An Edible Education A look at the importance of farm to school education and the role that cooking projects play in the life of the young child.

What is “Farm to School” Education? Farm to school programs promote one or more of the following goals: Providing and promoting local foods in school cafeterias Educating students on agriculture, food, health and nutrition Engaging students in hands-on leaning in outdoor spaces like school gardens Building a sense of community through field trips and serving local foods at businesses and organizations

Why is it Important? Some Cold Hard Facts There is a $2 billion effort by the food industry to teach children and teens to want candy, sugar drinks, sugary cereals, and other highly-processed junk foods. Mostly, these lessons are delivered through your television set. Increasingly though, these messages reach kids through mobile devices, so-called "advergames" on the web, and shockingly, even junk-food marketing within the four walls of their classrooms. There is a $2 billion effort The anti-hunger group Feeding America estimates that elementary school students receive just 3.4 hours of nutrition education -- actual education and not marketing -- each year. Fewer than 25 percent of high school students take any family and consumer science classes, formerly known as home economics, and those classes are often the first to go when school budgets are trimmed. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period. one-third of American kids are overweight or obese, and are on track to have shorter lives than their parents education_b_ html

Cold Hard Facts Immediate health effects: -Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year- olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. -Obese adolescents are more likely to have prediabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem. Long-term health effects: -Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. -One study showed that children who became obese as early as age 2 were more likely to be obese as adults. -Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

School gardens, farm field trips, and cooking with young children are three of the strategies we can enlist to build positive relationships with fresh, healthy local foods. As an educator, these strategies can simultaneously be powerful tools to enhance language development, literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts, social and emotional development, as well as physical health and development. The key to successful Farm to School programming is integrating healthy food and food sources throughout curriculum areas, offering students real life context for learning and discovery. Why this age group? Early childhood is a critical stage of child development. Attitudes toward foods that are shaped at this time in life are strong determinants of later eating behaviors. Many preschool-aged children suffer from high rates of obesity and low consumption of, and access to, fruits and vegetables. It is imperative to establish healthy habits early on. Many preschoolers consume the majority of their daily nutrients in child care, and more than any other age group, they rely on parents and caregivers to shape their food and activity environments. Farm to Preschool programming is an ideal way to establish healthy patterns in our youngest citizens and connect them to the food they eat, simultaneously supporting local food systems

School Gardens Good eating habits and a love of learning both start early, and what better way to instill both in children than with a garden? Gardening with preschoolers not only engages children in hands-on learning, but begins to build positive experiences with healthy food. This is why school gardens are a key component of effective Farm to School programs. Farm to School can include local food included in school meals, farm field trips, school gardens and cooking REAL food, but the goal is to rebuild connections between children and the food they eat. Proving positive social reinforcement for healthy eating, Farm to School offers children the opportunity to grow their own vegetables, learn about farms in their community and have first-hand experience preparing fresh local food. The more connections and positive experiences children have with fresh healthy food, the more likely they are to eat it.

Farm Field Trips Children come away from farm field trips forever connected to local food and farms. As students harvest sugar snap peas, grind dried corn, and feed pigs, they make long-lasting and life-changing memories. On the farm, classroom lessons about soil, life cycles, community, and storytelling come to life. Students form relationships with the people who grow their food and gain a deeper understanding of rural ways of life. Through the hands on experiences of farm field trips, children explore new ideas, discover their own strengths, and awaken new interests

Why is cooking Important? - A message from Chef Ann Founder of Edible Education On my first day of teaching cooking in a public, middle school, I asked the students to raise their hands if they knew how to cook dinner for their family. All hands shot up instantly! “Wow, this is going to be a breeze, these kids are well versed in the culinary arts,” I thought. Then upon additional questioning, I learned that “cooking dinner” to them meant ham and cheese sandwiches, cold cereal, or (my least favorite) Ramen noodles. “And where do you enjoy your culinary creations?” I continued to query. “In our rooms watching TV, at the sofa watching TV, in the car on the way to practice.” And so, began my adventure to introduce kids (and adults) to real dinners – the kind with real food and real place settings and real conversation at an actual table. Seven years and many students later, I am still amazed at how little our children know about food. And, perhaps even more amazed at, how unadventurous they are with menu choices. That’s where Edible Education comes in. We are not doctors or gourmet chefs. We use everyday kitchen equipment mixed with a lot of fun and a passion for eating what is good for us (without being all “organicy” or health-nuts about food) to introduce students to fresh, home-cooked food.

Cooking to Promote Development and Learning Cooking is not only a fun, engaging activity for children, but one that has been used for years as an important teaching and development tool for all ages. Social-Emotional Development –Hands-on cooking activities help children develop pride and confidence in their skills and abilities. The act of following a recipe can encourage self- direction and independence, while also teaching children to follow directions and use thinking skills to problem solve. Physical Development–Chopping, squeezing, spreading, and mixing are all cooking skills that help develop a child’s small muscle control and eye-hand coordination. It’s impossible to separate hands-on cooking activities from physical development for young children. Cognitive Development–Cooking inspires children’s curiosity, thinking, and problem solving, offering new opportunities to make predictions and observations. Additionally, cooking offers authentic opportunities for students to understand and apply their knowledge of measuring, one-to-one correspondence, numbers, and counting. As they follow a recipe, children organize ingredients, follow a sequence, and carry out multiple directions. Language Development–With its own vocabulary, cooking is a great opportunity for language development. Take advantage of opportunities for children to match pictures to words and articulate questions inspired by their new experiences.

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