Classroom -> The Secret Strategies of Food Advertising 

Students learn how to read a nutrition label, then use this knowledge to analyze advertisements of popular food products, considering the audience, strategy, and accuracy of the advertisements in response to provided focus questions. Students learn more about specific strategies used to market products, and go on to make their own advertisements based on fruit or veggie nutrition facts.

• Learning goal: Students can identify strategies that companies use to sell food to consumers, and can translate that knowledge to their own handmade advertisements. Specifically:

  • Students can name marketing strategies in food advertisement

  • Students know where to find accurate nutrition information on a food

  • Students can apply their understanding to their own ad

• Curriculum alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.7 + CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.5 + CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.5 + CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3 + CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.8

• Kit contents:

  • 1 15 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 6 copies Nutrition Facts for Veggies poster (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 6 copies Nutrition Facts for Fruits poster (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 13 food advertisements (mixed languages)

• You will need: Paper, coloring supplies

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: Any

Garden -> Putting the Garden to Bed 

Students have a conversation about why rest is important, and learn that their school garden also needs rest to stay strong and healthy. Once in the garden, students engage with an observation process - they note what signs they see of the garden going to bed (leaves browning and dropping, less green color, etc). Using this new knowledge, they rotate through several stations for further exploration. Students plant winter cover crops, pulling up summer crops, and seed explorations. 

• Learning goal: Students are able to explain why it’s important for a garden to rest in the winter, and have a hand in putting their own school garden to bed.

• Curriculum alignment: NGSS LS2.A

• Kit contents:

  • 1 66 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 Garden Coordinator contact sheet

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 1 packet cover crop seeds

  • 1 roll wax paper

  • 10 pairs of gloves

  • 10 hand cultivators

  • 30 garden clippers

• You will need: Wheelbarrow for moving debris (depending on garden space), heavy books for pressing leaves and flowers (optional)

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: Late September-November, March-April, June

Classroom -> The World Travels of Food 

The class reads How to Bake an Apple Pie and See the World and are introduced to the idea of food miles. Students talk about their previous knowledge of local foods that are grown in their region, and think about the possibility of alternative local sources for the ingredients the main character collected on her journey. Using the provided food miles materials, students do the math to scale down their food mileage, and make a yarn graph to represent all the distances traveled by the food in the story. Once students have conceptualized how far some food travels to our grocery stores and us, the lesson ends with a discussion about the importance of local food and the environmental impacts of this much transport of food.

• Learning goal: Students understand and are able to calculate food miles for ingredients, and are able to create a scaled representation of the distance food travels.

• Curriculum alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7 + NGSS ESS.3.C + CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.A.1 + CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.A.2

• Kit contents:

  • 1 15 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 1 ball of yarn

  • 6 measuring tapes

  • Index cards

  • How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman

• You will need: Scissors, writing utensils

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: Any

Garden -> Getting to Know the Garden 

How can we explore the garden respectfully? Students discuss expectations in the garden, play garden bingo, and then move through rotations of activities meant for them to thoughtfully engage with the plants and other living things in the garden.

• Learning goal: Students will be able to use their senses to familiarize themselves with features in the garden. Specifically, students can observe and identify components of the garden and record their observations with drawings and notes.

• Curriculum alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 + NGSS 4-LS1-2

• Kit contents:

  • 1 66 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 Garden Coordinator contact sheet

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 5 quadrats

  • 24 small magnifying glasses

  • 1 roll wax paper

• You will need: Writing utensils, heavy books for pressing leaves (optional)

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: August-November, March-June

Classroom -> Neighborhood Food Maps 

Where can we access food in our community? Why is it important for everyone to have access to good food? Students read a true story about a farmer who is working for better food access for everyone, and talkabout where people get food in their own town. Students then use Google Maps to interact with their neighborhoods and locate stores and farms in town.

• Learning goal: Students will be able to articulate why having access to good food is important, and will be able to use Google Maps to navigate to food-related locations in their town.

• Curriculum alignment: RL.3.3

• Kit contents:

  • 1 15 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 copy teacher directions

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Eric Shabazz-Larkin

• You will need: Access to Chromebooks or similar, Smartboard or projector

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: Any

Garden -> Planting the Three Sisters 

How are plants dependent on one another? How do we depend on one another?  Students learn about the Myaamia, who lived in this area in the 1600s and earlier, and their growing practice referred to as the Three Sisters. Students then plant a Three Sisters bed, and explore the concept of interdependence, as well as learning some Myaamia words.

• Learning goal: Students will be able to describe the method of interplanting known as the Three Sisters, explain how plants and people can depend on one another, and plant and grow seeds.

• Curriculum alignment: NGSS.LS2.A

• Kit contents:

  • 1 15 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 Garden Coordinator contact sheet

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 1 pack index cards

  • 1 packet of corn seed

  • 1 packet of bean seeds

  • 1 packet of squash seeds

  • 5 trowels

  • Popsicle sticks

  • 5 permanent markers

• You will need: Writing utensils, watering can

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit:  May-June

Classroom -> If Our Class Were a Soup 

Students start with a discussion about the benefits of sharing as a community, and read the book Stone Soup by Jon J Muth to encourage ideas about sharing and collective contribution. After talking about the book and its big ideas, the class makes paper drawings of their favorite vegetables! These will all be pasted onto a paper cauldron to represent their own class stone soup, while naming something positive that they contribute to the class community. 

• Learning goal: Students will be able to identify and describe what they contribute to their class community.

