books that focus on foods, healthy eating, gardening, and planting the number available is quite large.  So here a few and some activities to get you started.  Use your imagination, make the books come alive, sample new foods and add activities during the month to get your children excited about healthy eating.   When they are more involved with the activities they are more likely to try new foods.

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

This book is great for the introduction of new foods by reading your way through the alphabetical world of fruits and vegetables. Currents, jalapeno peppers, parsnips, star fruit, ugil fruit, and yams are just a few of the foods mentioned. There is also a glossary of the fruits and vegetables described in the book.

Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

This bright, bold picture book is about vegetable gardening for the very young. The story starts off “Dad says we are going to grow vegetable soup”.  The necessary tools are pictured and labeled, as are the seeds (green bean, pea, corn, zucchini squash, and carrot). Then the real gardening happens . . . planting, weeding, harvesting, washing, chopping, and cooking! In the end? “It was the best soup ever.” A recipe for vegetable soup tops it all off!  After reading the book serving vegetable soup would be a great way of adding vegetables to your children’s diet.  I would also suggest to share a recipe with your parents and encourage them to try this at home.  Parent buy-in is very important and can extend classroom learning.  They may also try something new too!

 

Recipe Corner

Sometimes children will try a new food when they can dip it.  My goddaughter is happy to eat anything if there is something to dip it into.  I think it is the experience of it all.  So if they are a little hesitate to taste a new vegetable or fruit these healthy dips may be a way to encourage the new food experience.

Ranch Sauce*

• 1 cup plain low fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup light ranch salad dressing

Combine ingredients in a small bowl.  Serve with any cut vegetables.

Cinnamon Dip*

• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• dash of cinnamon

1.  Place yogurt in small (1 cup) bowl.
2. Add brown sugar & dash of cinnamon to yogurt.
3. Stir until well mixed.
4. Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Serve with your favorite fruits, such as apple wedges, banana slices, strawberries, peaches or other fruit.

Fruity Parfaits*

• 1/2 cup lightly sweetened cereal, such as Life or granola
• 6 oz. vanilla low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup berries or cut-up fruit (drain if canned)
• 2 Tablespoons chopped pecans (check for any food allergies before using nuts

1. Place cereal in small bowl or cereal dish.
2. Add yogurt.  Spread evenly over cereal.
3. Rinse fruit or drain if canned.  Sprinkle fruit evenly over yogurt.
4. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over fruit.  Serve.

*Recipes are courtesy of the Georgia Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).  To find out if this free nutrition program is available in your area contact your local county Extension or in Georgia 1.800.ASK.UGA1 or visit http://www.fcs.uga.edu/extension/efnep.

See upcoming blogs for more ideas for adding fruits and veggies.

Oct. Events in Coastal Georgia

Planning some time with your family and friends is a great way to spend a fall day.  The weather in South Georgia is just starting to cool down a little.  If you are looking for a fun way to celebrate Fall…bring your family to 19th Annual Fall Garden Festival, in Savannah, GA

SATURDAY OCTOBER 19
    

9AM to 4PM

*  PLANT SALE
*  ARTS/CRAFTS VENDORS
*  FREE GARDENING LECTURES
*  CANE SYRUP MAKING DEMO
*  PUMPKIN PATCH!
*  KIDS ACTIVITIES AND MORE!
CELEBRATING FALL WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY!

For more information visit:  Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm

October is National Farm to School Month

One reason for the overall blog is to provide ideas for helping your children to grow.  There are many ways to do this and getting involved in the Farm to School Movement is a great way to start.  I had the opportunity to attend the National Farm to School Conference last year in Burlington, Vermont and it was a great learning experience!  I was introduced to the Farm to Preschool subcommittee and decided to get involved.   I was immediately interested in their resources and think you would be too.  Also offered is free webinars!

Did you know October is National Farm to School Month?  Help promote this by visiting Farm to Preschool website.  Curricula, preschool gardens, parent education, resources for families and grant information can all be located under the Resource tab.   Also look for the Theme of the Day Calendar which is a great way to promote farm to school in your child care or home center.  I really enjoy activity calendars like this to help me offer ideas for childcare providers and families in my community.  Check it out for great resources and ideas.  Let me know if you find this site useful or how you plan to use it.  I look forward to hearing from you!