Photo by Tim Lauer, principal of Meriwether Lewis Elementary School in Portland, Ore.
“Many kids think that food comes from a box, it comes out of a microwave, it comes in a package, and it comes from the supermarket or the corner [convenience] store,” Harrison said. “We want to teach children that their diet needs to include a number of whole foods with different shapes, flavors, and textures.” Backing up such first-hand awareness with support materials, such as fact sheets on the when, where, and how of a fruit or vegetable’s origin, along with popular cooking or preparation options solidifies the lesson. One of the most engaging methods, Harrison said, is to grow a school garden. Observing and participating in the process of planting, growing, and harvesting provides resonating perspective that will stay with a child for life. Palm River Elementary had an established farm and garden prior to the FFVP, but Johnson said the program’s success has provided the impetus for expansion. Also helpful are field trips to farms, ranches, and produce markets, where kids get an up-close-and-personal look
Schools across the country focus on offering healthier foods options including a greater variety of fresh fruits and vegetables for their students.
at exactly where some of their food comes from. Moreover, teachers can invite those farmers, ranchers, and other food professionals for classroom visits, especially during the annual Great American Teach-in. FAMILY BONDING AND BETTERMENT
Harrison pointed out that while the ideal scenario finds parents teaching their children about food origins and nutritional wisdom from an early age, schools can certainly fill in
where parents lack the knowledge and communication abilities to help kids make good food decisions. “Those kids come to school and they have their habits very developed,” Harrison said. “We get kids into the schools when they’re 6 and 7 and they’ve never eaten with a fork; they don’t know how to use a spoon and they eat all their food with their hands. They usually only eat foods that they’ve seen before, which are usually more of the processed items and the things they’ve seen in casual dining. “Unfortunately, many of our students grow up in families where the food items they buy are empty calories,” Harrison said. “A problem is that not only do some students not know where their food comes from, but what is the benefit of eating food items that are nutritionally [lacking]?” Clearly, the goal of breaking the cycle of passing down unhealthy food habits from one generation to the next depends on instilling the concept of viewing the right foods as an investment. The main challenge here is purely economics.
AMERICAN AGRICULTURE
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