GARDEN TO TABLE

HEALTHY FOOD INITIATIVE

Garden to Table will empower children and families through outdoor experiential education by creating garden-based, hands-on learning. By making gardens more accessible to children, families, and educators, Garden to Table will provide an understanding of where their food comes from and the impact food choices have on living healthy lives.

Schedule:

  • Daily (during May-August)

○ Water plants

○ Weed plants

○ Feed worms, as necessary


  • Weekday morning, weekly (during May-August)

○ Staff or volunteer led program

○ Includes one hands-on project/activity


  • Saturday morning, monthly (during May-August)

○ Staff or volunteer led program

○ Includes three hands-on projects/activities


  • As requested

○ Field Trips

○ Outreach Sites

○ Girl Scout Reservations


*Also available as a focused field trip or outreach program.

Potential Program Topics:

  • Seed Planting-Take Home (vegetable, herb, flower)
  • Worm Feeding
  • Produce Harvesting
  • Invasive Species Exploration
  • Nature Art
  • Bird Feeders
  • Fairy Houses
  • Recipe Cards
  • Seed Papermaking
  • Dairy Days
  • Incredible Insects*
  • Butterfly and Caterpillar Life Cycles*


Learning Objective:

  1. To generate agricultural interest through:
  2. Planting
  3. Watering
  4. Weeding
  5. Harvesting
  6. To learn the importance of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables
  7. To generate an interest in nature
  8. To understand insect and animal life cycles
  9. To learn the steps of a plant life cycle
  10. To understand the importance of farming

Standards Alignment:


  • Environment, Health, and Safety, EHS1: Identify the importance and interrelationships of health, safety, and environmental systems and evaluate the impacts of these systems.


  • Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, AS4: Apply principles of animal nutrition to ensure the proper growth, development, reproduction, and economic production of animals.


  • Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, NR2: Apply scientific principles to natural resource management activities.


  • Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, PS3: Students will propagate, culture, and harvest plants.


  • Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, PS5: Students will recognize different systems in which plants grow.


  • Environmental Literacy and Sustainability, ELS.EX4: Analyze the interactions and outcomes of cycles and flows in natural and cultural systems.


  • Nutrition, ICF1: Identify and classify foods and gain an appreciation for various forms of foods.


  • Nutrition, NL1: Apply critical thinking skills when addressing nutrition concepts including food and beverage choices, eating patterns, and wellbeing