• Curriculum alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7 + CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1

• Kit contents: 

  • 1 15 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 3 sets of example vegetable images (in English, French, and Spanish)

  • 1 example vegetable drawing

  • 1 roll of tape

• You will need: Coloring supplies, scissors, large drawing of a cauldron

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: Any

Garden -> Root View Cups 

Students sing a song about roots and start a conversation about the secret work that they do beneath the surface of the soil to produce the food we eat. After a demonstration of the cup creation by the classroom teacher, students each create a cover that will darken their cups so that the roots can grow properly. Students decorate their shields while groups of 5-6 students are called up to sow seeds. Once everyone has planted their seeds and finished their covers, the class discusses their predictions for root growth, the necessary components a plant needs to grow, and where they think they should leave their cups. Once settled, students water their cups and wait for the seeds to grow! Observations are made periodically on provided observation sheet.

• Learning goal: Students will be able to sow seeds and make predictions about root growth.

• Curriculum alignment: NGSS 1.LS1.A + CCSS 2.MD1 + CCSS 2.MD.9

• Kit contents

  • 1 66 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 Garden Coordinator contact sheet

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 2 seed packets

  • 1 bag potting mix

  • 4 spray bottles

  • 3 soil scoops

  • 30 pre-drilled plastic cups

  • 30 popsicle sticks

  • 2 plastic trays

  • Construction paper

  • Tape

  • 5 “Root Cover” templates

  • Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

• You will need: Crayons or colored pencils, scissors

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: August or February-April, but any time will be fine

Classroom -> Wonders of Water 

Students view photos of plants that have been watered and cared for or that have been neglected. They make observations and guess at why the plants look different, after which they do a representative role play to emphasize the difference proper care can make. Students think about their own water drinking habits and make goals to drink more water.

• Learning goal: Students will be able to explain why it is important to drink water. Students will understand why water is important to plants.

• Curriculum alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.8

• Kit contents:

  • 1 15 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 60 disposable cups

  • Photos of watered and unwatered plants

  • In Our Garden by Pat Zietlow Miller and Melissa Crowton

• You will need: Examples of watered/unwatered plants (optional)

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: Any

Garden -> Sensory Explorations 

Why is it important to pay attention using our senses in the garden? In this lesson, students engage in a medley of sensory activities as an introduction to the garden, including making a sound map and creating collections of objects with opposite attributes from inside the garden.

• Learning goal: Students will be able to describe their natural environment based on sensory observations.

• Curriculum alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.1.F + CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.5

• Kit contents:

  • 1 66 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 Garden Coordinator contact sheet

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 6 egg cartons

  • 12 blank labels

  • Quiet in the Garden by Aliki

• You will need: Writing utensils, paper (either one large sheet or enough letter-sized sheets for your class), black marker

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: August-November, March-June

Classroom -> People Who Feed Us 

Students read a book about all the people that help get food to us, and take time to talk about what they know about who provides them their food. After identifying some specific people, students have the opportunity to create a portrait of an individual of their choice who helps feed them - a farmer, fisherman, or any other person they can identify. 

• Learning goal: Students will be able to explain how we rely on our community to eat. Students will be able to depict a community member who is integral to how we get our food.

• Curriculum alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1

• Kit contents:

  • 1 15 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 24 black markers

  • Example images of community members who work in the food system

  • Before We Eat by Pat Brisson

• You will need: Coloring supplies, blank paper

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: Any

Garden -> Garden Gallery Walk 

Students begin by having a group conversation about their own familiarity with gardens and gardening, and learn that the lesson of the day will be exploring their own school garden and learning about what it means to grow food. The teacher assesses their familiarity with garden spaces through a “That’s Me, Too!” game, and students then play “I Notice, I Wonder” with their peers to get comfortable asking questions and being unsure in the garden. Students go on to do a garden scavenger hunt, and finish by discussing with their peers what they learned that day and what questions they still have about their school garden.

• Learning goal: Students will use their curiosity to ask questions about the school garden and engage each other in conversation about their wonderings. Specifically, students can explain why their school has a garden, describe what is in the garden, and demonstrate how to ask and answer questions based on observations they make.

• Curriculum alignment: ELA.SL.5.1.B

• Kit contents:

  • 1 15 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 Garden Coordinator contact sheet

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • Plant a Little Seed by Bonnie Christiensen

• You will need: Nothing

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: August-October, March-June

Classroom -> Colorful Plate Spinners 

Students talk about their ideas of a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner, and learn that it’s important to have a rainbow of foods on your plate. Every child gets a pre-cut spiraled paper plate and has time to make a rainbow of fruits and veggies on it, creating a balanced and healthy rainbow spinner. 

• Learning goal: Students practice identifying colors and have a basic understanding of the importance of eating different colors of food.

• Curriculum alignment: 23.B.ECa + 23.B.ECb

• Kit contents:

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • 30 pre-cut paper plates

  • 1 ball yarn

  • I Can Eat a Rainbow by Olena Rose

• You will need:

• Recommended time of year to teach this kit: Any

Garden -> Watering the Garden

Teachers read a book to students about caring for the garden, learn about the requirements a plant needs to grow, and explore how wet and dry soil feels different. They decide whether or not the soil of the garden needs watering, and everyone gets a chance to water a plant. 

• Learning goal: Students understand the basics of what a plant needs to survive, and can identify the importance of water to its growth.

• Curriculum alignment: 12.B.ECa + 12.B.ECb

• Kit contents:

  • 1 15 qt. clear plastic tote

  • 1 lesson plan folder containing: 

    • 1 lesson plan

    • 1 copy How To Use This Kit

    • 1 Garden Coordinator contact sheet

    • 1 set Farm to School take-home fliers (with French and Spanish translations)

    • 1 set class worksheets, if any (with French and Spanish translations)

  • Water, Weed, and Wait by Edith Hope Fine

  • 6 small watering cans

• You will need: Access to a water spigot

• Recommended times of year to teach this kit: August-October, April-June