Scare tactics? Bribery? Proselytizing? How exactly do you get kids to eat healthy? How about using the language of deliciousness!
Educators at Edible Schoolyard New Orleans
are always pioneering new ways to teach healthy food choices, and part of how we do this is to connect children to the larger food community through collaboration. In celebration of Food Day and National Farm-to-School Month, on October 24 community partners, faculty, staff, sixth graders and their families came together in the Dreamkeeper Garden at Langston Hughes Academy to participate in interactive, edible activities that taught kids fun, easy, and creative ways to eat healthy.
At the table for the Crescent City Farmer’s market, students “Guessed the Gross” by sticking their hands into towel-shrouded bowls to touch the creepy substances within—eyeballs, worms, brains. They were scared to reach in, but each was a food that could be found at the farmer’s market.
At the LPHI table students found out that satsumas have only ten calories apiece. And at the ESYNOLA table they rolled and cut sweet potato gnocchi and used fresh herbs from the garden to make salad dressing.
“I never liked salad until I tried this dressing,” said one student, declaring in better words that we ever could that Food Day was a complete success.
ESYNOLA is grateful for LPHI School Health Connection, the New Orleans Food Co-op, the Crecent City Farmer’s Market, LHA faculty and staff, and ESYNOLA volunteers for making Food Day so awesome. Look for recipes from Food Day on ESYNOLA’s website, and check in with our Facebook page to see more photos of the event. 
No comments:
Post a Comment