What are Taste Tests?
A farm to school taste test is a fun, economical, and simple way to create positive food experiences and encourage students to try new foods. Small samples are offered to students separately from the school lunch and snack programs. Taste tests can be led by teachers, nutrition staff, parents, volunteers, chefs, farmers, or even older students.
Why Taste Tests?
Taste Tests allow students the opportunity to use inquiry and critical thinking skills to talk about preferences and descriptive characteristics.
Resources for Taste Tests:
- Video: How to conduct a Farm to School taste test
- Farm to School Taste Tests in School Cafeterias
- Classroom Taste Tests
Lesson Plans:
Great lesson plans make any new classroom project a cinch! Over the years, Growing Minds has developed farm to school activities that incorporate state and national curriculum. All Growing Minds lesson plans have connections to the Common Core State Standards, NC Essential Standards, and age-appropriate literature.
- Looking for a specific lesson plan? Find a lesson plan by typing key words such as your grade level, subject area, season, a specific fruit or vegetable, etc. in the search at the top of the webpage. Example: Recipe lessons plans.
- Lesson Plans by Age Group: To view a complete list of our lesson plans, visit our Lesson Plans webpage.
Children’s Literature:
Search this ever-growing database to find our recommendations, which are perfect for teaching about gardening, cooking, farms, food, and nature. Use our list to find children’s literature, cookbooks, and curriculum for the classroom, school library, or home. To view a complete list of our book collection, visit our Children’s Literature webpage.
- Looking for books on a specific topic? Type one or more keywords (like “apples”, “food”, or “cooking”) into the search bar to filter your search, or click on a particular tag to explore thematic books and resources. Use the “diversity” tag to explore books featuring multicultural characters and/or authors.
- Lending Library: Educators in the region are welcome to borrow any of the books featured in our database through the lending library at ASAP’s office. Children’s literature, cookbooks, and curriculum can all be checked out. Contact us to be sure the books you’re looking for are available and to schedule a time to pick them up from our office.
Growing Minds Resources for Taste Tests:
- Growing Minds Farm to Preschool Toolkit: This resource contains all of our preschool lesson plans, This Week in the Garden Preschool weekly activity guides, and Farm to School Goes Home weekly newsletter for families.
- I Tried Local: A Toolkit for Engaging Kids with Local Food and Farms: “I Tried Local…” is designed for use in ECE through second grade classrooms. The curriculum is divided into 10 units based on foods grown in North Carolina: blueberries, broccoli, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, peppers, radishes, sugar snap peas, sweet corn, and watermelons.
- The Year of the Taste Test
- Growing Minds @ University Project
- Day by Day – Growing Minds Day by Day is a year-long series of seasonal educational resources designed for families and teachers. Weekly resource lists feature a theme related to food. Each resource list includes thematic recommendations for children’s literature, local food recipes, lesson plans, activities, and online resources curated by the Growing Minds team.