…es. Farm to Preschool Toolkit – All of our farm to preschool resources are compiled into our Farm to Preschool Toolkit. The toolkit contains all of our pre-K lesson plans, This Week in the Garden activity guides, and Farm to School Goes Home weekly newsletters for families. It also includes sourcing guidance, tips for cooking with young children, and more. This Week in the Garden: Preschool Edition – We have preschool versions of our popular This…
…unding, the Farm to Preschool Network is awarding 40 Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) Implementation Grants (FIG) to North Carolina childcare centers and family childcare homes who are interested in starting or enhancing their daily routines with Farm to Preschool programming. Childcare centers and homes selected for the FIG will receive a mini-grant, Growing Minds Farm to Preschool Toolkit, literacy box, and virtual training opportunities….
…micomposting! Learn how to set up and maintain successful, productive small-scale worm composting systems. Movies & Films Botany of Desire (2009): Look at the relationship between humans and domesticated plants. This video is a great way to look at how plants have evolved due to human influences. Note: You will want to preview this movie to make sure all parts are appropriate for your class. Food, Inc. (2008): This documentary provides a critical…
…watermelons. You can move through the units in any order that makes sense based on your growing region, curriculum, or program structure. The toolkit has a plethora of additional resources around how to implement farm to school with gardens, classroom cooking, farm field trips and farmer visits, and 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…
…height, # leaves, size of leaves, etc.) At the end of the experiment have students write up a report, including how their predictions differed from the actual outcome and why. The length, depth, and components of this report will be determined by the teacher….
…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 Verner school garden, as well as a list of what they’re growing and some of the planting projects they’re planning thi…
…empanada recipe is included in this book, which is available for Asheville-based educators to check out from the Growing Minds lending library. Recommended for ages 4-8. Watch a read aloud on YouTube. How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? Mr. Tiffin’s class is on a mission to see how many seeds are in three different sized pumpkins. They pull out all the seeds and count by twos, fives and tens to see which pumpkin has the most, and are surprised by what…
…tions.org before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 18-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year. Smoky Mountains, NC: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain Southern Mountains, NC: Henderson, Polk, Transylvania Central Mountains, NC: Buncombe, Madison, Yancey Foothills, NC: Burke, McDowell, Rutherford High Country, NC:…
…nts at all levels, including AP. It uses a series of activities and inquiry-based experiments with familiar foods to teach genetics while helping students make connections to ecology, evolution, plant biology, and even social science. What makes Garden Genetics unique is its emphasis on modern food-plant-based situations. For example, to learn about Punnett squares, students taste variations in bitterness in cucumber seedlings and then design expe…
…used to promote social emotional learning, motor skill development, nature-based education, active play, problem solving, and more. How Growing Minds supports farm to school In order for farm to school and farm to preschool programs to thrive, educators and food service directors need support and resources. That’s the role that Growing Minds plays. We provide training for teachers, school nutrition staff, parents, community members, and farmers/…