…alth. Their presence in your garden indicates that it’s a healthy, chemical-free place. Your school or family can do its part to protect frogs and toads by not using pesticides, herbicides, or other chemicals on your property. More tips – Find more tips to help frogs and toads in your yard here. Discover the Frogs and Toads of NC: Explore the many species of frogs and toads that call North Carolina home by visiting herpsofnc.org. Click on a pho…
…he second year. All of the school districts in the WNC region have free and reduced lunch rates of over 40%, and children poverty rates, according to Kids Count, average 24% (higher than the state of 21%). As agricultural education is a necessary partner to procurement, cafeteria taste tests and community trainings, promotional materials, and teacher engagement and training will also be components of this project. If you’re a School Nutrition Dir…
…arms. In this portion of my internship, I have the opportunity to work side-by-side with owner and registered dietitian Nicole Coston. I help Nicole run day-to-day operations of the farm and social media outreach, and have even had the chance to get my hands dirty in the field. Our farm has a CSA program that requires many hours of attention so that we can provide the highest quality local produce to our community. Also, I have partnered with the…
…local food in meals or snacks. The Toolkit is available as a free digital download. To download click in the space to the right of the Toolkit. The download arrow will then drop down. View the Spanish version here. In each unit you will find: An overview of the crop, including geographic and cultural origins, nutrition facts, and growing tips. A lesson plan that aligns with educational standards. A video from our Meet Your Farmer video series sho…
…ITERS-R) with Farm to Preschool. The toolkit in English and Spanish can be downloaded for free here. “I Tried Local…” A Toolkit for Engaging Kids with Local Food and Farms 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. You can move throu…
…ecipe: Homemade Seed Bars Recipe and photo courtesy of Feasting at Home Nut-free, oil-free, grain-free, paleo approved energy bars that only take 5 minutes of hands on time before baking in the oven. High in protein and fiber, these all natural bars make for a simple breakfast on the go or energy boosting midday snack! Ingredients: 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds 1 heaping cup large flaked unsweetened coconut 1/4 cup ses…
…Providers Ever wondered how many tomatoes to purchase and prepare for 25 4-year-olds at lunch? These user-friendly guides do the purchasing and prep calculations for you and take away the guesswork! We know that caregivers want to offer more fresh vegetables and fruits when it is feasible. We also know how challenging it can be to calculate how many pounds of vegetables or fruits to purchase for children in day care settings. It can also be diff…
…at Verner Center for Early Learning. Based in Asheville, Verner provides 5-star comprehensive care and education to over 300 children and their families at three centers and through a home-based Early Head Start program. Verner received a Growing Minds mini-grant this spring to purchase lumber, books, and educational supplies for their school garden. For our May 2021 Farm to School Spotlight, Whitney shares some insights and stories from the Vern…
…easy to use format and streamlined recipes. The Toolkit is available as a free digital download. View the Spanish version here. Reach for the Stars with Farm to Preschool, Second Edition This resource was created by the NC Farm to Preschool Network, of which Growing Minds is a member. Originally published in 2016, it was revised in 2020. Its purpose is to help child care centers and family child care homes integrate farm to preschool activities i…
…of many examples that I saw of how the Hot Springs community supports the Community Learning Center. The Community Learning Center is a five-star rated preschool, they have little to no staff turnover, it’s nestled in the sweet community of Hot Springs, the teachers love coming to work and the kids seem delighted to go to school. Deb and I concluded that if all children, ages 3 to 8, were given this type of real, hands-on experience, that we coul…